Conan Getting Huge Buyout from NBC?
Conan O'Brien's last "Tonight Show" will be in a week, on Friday, Jan. 22, according to People magazine, and unconfirmed reports say he'll walk away with an enormous buyout.
O'Brien refused to host "The Tonight Show" when NBC said it wanted to move the show's starting time back a half-hour, to 12:05 a.m., so Leno could host a show in "Tonight" 's current slot.
Leno's primetime show was short-lived due to very poor ratings. He's said to be set to reclaim his old spot as "Tonight Show" host.
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The real-life drama continues to give late-night comic plenty of fodder.
On "Tonight" Thursday night, O'Brien said, "If NBC doesn't want people to see me -- just leave me on NBC!"
The jab was in response to a report his bosses were threatening to keep him off the air for the next three years and keep him from jumping to another network.
For his part, Leno cracked on his show, "Welcome to the new show, 'I'm a celebrity -- Get me off NBC!"
Not to be outdone, David Letterman joked, "Let's go out there live to Burbank. Keep your eyes on the chimney to see if they've selected a host for 'The Tonight Show' yet. They've apparently made a decision!" Letterman was referring to the way the Vatican announces it has chosen a new pope.