Conan O’Brien seals $45 million deal to quit ‘Tonight’
Host walks away with $33 million payoff, staff splits $12 million
January 21, 2010
NBC, msnbc.com and news services
LOS ANGELES - Conan O'Brien has signed a $45 million deal with NBC to exit the "Tonight" show, allowing Jay Leno to return to the late-night program he hosted for 17 years.
After days of negotiations and controversy over NBC's decision to move Leno's show back to 11.35 p.m. and bump O'Brien back to after midnight, the network confirmed Thursday that "a deal is signed".
NBC said that O'Brien will end his "Tonight" show run Friday and leave the network just seven months after he took the reins from Leno.
The network said O'Brien would more than $33 million with the rest of the money going to his staff in severance pay.
Leno will return to "Tonight" on March 1. O'Brien will be free to begin another TV job as soon as September, NBC said.
The Wall Street Journal reported that a "non-disparagement clause" had also been included in the deal with the 46-year-old O'Brien.
Stumbled
O'Brien landed the "Tonight" show after successfully hosting "Late Night," which airs an hour later, since 1993. But he quickly stumbled in the ratings race against his CBS rival, David Letterman.
Under Leno, the "Tonight" show was the ratings champ at 11:35 p.m., but he proved an instant flop with his experiment in prime time.
In the late-night tradition of a star-studded goodbye, O'Brien's guests Thursday included such big names as Robin Williams and Barry Manilow. Tom Hanks was scheduled for Friday, as was Will Ferrell — the first guest O'Brien welcomed when he started last June as "Tonight" host.
The show previously had been scheduled for reruns next week.
Both O'Brien and Leno have made repeated references to the dispute in their shows.
Referring to the stormy California weather Wednesday, Leno said, "This rain couldn't have come at a worse possible time. Today was the day NBC was supposed to burn down the studio for the insurance money."
On Tuesday, O'Brien quipped he was "just three days away from the biggest drinking binge in history"