Conan Says No Way To NBC's Late Night Plans

Since last week, NBC's plans to shuffle its late night line-up has relied on Conan O'Brien, the current host of the "Tonight Show." If he agreed to quietly accept the move -- basically a demotion -- from 11:35 p.m. to 12:05 p.m., then NBC could seemingly keep all its late night hosts, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon and O'Brien. But he wasn't going to go so quietly. On his show, O'Brien has been tough on the network in the last few days, so it came as no surprise when he issued a statement today stating he did not intend to move to 12:05 a.m. That means NBC can either agree to keep the "Tonight Show" with O'Brien as host at 11:35 p.m., or see him walk away from the network. However, O'Brien says he has no offer from another network, yet: "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." O'Brien has given NBC an ultimatum: uphold the contract the net offered him six years ago and keep him as host of the "Tonight Show," or bring Leno back to his old slot. Bringing Leno back isn't a sure-thing ratings wise. Either way, NBC is taking a gamble. So which host does the network want to keep the most, and which one will they kick to the curb? If we were O'Brien, we'd start getting those other offers fleshed out. Conan's full statement, after the jump Conan O'Brien Says He Won's Host 'Tonight Show' Following Leno --New York Times Previously: Conan Discusses His Options Statement from Conan O'Brien UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Conan O'Brien released the following statement. 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.

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Conan Says No Way To NBC's Late Night Plans

Amanda Ernst

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Amanda Ernst