Jay Leno: Conan O'Brien 'Got Screwed' by NBC

By PopEater Staff Posted Mar 31st 2010 05:25PM

While backstage at 'The Tonight Show' with Joy Behar, Jay Leno confessed his true feelings about the late-night shake-up at NBC, in which he reclaimed his position as the 'Tonight' host.

Leno candidly admits on camera that he and Conan O'Brien were both "treated terribly" by NBC. "Conan got screwed. I got screwed. This is TV. The reason show business pays a lot of money is so when you get screwed you've got something left over," Leno said (via CNN.)

Lending his support, Leno believes O'Brien will actually come back bigger than ever. "I think Conan will come back and he'll be strong," Leno said to Behar. "And we'll all compete against one another. It should be me against [David] Letterman, against Conan, against [Jimmy] Kimmel -- and then you see who wins."

O'Brien is bringing a "half-assed" live comedy show to cities across the U.S., while rumors continue to swirl about his alleged late-night gig at FOX. His manager, Gavin Polone, said the show is far from a done deal, because NBC's $40 million contract buyout stipulates that O'Brien can't appear on television until September.

Since the late-night showdown, Leno has continued to stress how Conan -- who many feel took the brunt NBC's decision making -- was a class act.

"Through all of this, Conan O'Brien has been a gentleman. He's a good guy. I have no animosity towards him. This is all business. If you don't get the ratings, they take you off the air. I think you know this town, you can do almost anything. You get ratings they keep you. I don't get ratings, he wants. That was NBC's solution. It didn't work so we might have an answer for you tomorrow. So, we'll see. That's basically where it is," Jay said during his show in January.

The rumors of animosity aren't keeping Leno down though. "All comics are friends, [but] when you go on stage your job is to blow the other guys off the stage," he told Behar. "I get it. That's the way it works. You don't impede somebody else's opportunity, but when you go out there that's what you do."

Tags: conan obrien, jay leno, joy behar

Comments

(30)

Wednesday 31 March

By bill

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this whole mess started with conan saying to NBC....if you don't give me the tonight show...i am walking....NBC should have had the balls then to say...."don't let the door hit you........."

i said five years ago when i heard about him taking over...it would be a HUGE mistake......i was proved right.....conan is not good enough for the 11.30 spot......
leno was in number one spot at that time......so....if something is not broke...don't fix it!!

bill

By Dean

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Enough already,time to move on.

By d'aisha

Yeah! and Jay wore the condom.

By Rich39

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Been watching TV since the 1950's. Never understood how Leno moved up so fast. The old joke? He must know where the bodies are buried. Or he had friends in high places.
His jokes etc. are so stale.

Thursday 01 April

By tas

I personally have never liked Conan O'Brien. I apparently don't have his sense of humor so I have and will never find his stuff funny. I refused to watch him on The Tonight Show. I am totally enjoying Jay Leno back on The Tonight Show. I'm glad he's back! Those of you who don't like him, watch something else!!

By susan

I honestly never saw the hype over Conan. I really did not think he was that funny. Goofy, but certainly not funny.

By caro

and J is back on top at night agin to, so there.

By Kelso Horror

Someting he forgot to say is that NBC screwed themselves when they put Leno on at 10:00.
AND NOW....

HEEEERE'S JHONNY!
TURNING OVER IN HIS GRAVE!

By MGordon514

The difference is Conan wouldn't likely go back to NBC if they begged, and Leno - always a mercenary - did.

By Cigarcat

ahhh go eff yourself you dorito eating chinster

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