Conan's Last 'Tonight Show' Jan. 22nd. NO!!!

The run of Conan O'Brien as host of "The Tonight Show" will be ending sooner than anyone could have predicted. According to reports O'Brien's last show will be on January 22nd.



O'Brien drew a line in the sand with NBC on Tuesday, telling the network he would not host "The Tonight Show" at 12:05 a.m. Eastern time. Saying this...

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


In a statement O'Brien wrote he refused to "participate in its destruction."

But Conan's fans are not letting him go that easy there are talks of boycotts. More than 100 members of the Facebook generation in Chicago have spoken, and they want Conan O'Brien as their late-night host.

As NBC executives continued to hammer out a settlement with the embattled "Tonight Show" star on Monday, sign-carrying O'Brien fans gathered at Pioneer Court, outside WMAQ-TV's downtown studios, to show their support for the flame-haired comedian and their anger at NBC.

"I just want to support Conan. I think it (stinks) that Jay (Leno) wants to screw all of this up," said longtime fan Erich Beasley, who dyed his hair red in support of O'Brien. Beasley, 25, said he stayed up late to watch O'Brien's old "Late Night" show, which aired at 3 a.m. in his native Houston.

"I just want to help show that Conan is going to have a following no matter where he goes and maybe NBC doesn't value Conan as much as they should," he said.

The rally of mostly teens and young adults — some wearing orange and sporting red wigs or spray-painted hair — was organized through the Facebook social networking site as part of the larger "I'm With Coco" national movement. Many of those present consider themselves die-hard fans and wanted to voice their displeasure with NBC's treatment of the star.

"This is unfair," said Sean Casselton, 20, who carried a cutout sign with which the holder could sport an O'Brien-like hairdo. "He's been working his whole career to have the 'Tonight Show.' It's not really fair he could only get it for seven months. He earned it."

Since NBC announced it wished to put Leno, the former "Tonight Show" host, back into his 10:35 p.m. slot, late-night fans have been divided between O'Brien and Leno, whom many rally participants blame.

Although the rally was high-spirited yet tame, the Facebook battleground has become more heated, with fans of both men bashing one another.

The young fans, including some small children, said they connected more with O'Brien's zany show than with Leno's more laid-back version.

"It just shows that (O'Brien) has a broader audience, a wider audience compared to Jay Leno," said Anjelica Hager, 19, who came to the rally with her friend Samantha Tenuta.

Who do they think watches Leno's show?

"Older married couples, celebrating their golden anniversaries," Tenuta said.

Honestly. I have to admit, I loved it so much. He connected with both his audience and his guests, I practically died laughing ever night. Not to mention, I was very attracted to his tall slender and unique physique. After a couple of days of watching his show, I had several of my friends from the black community watching his show as well; involuntarily convincing them to watch O'Brien rather than Jay. Conan is the BESTEST!

p.s. where ever he goes, it doesn't matter, he will be a SUCCESS! BTW if you din't know I'M WITH COCO!