Having been a fan of Late night talk shows, I have been religiously following Letterman, Leno and Conan 'o Brien all these years. Being a comedy geek, I was particularly excited when Conan took over the coveted 'Tonight Show' last year and was looking forward to some innovative comedy moments from one of the genuinely brilliant comedic minds of this generation.
So when NBC decided to move Leno to 11:35Pm, pushing Conan to past mid-night, everyone looked up at Conan to see how he would respond, and respond he did -- with a mind-blowing press release statement that was a lesson in class, dignity and self-respect. The ingenuity in the release started with the way it was addressed: "People of the earth". (I have reprinted his statement at the end of this blog). His response/press-release was so amazing that people have called for it to be encased in glass to be studied at graduate programs.
I have always liked Conan O'Brien. He is goofy, funny and insightful in a way that doesn't appeal to everyone. But my respect for him grew exponentially with his stand, and what 'Tonight Show' meant to him. Conan's monologue bits, since then, has followed it up with scathing bits ripping NBC and it's execs, and does not even spare Leno.
Ironically, his particular monologue bit where he said "NBC put him and Jay Leno in a pit and told them to fight it out with sharpened weapons, the winner gets to leave NBC", might actually be in his best interest.
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Conan's statement on the Tonight Show fiasco:So when NBC decided to move Leno to 11:35Pm, pushing Conan to past mid-night, everyone looked up at Conan to see how he would respond, and respond he did -- with a mind-blowing press release statement that was a lesson in class, dignity and self-respect. The ingenuity in the release started with the way it was addressed: "People of the earth". (I have reprinted his statement at the end of this blog). His response/press-release was so amazing that people have called for it to be encased in glass to be studied at graduate programs.
I have always liked Conan O'Brien. He is goofy, funny and insightful in a way that doesn't appeal to everyone. But my respect for him grew exponentially with his stand, and what 'Tonight Show' meant to him. Conan's monologue bits, since then, has followed it up with scathing bits ripping NBC and it's execs, and does not even spare Leno.
Ironically, his particular monologue bit where he said "NBC put him and Jay Leno in a pit and told them to fight it out with sharpened weapons, the winner gets to leave NBC", might actually be in his best interest.
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"People of Earth:
In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. 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. 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. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.
But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.
Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. 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. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, 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.
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. 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.
There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.
Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way."
