O’Brien, who hosted the late-night show from June 2009 to January 2010, is set to sit down with current host Jimmy Fallon next week.
As you probably know, O’Brien was fired from the show after former host, Jay Leno, decided to return to the screen. The move was one of the most talked about in late-night history.
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Conan O’Brien Fired From ‘The Tonight Show’
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In June 2009, O’Brien signed a contract with NBC to take over ‘The Tonight Show’ — something that meant “everything” to him.
“Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me,” he said in a letter at the time. “I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future.”
Following the news of his firing in 2010, O’Brien addressed his fans to say that “no one should waste a second feeling sorry for [him] because for nearly two decades, he was “getting paid to do what [he] loves most and, in a world with real problems, [he’s] been absurdly lucky.”
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“That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision,” O’Brien added.
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Why Did Conan O’Brien Part Ways With NBC?
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The network proposed to bump ‘The Tonight Show’ to 12:05 p.m., which O’Brien was very outspoken about at the time.
“NBC executives told me they intended to move the ‘Tonight Show’ to 12:05 to accommodate the ‘Jay Leno Show’ at 11:35,” he revealed. “For 60 years the ‘Tonight Show’ has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the ‘Tonight Show’ into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.”
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“If I accept this move I will be knocking the ‘Late Night’ show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy,” he added.
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Conan O’Brien Stands By His Opinion
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And that is when he announced he would no longer be part of the show.
“So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it,” he said in his public statement at the time. “My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of the ‘Tonight Show’. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.”
“Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the ‘Tonight Show’, I believe nothing could matter more,” he said.
Conan O’Brien Is Returning To ‘The Tonight Show’, But As A Guest
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14 years after O’Brien parted ways with NBC, he is set to return to the ‘Tonight Show’ stage to promote his upcoming MAX series ‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’. This will mark his first return to the series since his short-lived hosting gig.
O’Brien’s episode of ‘The Tonight Show’ will air on Tuesday, April 9. Nicole Richie and musical guest Benson Boone will also appear in the episode.
For the record, the late-night show still airs at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.
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Conan O’Brien’s New MAX Show
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“There are funny people all over the globe and they all have their own rhythm,” O’Brien said when the series was announced. “Everyone in Ireland is a comedian… I love talking to people who don’t know who I am, don’t care. I’m a connection junkie, I like to connect with people. I think this show is my way to get my fix.”
‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ will premiere on MAX on Thursday, April 18.