Conan O’Brien’s days as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show are numbered, and it looks like “Mandy” crooner Barry Manilow will be the host’s final guest on Jan. 22.
“It’s a perfect fit for Barry, who was once Bette Midler’s piano player, to be the one to say goodbye to Conan,” a network insider told PopEater.com Friday. “Bette was the late great Johnny Carson’s final guest and now Barry will be Conan’s … if his final date holds.”
Manilow is expected to perform a song from his new album, The Greatest Love Songs of All Time, but the final spot of the night will be Manilow, the band, staff, crew and audience all singing what might be the most appropriate song ever: “Can’t Smile Without You,” the site says.
According to a person familiar with the negotiations, next Friday, Conan will leave NBC after 16 years and free Jay Leno to reclaim the long-running late night show he hosted for 17 years.