Conan O’Brien Leaves NBC, Rips It Apart in Open Letter

In a bid to prevent ratings from taking even a deeper plunge, NBC has moved to propose a change in its nightly timeslot. Said move implies that Jay Leno is taken off primetime and moved later in the night, where he’d be followed by Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon. As Leno himself is still considering the offer, O’Brien has already made his position clear in an open letter addressed to “The People of the Earth,” as TMZ can confirm.

O’Brien begins his letter by saying it was prompted by his need to explain the situation to the many fans who’ve been showering him with sympathy calls. In a world facing much more serious problems, seeing that he’s thus loved is amazing, Conan goes on to say, which is why he feels he owes an explanation to his fans. The star then moves to set the record straight: he believes NBC did not even give him a chance to prove himself, which is why, should this not come to an end soon, he will be looking for another network.

“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,” O’Brien says in the letter.

As of now, he has no offer from another network, despite ongoing speculation that Fox has already jumped at the chance and offered him a job. Still, accepting the proposal from NBC of having The Tonight Show moved to 12.05 is impossible because said move will literally put an end to 60 years of tradition. This could very well be the end of The Tonight Show and he’s not willing to take part in its “destruction,” O’Brien further explains. So, unless NBC comes up with another offer, he’s leaving.

“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. […] 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,” O’Brien concludes by saying.