Conan O’Brien gets $45 million settlement

By Alexandra Heilbron on January 21, 2010 | 15 Comments


Conan O'BrienNBC has reached a US$45-million agreement with Conan O’Brien, who has been the host of The Tonight Show for the past seven months. He is being forced to step aside so that Jay Leno, whose 10 p.m. talk show bombed in the ratings, can return as host of the 11:35 p.m. show. O’Brien will personally get about $32.5 million and the rest will be divided among his staff as severance pay, according to the Wall Street Times. Under the terms of the agreement, Conan is not allowed to return to television for eight months. However, he’s reportedly in talks with Fox TV to host a late night show with them when the terms of his agreement with NBC are up. O’Brien’s final show will air tomorrow night. ~Alexandra Heilbron



Comments & Discussion

  1. Nancy • January 21, 2010 @ 11:26 AM

    $32.5 million for 8 months pay…must be nice!!!

  2. Chris • January 21, 2010 @ 4:16 PM

    CONNAN IS AND ALWAYS WAS BETTER THEN JAY!! JAYS OVER WITH! go collect some cars for christ sakes.

  3. Jo-Anne • January 21, 2010 @ 6:21 PM

    I have to agree with you Chris…

  4. Josh • January 21, 2010 @ 6:38 PM

    This whole situation has lead to amazing shows for Conan he has been on fire with his monologues lately, some funny s@*t

  5. silver • January 21, 2010 @ 6:42 PM

    I like Letterman better than both Jay and Conan.

  6. Ryan • January 21, 2010 @ 8:34 PM

    If the ratings dipped it’s because the dried up raisins sitting in front of the couch at 12am can’t comprehend or appreciate the ridiculousness of Conan’s comedy, they’d much rather have their jokes cut up, mashed, prechewed and then served to them with a step-by-step guide on how to have a sense of humor.

  7. cindy • January 21, 2010 @ 9:13 PM

    conan o’brien has a strong potential to keep the show going and jay leno should just retire overall

  8. Nancy • January 21, 2010 @ 9:37 PM

    Personally, I like Craig Ferguson. He’s hilarious!

  9. anonymous2 • January 21, 2010 @ 11:04 PM

    Good Jay is back.

  10. Non Judgemental • January 22, 2010 @ 2:40 AM

    craig ferguson is actually the only late night talk show host ill go out of the way to see, he is a damn funny guy

  11. demigod • January 22, 2010 @ 5:44 AM

    I also favor Conan’s sense of style/humor.

  12. Jo-Anne • January 22, 2010 @ 10:01 AM

    agree d.g, he stands alone…

  13. Shy one • January 22, 2010 @ 11:39 AM

    RECESSION?……NOT IN HOLLYWOOD.
    I THINK THIS IS DISGUSTING!

  14. Linda B • January 22, 2010 @ 1:12 PM

    Conan and Jay…. OMG… NEITHER ONE OF THEM IS FUNNY…. $45 Million to make Conan go away is not only INSANE — its criminal considering the need in places like Haiti…. NBC deserves to go broke.

    Now Craig Ferguson — that is ONE FUNNY GUY….

  15. Carol • January 22, 2010 @ 11:05 PM

    Shy, I have to agree. The only good thing is that it sounds like Conan was doing his best to look out for his staff (although I know he has to line his own pocketbook). My gosh, there is a terrible crisis in Haiti, and these people are fighting like children and making huge dollars…FOR WHAT??? It’s absolutely crazy. The almighty dollar…NBC and Jay (like him or not) should be shunned.


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