Jay Leno tells Oprah Winfrey that he hasn’t spoken to Conan O’Brien throughout the recent contentious negotiations over “The Tonight Show.”
In quotes provided Wednesday by Harpo Productions, Leno tells Winfrey that “it didn’t seem appropriate” to speak to O’Brien.
But Leno says the two comedians might talk when “things cool down.”
NBC unseated O’Brien and moved Leno back to the program he had hosted for 17 years. Leno is scheduled to return to “Tonight” on March 1.
In a video previewing “The Oprah Winfrey Show” interview, Leno says: “This whole thing was a huge mess.”
Leno said NBC executives asked him to leave “The Tonight Show” in 2004 because they wanted to give the program to Conan O’Brien.
Leno told Oprah Winfrey he was “devastated.” He says the experience “was pretty shocking.”
Leno also says he told “a white lie on the air” when he said he was going to retire because he assumed he would find another job in show business.
Harpo Productions made an offer for O’Brien to appear on her show, but it hasn’t been confirmed.
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