Conan says ‘No!’
Conan O’Brien is saying “Thanks, But No Thanks” to NBC’s request to move The Tonight Show to 12:05 AM. The fiery redhead says he will not stick with the show — or the network — if the scheduled plan to bring Jay Leno back to late night proceeds. In a statement released to The New York Times Tuesday afternoon, O’Brien lashes out at the network for proposing the shift.
Without resigning from NBC, Conan says was presented with the request to have his show bumped by half an hour, in order to accommodate The Jay Leno Show, which the network is moving to 11:35 PM. But in his letter, Conan noted he would not accept the scheduling move.
“I sincerely believe that delaying ‘The Tonight Show’ into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting,” Conan wrote in his open letter to the “People of Earth.” “‘The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t The Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.”
Conan continued, “My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.”
Conan addressed rumors he could be headed to FOX.
“There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next,” he wrote. “My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work. Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.”