# Leno/Conan Shakeup at NBC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 7, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073 "2010-01-07T21:31:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/401 "2010-01-15T12:57:35Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > Holy shit that was amazing. The thing keeps freezing at 2:39, which is really annoying. But I can see Leno’s people must have expected Kimmel to play along and he wasn’t. Meanwhile I’m finally seeing Kimmel’s Leno show. It’s good in places but what really shows through is that Kimmel makes it such a personal thing. It’s a funny impression of Leno but it’s mean for sure. I think my favorite part so far was his genuine reaction to Chevy Chase’s Conan hair. I wish Chase had kept that going longer. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/402 "2010-01-15T14:16:44Z")
NBC exec not too fond of Conan [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/business/media/15conan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/business/media/15conan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/403 "2010-01-15T14:22:32Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > NBC exec not too fond of Conan > > [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/business/media/15conan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/15/business/media/15conan.html?partner=rss&emc=rss) Erm, well, he blames Conan for his own ratings problems, but also says “I like Conan enormously personally,” Mr. Ebersol said. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/404 "2010-01-15T14:24:50Z")
Interesting that Ebersol says the Tonight Show needs to “appeal first and foremost to cities in the central time zone like Chicago and Des Moines.” Sounds like he means it needs to be vanilla, not cutting edge. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/405 "2010-01-15T14:26:11Z")
I’m disappointed he didn’t say anything about the show playing in Peoria. How did this guy get to be a TV executive? ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/406 "2010-01-15T14:34:11Z")
> [@bup](#): > > I bet Leno’s poison now - he’s going to have a helluva time getting guests. Some will be forced by their agents/the contracts in their movies, but stars with any leverage are going to avoid the Tonight Show. Not a chance. Talk shows are vehicles for other self serving people to promote their own upcoming movies and books. Few people, if any, are going to say no to going on Leno’s show just because NBC sucks balls, because then that’s messing with their own livelihoods. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/407 "2010-01-15T14:39:30Z")
> [@BrandonR](#): > > This debacle is going to backfire on NBC so bad it’s not even funny. They’re polarizing the audience and turning people who don’t mind Leno into people who hate Leno… And this is the younger generation, the audience of the future. This does not look like a good situation for the network at all. Sadly it’s not. People have short memories. David Letterman’s sex scandal seems eons ago. The bottom line is if Jay ‘BigJaw’ Leno has an interesting guest on, people are going to watch The Tonight Show. I’m all for boycotting NBC, but it just won’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/408 "2010-01-15T14:40:58Z")
CBS, Fox and ABC tried to tell people from their shows not to go on Leno at 10 since he was competing against prime time but they went on anyway. For example Julia-Louis Dreyfus went on and mentioned CBS asked her not to do the show. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/409 "2010-01-15T14:59:03Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Here is the [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FNmWFD4oWg). I liked the part about the lap dancers. “Hey, Jay, my mom is watching … no, wait, no one is watching.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/410 "2010-01-15T14:59:19Z")
Conan’s riffing on the porn movie offer was great. I loved some of the titles they came up with. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/411 "2010-01-15T15:03:26Z")
If you can’t see the clip of Kimmel beating down Leno on his 10@10 segment, TMZ has the full clip as well: [Videos, Full Episodes & Clips | TMZ](http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=68aabfbf-00b6-46ab-b1c7-ef4201ee8b46) ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/412 "2010-01-15T15:25:37Z")
Latest news is that NBC and Conan are near a settlement that will allow him to leave for another network. [Link](http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/751159--conan-o-brien-nbc-near-settlement-reports) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/413 "2010-01-15T15:32:47Z")
