Dave fucks the help but Jay's a douchebag
 

MSN Entertainment

Conan O'Brien will not be returning to the "The Tonight Show" if it starts airing at 12:05 a.m. instead of 11:35 p.m. O'Brien released the statement below on Tuesday afternoon.

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over "The Tonight Show" in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my "Tonight Show" in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move "The Tonight Show" to 12:05 to accommodate "The Jay Leno Show" at 11:35. For 60 years "The Tonight Show" has aired immediately following the late local news. 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." 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.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. 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.

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. 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.

Yours,

Conan
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=451417&gt1=28103

i'm surprised that original contract that he signed to take over the show didn't stipulate that he would be given a set date to be in that time slot and keep him safe from such bullshit...

who the hell is watching Leno anymore anyway? The guy hasn't been funny since the 80's and even then he wasn't that funny...

I'm not a Leno fan but his ratings were consistently better than Letterman's and better than Conan's. The point is, if he was gonna quit then quit or move to another network. He is a super douche having a show an hour before the tonight show. Blame nbc for incompetence and Jay for douchebaggery.:2 cents:

who gives a fuck about these idiot man-babies?

It wasnt Jay leno's fault they told him what to do and he did it. He had better ratings then letterman. This was corporate not leno.

Aaaaahahaha! Very true...

It doesn't take an nbc exec to see this as just plain dumb. What late night show has ever started at 10 pm?:1orglaugh This article proves my point that Jay's a douche and maybe a dummie too. What's even more curious is that I may be one of the few that's mentioned what an epic blunder this was by nbc and Leno.:helpme Without a doubt this is one of the dumbest moves ever made by a television network.

If Jay didn't want to leave he should have stayed and made them fire him and then moved on. Jay was to much a pussy to say no, and the execs were affraid he'd bolt to another channel and gave him the 10pm slot. wether he was forced to or not he should show some class and let Conan keep the show. Reminds me of how Carson fucked Letterman

what up RRACY????????????????????????????????????????????? ????

carson daly is going to be ok, right?

Show some class ...are you kidding,

Conan moves into your slot....and you get offered a juicy $$$$ deal to get a 10pm prime time spot and you would say " No Thanks " ....Jay gained the best deal he could have dreamed of when it was offered in my opinion....and I bet no entertainer would have said NO....and now if he is offered another sweet deal to move back to 11.30 he will jump at that too.

Maybe I will apply for Conan's waterboy position.:mad: Listen to Conan here. Jay's gonna run a half hour show that started as the tonight show for 40 years but it won't be the tonight show anymore but the jay leno show.:1orglaugh Conan will still front the tonight show but will follow the half hour show that he used to start a half hour earlier that was the tonight for 40 years.:winkwink: Like I said, this is one of the most idiotic and retarded moves ever made in television history and it's being reported by some guy with 1100 posts on GFY.:1orglaugh

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move "The Tonight Show" to 12:05 to accommodate "The Jay Leno Show" at 11:35. For 60 years "The Tonight Show" has aired immediately following the late local news. 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." 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.

"Reminds me of how Carson fucked Letterman"

Never happened. Johnny had no say in who replaced him but made it clear in words and actions that he favored Dave over Jay.

He stated this in interviews and only appeared on Dave's show after his retirement.

At the end of Johnny's life he was sending in monologue jokes to Dave.

Yeah I remembered when he died Dave said this on his show that now and then he would get jokes from Johnny and he were very moved that night.

There is a movie about what happened and why Jay got the show can't remember the movie been a long time since I saw it.

people are just done with Jay..
conan is actually brilliant, but he is annoying also..
just the fact he is 100% jewish but pretends to be 100% irish is just lame
dave is cool and will be the only one gaining on this deal

the movie is called 'the late shift'. i caught on hbo canada last month. pretty interesting. looks like they'll be able to make another after this mess.

I say fuck them both and turn late night TV over to Craig Ferguson :thumbsup:thumbsup

one is a religion, the other a nationality. carry on.

Conan is Fox bound as he should be after this fuckjob by these fools.:thumbsup

crazy to give him such a long contract in the beginning.

Conan is funny, Jay is cheesy

i haven't watched jay in 15 years. lame as fuck. conan on the other hand, is hilarious. i can't believe there are people out there who actually still watch leno. seriously.

I was under the impression that nobody under the age of 45 even watched those shows anymore.

check the ratings. No one over 45 either.

I'm with you. :thumbsup