Not to mention the funny porno titles they came up with.
Letterman was pretty funny – saying they were keeping an eye on the chimney at NBC HQ (bad photoshop), awaiting the smoke signals indicating the new Tonight Show host.
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?
Here’s how I understand it. NBC hasn’t fired Conan. The plan is for Leno to move to 11:35 with his own half-hour show. Conan will follow with the Tonight Show from 12:05 to 1:05. Conan has said he will not do this, but I understand he gets to keep the Tonight Show as long he stays with it at whatever time NBC chooses to air it. If Conan refuses to go on at 12:05, the Tonight Show will be given back to Jay and will air at 11:35 and run for an hour. I understand Leno is very amenable to this, but it would only happen if Conan balks at coming on at 12:05. That’s NBC’s Plan B, so they don’t have to search for yet another Tonight host. So if Conan decides to stay with the Tonight Show, the only casualties will be Conan’s pride and NBC’s credibility. It will only be given back to Jay if Conan walks away from it.
I haven’t read the whole thread, but has anyone brought up the possibility that Conan’s numbers were much lower than when Leno was hosting because there is only so much demand for a talk show on a given night?
That is, some of Jay’s original “Tonight Show” viewers switched over to 10pm with Leno and some stayed at 11:35pm with Conan. It’s hard to envision that many people would watch both shows on the same night.
Can this explain (at least partially) the reduction in “Tonight Show” viewers since Conan took over (versus explanations such as “Conan does not have as wide an appeal as Leno” or “Conan just hasn’t found his audience yet”)
If the above does explain a large part in the reduction, then if NBC cancelled the Jay Leno show, the “Tonight Show” numbers would go up immediately, no matter who ends up hosting, Leno or Conan.
I didn’t realize they let you count that in the diaries. Good to know, although it still doesn’t count for the set-top boxes. And those are important since those are the only ways they get year-round ratings.
So I luckily happened to catch Jimmy Kimmel on Jay’s show tonight. Jimmy tore him a new asshole. Simply a thing of beauty. Please try to catch it on youtube, because it really was an amazing moment. One of his great lines was about how Leno has a billion dollars, and that he doesn’t need the money, whereas he (Jimmy) and Conan have kids to take care of.
Here is the video.
Oh puh-leaze. Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O’Brien are no paupers. Although their net worths are surely lower than Jay’s, by any normal person’s standards they are pretty filthy rich themselves.
:dubious: Am I being whooshed? Pretty sure he was joking.
Holy shit that was amazing.
Well I didn’t watch the clip, just read your account and thought you were seriously trying to elicit sympathy for them.
But if anyone really got screwed financially, it’s the crew that followed Conan from New York to L.A. and brought their families with them. Conan mentioned that on his show clearly trying to play that sympathy card for all it’s worth, so I hope if he ends up getting that $60 million penalty from NBC for breaching his contract that he puts his money where his mouth is and shares it with them.
I’d guess Kimmel won’t be invited to NBC again anytime soon. That was brutal! Jay couldn’t do a thing about it. He had to seem like a good sport. Kimmel was kind of an asshole, but it was still fun to watch.
Jeff Zucker had Conan O’Brien arrested in 1986 for a prank! laugh
Snerk
Someone removed Zucker’s picture and replaced it with a diagram of an anus. The text underneath reads “Jeff Zucker in his natural form.”
Damn, it has been taken down. What did Kimmel say?
Still works for me…
I think it is my phone. I’m trying multiple places and none of them are pulling up.
Yeah, I’d try it when you get on your PC. Definitely is still up on YouTube.
I like them both but to be honest I watch Conan and wonder what all the fuss is about. The Tonight Show with Jay was better than with Conan. Several years back, NBC was afraid they’d lose Conan so they got Jay to agree to retire so that Conan would stick around to take over. I think Jay was gracious to agree to it. The 10pm Jay didn’t work out, so if you’re NBC you have to ask which host makes more money for you? Seems like they thought Jay was a better bet so they’re going to go with him. It isn’t stealing Conan’s show any more than a veteran pitcher would steal a starting spot from a young pitcher who isn’t getting batters out. You go with the best guy, which is Jay.