Now I get it. The video froze because that’s right where Kimmel started lashing out. That was funny stuff, and man, did Leno set himself up with the ‘if you could host any show?’ question. The thing about Conan’s kids was too much, though. Conan’s making eight figures a year and he hosted Late Night for 15 years. I’m sure his house is expensive but he has plenty of money and his career is not over. He’s going to get paid severance and make money somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/414 "2010-01-15T16:05:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The thing about Conan’s kids was too much, though. Conan’s making eight figures a year and he hosted Late Night for 15 years. I’m sure his house is expensive but he has plenty of money and his career is not over. He’s going to get paid severance and make money somewhere else. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t serious. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/415 "2010-01-15T16:36:05Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Are we sure that Leno said “Give me my show back” and NBC just bowed down and said OK? Or did NBC panic when both shows were tanking, fired Conan, and offered the job to Jay who simply said yes? I haven’t seen anything that indicates Jay has done anything other than go along with NBC’s plans. Some of the news articles (like the Ebersol one linked later in this thread) indicate that this is all NBC’s decision. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/416 "2010-01-15T16:44:33Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > So answer me this… > > Are we sure that Leno said “Give me my show back” and NBC just bowed down and said OK? Or did NBC panic when both shows were tanking, fired Conan, and offered the job to Jay who simply said yes? > Everyone on this boards hate for Jay seems to be from the first question, but I can’t find anywhere that that is the actual case. Frankly more evidence is being shown for the second question. Anyone know whats definitive? It’s pretty definitive that NBC has jerked around both Leno and O’Brien. With Leno first by pushing him out, then bringing him back in prime time, then canceling him, then dangling an 11:35 show, finally by appearing to give him back the Tonight Show. With O’Brien, NBC first gave him the Tonight Show, then tried to devalue it by moving it out of the time slot it had held since 1954, finally by apparently removing him from it. I suppose it would be better if Leno would decide he’d been jerked around by NBC enough by now and leave, but how many people, having been pushed out of a job, wouldn’t at least consider it if their old boss said, “I made a mistake, and I want you back in the place you belong”? FWIW, I saw the Kimmel beatdown last night, and it was one of the most brutal things ever. Letterman has been pretty vicious in some of his comments, but Kimmel was at least 10x more harsh than anything Letterman has said. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/417 "2010-01-15T16:47:48Z")
I think Kimmel was pranking Jay. He’s known for that. I don’t think he was being serious. Why would he care about 2 shows on another network? Conan has 40 million coming. He is set for life. All of this controversy is actually generating late night ratings for all the shows. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/418 "2010-01-15T17:29:36Z")
People think that Jay is being a dick for taking Conan’s job. Like having the school bully steal someone’s baseball cap and give it to you. Sure, you didn’t steal the hat, but you accepted it, you acquiesced. However, didn’t Conan do the same with Jay? Didn’t Conan acquiesce when NBC took the Tonight Show from Jay, against his wishes? So, Jay is being no more a dick than Conan was for taking the Tonight Show gig in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/419 "2010-01-15T17:29:50Z")
That Kimmel interview shows just how robotic and wooden Leno is. I don’t think he listens to anything his guests say. Why is it that everybody seems to be ignoring the fact that LENO was the one who couldn’t pull in the ratings at 10pm, and that LENO is the one whose show actually got cancelled. Normally, when your show gets cancelled due to low ratings, you’re done with the network. The only reason that Conan’s ratings are down is because of his lead-ins, beginning with 10pm. Why isn’t NBC even giving him a chance to see how he performs when they have normal 10PM programming? If Conan really is moving to FOX, I sure hope they’re going to give him a studio in NYC, and a timeslot at 11pm. > [@Polerius](#): > > Didn’t Conan acquiesce when NBC took the Tonight Show from Jay, against his wishes? Against his wishes? Leno could have said no to all of this 5 years ago (like Conan is saying no NOW). He’s a FLIP-FLOPPER! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073/420 "2010-01-15T17:38:27Z")
What ever happens to Conan, I don’t think he’s moving back to NYC just a year after moving out to LA. Fox will be happy with him in LA, they are based there , the other 3 networks are based in NYC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leno-conan-shakeup-at-nbc/524073.md?page=22)