<p>I don’t think that Jay would have expected any less from Kimmel. That’s what comedians do.</p>
<p>cartera45 – you’re correct. When Conan had another offer in 2004, NBC asked Leno when he wanted to retire and he told them five years. The got Conan to stay by writing it into his contract that he would get the Tonight Show in 2009. Here is a link to the CNN article in 2004 making the announcement:</p>
<p>[CNN.com</a> - O’Brien to replace Leno on ‘The Tonight Show’ - Sep 27, 2004](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/27/leno.obrien/index.html]CNN.com”>CNN.com - O'Brien to replace Leno on 'The Tonight Show' - Sep 27, 2004)</p>
<p>Leno changed his mind about retiring and, rumor has it, was going to leave NBC. That’s when the disastrous plan to put him on at 10 pm was hatched. I feel that Conan is blameless, and Leno, while not perfect for deciding that he didn’t want to retire, was at least willing to leave the Tonight Show as planned. The NBC execs are the bad guys here for me. But then, I’m still holding a grudge for them cancelling Crossing Jordan and Life.</p>
<p>Eta: It’s funny the way that the CNN article mentions that this early announcement will prevent the debacle that happened when Leno was chosen over Letterman.</p>
<p>I think Jay knew exactly what Kimmel would do. He was invited on after spending an entire show impersonating Leno - complete with speech impediment.</p>
<p>I didn’t think Kimmel was funny on Leno. I thought it was very awkward.</p>
<p>I think the two got together and wrote the entire thing. The questions were worded perfectly to set Kimmel up for a slam.</p>
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<p>best post of the day!</p>
<p>I was at a dinner party last night (anachronism, I know) and someone posed the question “Does anyone here care about the Leno-O’Brien debacle?” No one raised their hand. Of course, we were not their target audience.</p>
<p>I thought Craig Ferguson had the best line of the week – " You know the world is in a bad place when people are saying that David Letterman and I are the stable ones!"</p>
<p>This is what Leno said in 2004 - It was very explicit that he was handing the reins over to Conan, that he was ready and willing to retire. His words are now incredibly ironic - everything that he said (in 2004) he wanted to avoid, happened. Aeschylus could not have written this drama any better. </p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Leno promises The Tonight Show to Conan 2004](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86xDCI4tDc]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D86xDCI4tDc)</p>
<p>I thought at the time it was ridiculous that they were deciding Conan would take over in 5 years. Even if I personally enjoyed Conan (which I don’t), such a lot can happen in 5 years and they had no way of knowing if Conan would be liked at the end of 5 years or if someone else would have appeared that would be better for the job. Who even promises someone a job to someone in 5 years (other than Daddy or some other relative). Stupid.</p>
<p>And I am in the I really don’t care camp. I did watch the tonight show when Jay was host. I don’t watch it now. I am not sure that I will go back to watching it as my watching habits have changed now. I will be glad to have some interesting options at 9pm (central) though. The 5 nights a week Leno show in that time slot was not something that ever appealed to me at all, despite being a fan.</p>
<p>As the result, it looks like Conan will walk away with $40M (good for you, Conan!), Leno will get his gig back (yay - I’m looking forward to it!), and the NBC officials… will still be as stupid as they are now.</p>
<p>Good for Conan. I don’t enjoy watching either one of them, but I’m glad Conan didn’t buckle under.</p>
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…maybe that is the change they really need to make!</p>
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<p>As sick as it sounds, paying 40M to Conan to go “entertain” an audience on another channel, it probbaly will be a bargain compared to let this untalented and annoying poor excuse of a comedian completely ruin a show that had done well in the past. Not making the changes would have cost NBC a lot more than what they will lose on the Olympics. </p>
<p>The mistakes were made in 2004 and compounded by not realizing how bad Conan truly is and that his type of “humor” only works at a later hour, and when people have fewer choices. </p>
<p>While I have no doubt that someone will be dumb enough to offer Conan another show, I hope they’ll pay him what he is worth. Kevin Trudeau better be careful!</p>
<p>Is anyone else disgusted that Conan gets 40 million to walk away and do nothing, while “ordinary” people are dealing with unemployment, inflation? Or how much suffering would be relieved in Haiti with even half the money that Conan gets for doing nothing? Is any “entertainer” worth that much money when our police/fire fighters/teachers, etc are paid so poorly in comparison?</p>
<p>^^^^^
Entertainers, professional athletes, upper-level executives, etc, etc. As irritating as pay inequality is, that’s the way the free market works.</p>
<p>By the way, Conan’s $30 million was probably the penalty written into his contract in 2004 if he didn’t get the Tonight Show. Articles from 2004 say that the penalty was very large. Another $15 million is severance pay for the staff that relocated from the East Coast for seven months.</p>
<p>15 million for over 200 employees……………not that much.</p>
<p>$75K, to be exact. I heard Conan was supplementing that as well.</p>
<p>I know from experience Tutu, that’s $15 million more dollars than any other show gives out when they fold.</p>
<p>^^^^ Youre probably right …but to uproot your family, move across country and in 7 months be out of a job …75K wouldnt erase the bitterness and feelings of betrayal.</p>