Late-Night Hosts Gang Up to Pummel NBC
If NBC was hoping to brush the whole Conan/Leno debacle under the table, they should get ready for a long, hard ride if last night's late-night assault on the Peacock network was any indication. Conan reamed NBC for essentially pushing him out, Jay alluded to it but mostly avoided Conan's situation, and other network hosts chimed in as well.
After the jump, a breakdown of all the 'Tonight'-gate commentary on Tuesday.
Conan's Colossal Day
Hours after releasing a statement saying that he had no interest in manning 'The Tonight Show' if it was bumped to 12:05 am -- marking perhaps the biggest middle-finger letter from employer to boss we've ever seen -- Conan didn't hold back during his Tuesday monologue. He joked: "I've been giving the situation a lot of thought. When I was a little boy, I remember watching 'The Tonight Show' with Johnny Carson and thinking 'One day, I'm going to host that show for seven months.'"
Perhaps the biggest NBC barb was when Conan said of the current situation: "NBC said they were planning on having the late-night situation figured out before the Olympics start. And let me tell you something, when NBC says something, you can take that to the bank."
As the one that many are considering the person who was the most royally screwed during this whole ordeal, Conan fans had reason to celebrate. He ripped the network that is pushing him out while still showing a good deal of tact and classiness for not totally freaking out.
Jay Jokes, But Ignores Conan
Aside from a joke or two about the overall hairiness of the situation he's at the epicenter of, Leno stopped short of directly addressing Conan's statement released earlier on Tuesday. Instead, he focused on smaller barbs towards NBC, saying: "The folks here at NBC, they don't handle these things well. They don't have a lot of tact. After they canceled the show, they told me if I gained 10 pounds I could join 'The Biggest Loser.'"
Perhaps in job preservation mode at this point (PopEater's Rob Shuter
reports Leno may be out at NBC as well), Leno avoided any him-versus-Conan taunts.
Dave Doesn't Hold Back
David Letterman has never been one to bite his tongue. By far the most ornery late-night host, the NBC mess is a dream come true for Letterman, who still has an axe to grind with his former network and Leno himself.
"You know what this means -- that's right, I knocked off another competitor," he joked in his monologue, referring to Conan O'Brien's decision Tuesday to leave NBC if they move 'The Tonight Show' to 12:05 a.m. Letterman repeatedly referred to his old and soon-to-be current foe as Jay "Big Jaw" Leno and mocked the "geniuses" at NBC programming who devised his move to prime-time.
Kimmel Gets in Leno's Shoes ... Literally
Over at ABC, consummate prankster and impersonator Jimmy Kimmel used the 'Tonight' firestorm to bust out his fantastic Jay Leno impersonation, complete with prop chin (naturally).
Kimmel, as Leno, said in his monologue: "Hello, hello, my name is Jay Leno and let it here by be known that I'm taking over all the shows in late-night," he quipped, referring to the recent dustup at NBC. He went on to joke that "It's great to be here on ABC," he adds. "You know what ABC stands for? Always Bump Conan."
Another shot was lobbed directly at Leno with the joke: "Conan O'Brien, today, announced that he is leaving NBC. He released a statement today saying 'I won't participate in the destruction of 'The Tonight Show.'" Fortunately, though, I will," Kimmell says.
Fallon Forgets to Talk About It
A somber looking Jimmy Fallon dodged getting involved in 'Tonight'-gate entirely, as his place at NBC following all of this drama is still unknown. His first two jokes were about Sarah Palin and 'Jersey Shore,' skating around the 800 pound elephant in the NBC offices.
With Conan likely out, there's no word where Fallon -- whose current show begins at 12:35 a.m. after Conan's 'Tonight show' -- will land. Whether it was a conscious decision by Fallon to stay out of it or network executives told him to back off is unknown, but one thing is for sure -- there was certainly some strange energy going on.
