Conan O'Brien to NBC: You Broke My Heart

By PopEater Staff Posted May 3rd 2010 06:47AM

It was his dream job, but after six months at the helm of 'The Tonight Show,' NBC squeezed Conan O'Brien out, and in his first interview the talk host says that the turmoil was much like an unexpected divorce. "I went through some stuff," O'Brien told '60 Minutes' on Sunday. "I got very depressed at times. It was like a marriage breaking up suddenly, violently, quickly. And I was just trying to figure out what happened."

NBC gave him the storied franchise, but then took it back for its old host, Jay Leno. O'Brien still can't believe it, telling CBS' Steve Kroft, "This year is still incomprehensible."

"The amount of stuff that's happened to my life in the last year ... it's gonna take me a long time to process it."

For O'Brien's wife, Liza, it was painful to watch.

"This was really really hard for him," she said. "It was watching someone's heart get broken."

She "absolutely" supported her husband's decision to leave 'Tonight.'

"It felt like they never really gave him the job. They said, 'We're going to give you this job in five years,' and they kept him with the company and he said, 'I'm in it for the long haul,' and I felt like they lost their nerve to really make a change."

O'Brien said he didn't see the point in giving everything to a relationship with NBC that seemed to have no future.

"I'm not sure these people even really want me here," he said.

O'Brien singled Leno out, saying he would have done things differently.

In a transition planned five years earlier, Leno left 'Tonight' last year and O'Brien took over. NBC worried about losing Leno to a competitor, so the network gave him a prime time show five nights a week.

That failed on two fronts: affiliates objected to Leno's low ratings and threatened to pull the show, and O'Brien's poor 'Tonight' show ratings enabled CBS' David Letterman to surge ahead to first place.

NBC tried to please both comics by offering Leno a half-hour show at 11:35 PM and letting O'Brien keep the 'Tonight' show name and begin a half hour later. O'Brien said no and Leno, who never wanted to leave 'Tonight' in the first place, slipped back into his old home.

"He went and took that show back and I think in a similar situation, if roles had been reversed, I know -- I know me, I wouldn't have done that," O'Brien said.

"If I had surrendered 'The Tonight Show' and handed it over to somebody publicly and wished them well -- and then ... six months later," he added. "But that's me, you know. Everyone's got their own, you know, way of doing things."

Asked by Kroft what he would have done, O'Brien said, "Done something else, go someplace else. I mean, that's just me."

O'Brien eventually left NBC. "This relationship is going be toxic and maybe we just need to go our separate ways," he decided. He is set to host a talk show on TBS following his comedy tour.

According to the New York Times, O'Brien held back on criticizing NBC too much because of his buyout and agreement to not disparage Leno or executives. He refused to bite when Kroft suggested he "got screwed." O'Brien responded, "No, I didn't. I'm fine."

When he's asked if Leno lobbied to regain the show, O'Brien said simply, "I don't know."

When asked if Leno acted less than honorably, O'Brien hesitated and then said, "I can't answer that."

During the few weeks between his public decision and actual exit, O'Brien became something of a folk hero. An Internet "Team Coco" tribe rose up to support him, and O'Brien's ratings soared for shows with pointed jabs about his bosses.

NBC and a Leno spokesman had no comment about O'Brien's statements.

His buyout by NBC forbade O'Brien from giving interviews that could be printed or telecast before May 1; the '60 Minutes' telecast aired May 2.

CBS' release of the interview excerpts may be a technical violation of that deal, but NBC wasn't expected to pursue it.

Tags: conan obrien

Comments

(544)

Monday 03 May

By Becki

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It was so great to see Conan in the interview. I do feel he got screwed.....I used to like Leno, but not anymore....would never tune in to see him back in his old time slot, and yes, his prime time show DID stink. I'm so glad Conan has moved on, and it'll be great to see him on TBS.....
I am a proud fan of TEAM COCO!!!

By Maricia12

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I don't feel sorry for Conan. This was all about business and what was best for NBC. Conan could have stayed and done his show a mere 30 minutes later but he was stubborn and refused. I understand all those late night shows are pre-recorded anyway. So he got 30+ million dollars in a severance package. That is enough money to retire like royalty, for the rest of his life, if he wanted too. 90% of the population will never have that much money. The difference here is that Jay Leno understood it was about ratings and business and he is just a calmer personality than Conan. It sounds like Conan has a real ego problem to me. Apparently NBC knew what they were doing because Leno's ratings are back up where they were when he originally had the 11:30 time slot.

By David

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No one cares about these obsolete boors!

By Louis

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All of you are morons, The reason why hes upset because it was conan at one time giving those guys material for there late night shows. Conan is the person who got screwed he's not funny? If your laughing at jay leno or David letterman it was conan who wrote it also he also wrote for the early show the simpsons. So get a reality check before insulting him he did his time in got screwed i'm pretty sure many of us have been though this before.

By ejay61

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He might have be able to write funny, but his silly spastic antics were not! Just trying to watch Conan was so irksome that I always had to change the channel.

Tuesday 04 May

By pdowell

If he was funny as a writer, why didn't he stay there, he is NOT funny as a show host.

By arbyeva1

This guy O'Brien was NOT "Funny." I tried to like his jokes but found them EXTREMELY dry and boring. I had to finally stopped watching the Tonight Show. I am so ever glad when NBC put Jay back to where he should have never left in the first place. Thank you, NBC!

By Mal Tempo

Is this guy more bitter or more stupid?

It's a tie.

By Stephen

Basically, Conan failed for the simplest of reasons, he wasn't entertaining. Sorry 'bout that

By ali bubba

Conads is a wimp, he should shut up & go get a job, like evrybody else.

By Tony

You probably don't even have a job! So shutup loser!

By Jo

I think he should play Kris Kringle! Doesn't he look just like him??? He just needs to smile!

By No Longer Sleep Deprived

All these jokers are "old news." None of them are that funny. However, it is good situation for the health of Americans. We go to sleep much earlier now!

By GaBe

I think he should go back to writing for the Simpsons, make that show funny again.

By Mark

O'Brien wrote for FOUR lousy episodes of The Simpsons. People act like he was the creator of the program or something.

By 734greg

Conan wasn't even in the running to continue with the tonight show, replacing Jay. It was a serious challenge to make an effort to even watch Conan after the first one or two shows so I quit. Ratings drive the boat in night time TV. Like it or not Jay will bring those back in a short time. Go spend a few Zillion Conan and get over it.

By vicky

I'm really tired of this, it was business, why should Leno not accept his old job back? He's supposed to give up an opportunity that was offered to him? Please. Conan says he would never do that to anyone? Maybe not exactly the same, but is he not forcing George Lopez to give up his time slot for him to have his own show again? Is he not forcing Lopez back and hour? Isn't that what was offered to conan? Leno a half hour spot and conan would've gotten pushed back a 1/2 hour? Conan.............stop whining!!!!!!!!!!!!

By frankoid111

O'Brian NEVER was funny! Never deserved the Tonight Show in the first place. I am tired of hearing about his problems! He never had any talent at all! NBC finally realized their big mistake with him, and simply went where the real talent was - JAY!

By Denni

That interview was creepy. For 5 years I was wondering what was NBC thinking offering that guy the tonight show?? Anyway, he came across as a potential suicide in that interview. I think he needs help. 30+ million to make that looser take a walk?? Are you kidding me??

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