Conan: I Wouldn't Have Done What Leno Did To Me

(CBS)  Conan O'Brien says he would have left NBC rather than do what Jay Leno did to him, in his first interview since being forced off the Tonight Show.

O'Brien's interview with "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft will be broadcast this Sunday, May 2, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"He went and took that show back and I think in a similar situation, if roles had been reversed, I know...I know me, I wouldn't have done that," O'Brien says. "If I had surrendered The Tonight Show and handed it over to somebody publicly and wished them well and then…six months later. But that's me, you know. Everyone's got their own, you know, way of doing things," he tells Kroft.

Asked by Kroft what he would have done, O'Brien says, "Done something else, go someplace else. I mean, that's just me."

O'Brien eventually left NBC, deciding not to play second-fiddle to Leno. He says he didn't see the point in giving his all in a relationship that seemed to have no future. "I think this relationship is going be toxic and maybe we just need to go our separate ways," he says. "That's really how it felt to me…and I started to feel that I'm not sure these- people even really want me here….I can't do it [anymore]."
Produced by Deirdre Naphin

[jrsygrl5]

This guy kills me. He did the same thing to Lopez. He sleeps well at night? He is way worse than Leno. Conan pushed Leno out because he knew if he didn't stomp his feet 5 years ago and threaten to leave that Jay would stay. NBC never thought that Jay would still be #1 after 5 years but he was and beating Letterman.
So the whiney baby Conan [anyone with a brain knew would suck at the Tonight Show] wouldn't move a half hour later took 30 MILLION DOLLARS in an economy when people are losing their houses everyday and boo-hoed about it. He could have gone to FOX where there was no one, but this moral man went to TBS where lo and behold someone had the 11pm - George Lopez. He said he couldn't have Lopez move time slots unless Lopez called him personally and said it was OK. So Lopez with a gun at his head from the suits at TBS called and said everything this JO needed to hear to believe he held the higher ground.
So far the only one I can see holding the higher ground are Lopez, Ferguson & Fallon. I think we all stop watching at 11:00 and 11:30 and turn on at 12:30 am.

[aseriesofletters]

He absolutely DID NOT do the same thing to George Lopez. Lopez came to Conan personally and told him that he wanted him to take his spot at 11:00 and for him to back up his show to midnight. Only then did Conan agree to have his show take over the time slot of "Lopez Tonight".

Sadly, this isn't common knowledge and many people will assume hypocrisy on Conan's part, even though that couldn't be further from the truth.

[fleabag75]

I never, EVER dreamed this guy was such a whiner. What a little child to be playing in an adult world.

[woofsnwags]

Is Conan ever going to go away? He has been whining like a little girl since this whole thing happened. NBC screwed up. When O'Brien tanks in his new show he will probably blame Leno for that too.

[raffy61]

Earth to Leno fans. Conan is NOT going away, ever. Get used to it. Ironically this is the first day he has been legally allowed to speak publicly, so the whining you are referring to?-- that was Leno being whiney and pathetic on Oprah. Leno's doing just fine tanking on his own. Wow, I almost feel sorry for the bomb he did last night at the White House. Just wow.

[blognut]

You Conan fans are so ill informed. This whole ordeal was Jeff Zucker's screw up... he gambled and lost. Leno was at the top of the ratings game when Zucker wanted him to step down so that the younger Conan could take over The Tonight Show. That was a poor marketing move... you don't take out the "top selling product" and replace it. Zucker gambled and lost. Leno shouldn't have been asked to leave in the first place, so he is back where he belongs. Conan is a rich cry baby... trying to play the victim role. If Conan is upset with anyone it should be Jeff Zucker.

[ybyl]

After all this trouble caused by Jeff Zucker at NBC, it turns out that The Chin's ratings are no better than Conan's ratings were.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cultofconan/

[lioneyes3]

So, Conan takes $30M of NBC hush money, and then proceeds to bash Leno. Maybe he wants $30M from Leno, too, and then he'll be quiet.

[stupa5]

Conan the cry baby get the hook.this guy is full of himself!

[iwant12]

Question: Conan took George Lopez's time slot. If Conan's ratings suck and is later given $50M to leave, will he bad mouth TBS and Lopez (who gets his old time slot back)? I assume Conan will blame Lopez for his bad ratings.

[michigal1]

Conan did NOT take Leno's show away, Jay had planned to retire and give the reins to Conan (look up the video). Jay has been unfunny for years, he basically sucked at any real comedy, it was all scripted. I don't think he has an adlib bone in his body. Conan is one of the funniest, smartest and innovative entertainers on the planet. WELCOME BACK CONAN! GO TBS!

[erasmus111]

by michigal1 April 30, 2010 2:40 PM EDT
Conan did NOT take Leno's show away, Jay had planned to retire and give the reins to Conan (look up the video).


Oh please! Leno had no intentions of retiring. What did you expect him to say when they were taking a show away from him and giving it to someone else? I would much rather people think that I was retiring, wouldn't you? I can always change my mind later.

[lioneyes3]

Jay "planned to retire" because his bosses essentially asked him to plan to retire. What was he supposed to do, throw a hissy fit? He went along with what his bosses said; he actually showed some respect for NBC, the network that helped make him who he is. You need to look into the situation a little deeper than that. Nobody wants to retire when they are still #1.

[lioneyes3]

I think it's funny that there are so many comments blaming Leno for O'Brien's poor ratings. Leno may have been a factor but, let's face it, the execs at NBC didn't think so, or they would have just kept Conan and axed Leno.

Think about it: Why did NBC want Leno back at 11:30 instead of Conan? What, does Leno have some pictures of the NBC president or something? C'mon, be real. NBC called this, not Leno. They obviously saw something in Conan's performance they didn't like, and didn't want to lose Leno in the process. It's obvious.