In a statement addressed to People of Earth, the host of 'Tonight Show' revealed how he fought for the original time slot for five years, only to be cut short after six months.
- Jan 13, 2010
AceShowbiz - Conan O'Brien who suffers from NBC's casualties regarding "The Jay Leno Show" schedule has taken a stance to reject being pushed to 12:05 A.M. He released a statement on Tuesday, January 12 to declare that he won't be back hosting "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" if NBC proceeds with its current plan.
NBC announced on Sunday that Conan's run on "Tonight Show" will be cut starting next month and Conan has expressed how upset he is through a letter for People of Earth. "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. 'The Tonight Show' at 12:05 simply isn't the 'Tonight Show'," he said.
Conan added that the move will also hurt "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon". He said, "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."
Many believe Conan would be accommodated by other networks should he decide to quit NBC. However, he won't give up that easily, saying "...I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. 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."
Conan's manager Gavin Polone said the letter "came from the heart" and "it's not about strategy and contracts." Polone explained, "It's him expressing his feelings; there is nothing else behind it."
