NBC
Late-night television fans across the country are well aware that tomorrow will be the last broadcast of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Recent broadcasts have been an Irish wake of guests parading onto O'Brien's set with good-bye wishes. But today, NBC officially confirmed the news in this statement:
"NBC and Conan O'Brien have reached a resolution of the issues surrounding O'Brien's contract to host The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," says the press release. "Under terms of an agreement that was signed earlier today, NBC and O'Brien will settle their contractual obligations and the network will release O'Brien from his contract, freeing him to pursue other opportunities after September 1, 2010. O'Brien will make his final appearance as host of the Tonight Show on Jan. 22."
Ever since NBC announced on Jan. 10 that it was cancelling The Jay Leno Show -- the network's weeknights-at-10 p.m. experiment launched in September -- a contentious time-slot turf war has made headlines. And the battle escalated when O'Brien issed a bold statement of protest in response to rumors that NBC would create a new half-hour comedy program for Leno to air at 11:35 p.m. (pushing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien to 12:05 a.m.).
To end the public relations debacle, the network reportedly hammered out a deal with Conan O'Brien to faciliate his exit, an agreement which is expected to include buying out his contract via an estimated $40-45 million payout (a healthy percentage of which will reportedly go toward severance for his staffers).
Leno will resume hosting The Tonight Show March 1 -- but what's next for the red-headed comedian with legions of "Team Conan" fans? The deal O'Brien negotiated with NBC apparently will allow him to appear on other networks, but not until Sept. 1. Despite the ugly feud that prematurely ended O'Brien's reign behind the Tonight Show desk, here's hoping the comedy pro can keep his sense of humor intact until then.
Plus:
- The Jay Leno vs. Conan O'Brien Showdown
- Can you picture Conan O'Brien as a Kids' TV Star?