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Mike, who's your editor? This is one of many edit suggestions: (original)"As the one that many are considering the person who was the most royally screwed during this whole ordeal ...". HUH? (better) "As the one most consider most royally screwed in this whole ordeal ...". And Conan is the employEE--not employER--in his letter to the boss. There's bound to be more, but I'm not even finished reading the Conan section yet. Just a friendly reminder to professional writers to mind their standards regardless of the subject matter.
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David Letterman and Harry Reid look alot alike....I think they are really evil twins....both certainly liberal pricks!
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Leave Leno where he is Screw the local stations
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I have a great idea, get rid of all these ridiculous and useless late night talk shows because they all are useless. I wish this would get out of the news but it won't, it'll be rehashed a million times. How boring!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The Real Ones that need to go are the IDIOT Ones in the High office!! They are a bunch of IDIOTS!! Jay is a Has Been and Needs to Bow Out!! His new show Sucked it should have been called " The Early Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Old Stuff!BORING!Same CRAP as his other show!!
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Put Jay back at 11:30 followed by Conan & dump Jimmy Fallon. Can't wait to see Jay back at his regular time slot , so he can kick ahole lettermen's azz!
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I'd love it if Craig Ferguson was on earlier...I would be able to stay awake and watch him every night!
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People, get to the straight and narrow. Conan is not as good as Jay. Ratings are ratings and Conan's ratings are crap. Jay's numbers beat Conan and Letterman since day one. Numbers don't lie, and that is the bottom line. NBC needs to put Jay back where he was and hire Craig Ferguson to go on after Jay or Jimmy Falon after Jay.
Get real, Conan never shuts up and lets his guest speak, he always turns the conversations to himself, so he can make those 3rd. grade faces to get the attention he never got as a child.
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Leno sucks ,Conan sucks ,Dave Letterman rocks !!! NBC sucks .they treat they'er people like they are under they'er feet !!
The whole network has crumbled to this ...a pile of vile crap.I stopped watching NBC a long time ago .Conan ,fix the hair you look like an idiot! jay ,your all washed up ...not even funny anymore .Dave Letterman ,definately the funniest late night guy out there !!! Keep it up Dave !!!
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Is it me or has Letterman gone "over the mountain." He seems like he's "losing it" just a bit.
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Great; now lets put all of them inside a caged ring and you know what? Last Man Standing! (LOL).
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Jay be a man pack up and go.( that means quit )If you take the tonight show back from Conan I will never watch it again.
I wish Jay and Conan both would tell the network goodbye.
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ITS ALL A STUNT
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letter man would be a better man if he got a face transplant. ugly mother flucker personified
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letter man has a face of a bastard alley cat with teeth to match
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Conan rips NBC, as Does Jay who is staying there. Kimmel tears NBC a new one. Fallon is moronic and laughs at his jokes more than the audience. (Audience is smart cause his jokes suck). Only thing funnier than them all is Keith Obrien who must be related to someone at NBC attempting to suck up to the Network by trying to explain how Jay is staying, and Conan may go to some other channel (Fox). What a f-ed up network. No wonder thier ratings are in the toilet. But they probably went up this week with everyone laughing at them.
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letter-man has a face and teeth of a bastard alley cat
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Leno? Conan? what the h?!! Is leno otta money, like he NEEDS to buy another custom (what is his financial worth) car house what? Leno has NO class. Make guest appearances on conan, prank stuff, funny, classy, have a great association. Leno-you made a decision and now you are cry babying/tantrum your way back. yuck, you suck. Jesus, at least wish conan well, assist in the well being of all others, you get a F for "plays well with others.".
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Conan is great. How did Jimmy Fallon ever get a show?
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Jay failed at 10:00 because his show was terrible. He had horrible quests and couldn't keep the people interested. As far as his return to late night,why SHOULD HE GO BACK TO HIS ORIGINAL SLOT? He should get stuck with the 2:00am
shift and not disrupt Connan or Jimmy. If he is as good as everyone says he is or he thinks he is, then he should do fine. Anyone who wants to see him can TIVO him.
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