Though NBC was expected to make an announcement by today about a possible resolution to the ongoing negotiations with Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno gave an Read the full post.
Jan 18
2010
08:56 PM ET
Jay Leno addresses his planned return to 'The Tonight Show,' ongoing negotiations with Conan O'Brien
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TV Finale Highlights
Five days at a glance*
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Tuesday, May 1
- The Biggest Loser NBC, 8-9PM
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Friday, May 4
- In Plain Sight USA, 10-11PM
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Sunday, May 6
- The Amazing Race CBS, 8-10PM
- GCB NBC, 10-11PM
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Monday, May 7
- Two Broke Girls CBS, 8-9PM
- Castle ABC, 10-11PM
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Tuesday, May 8
- Last Man Standing ABC, 8-8:30PM
- The Voice NBC, 8-10PM
- New Girl FOX, 9-9:31PM
- Unforgettable CBS, 10-11PM
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Wednesday, May 9
- CSI CBS, 10-11PM
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Thursday, May 10
- The Big Bang Theory CBS, 8-8:31PM
- The Vampire Diaries The CW, 8-9PM
- The Office NBC, 9-9:30PM
- The Secret Circle The CW, 9-10PM
- Parks and Recreation NBC, 9:30-10PM
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Friday, May 11
- The Finder FOX, 8-9PM
- Undercover Boss CBS, 8-9PM
- Fringe FOX, 9-10PM
- CSI: NY CBS, 9-10PM
- Blue Bloods CBS, 10-11PM
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Sunday, May 13
- Once Upon A Time ABC, 8-9PM
- Survivor: One World CBS, 8-10PM
- Desperate Housewives ABC, 9-11PM, SERIES FINALE
- American Dad FOX, 9:30-10PM
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Monday, May 14
- Bones FOX, 8-9PM
- How I Met Your Mother CBS, 8-9PM
- Gossip Girl The CW, 8-9PM
- Two and a Half Men CBS, 9-9:30PM
- Hart of Dixie The CW, 9-10PM
- Mike & Molly CBS, 9:30-10PM
- Hawaii Five-0 CBS, 10-11PM
- Smash NBC, 10-11PM
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Tuesday, May 15
- 90210 The CW, 8-9PM
- Cougar Town ABC, 8-9PM
- NCIS CBS, 8-9PM
- NCIS: Los Angeles CBS, 9-11PM
- Fashion Star NBC, 10-11PM
- Private Practice ABC, 10-11PM
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Wednesday, May 16
- Suburgatory ABC, 8:30-9PM
- Criminal Minds CBS, 9-11PM
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Thursday, May 17
- Missing ABC, 8-9PM
- Community NBC, 8-8:30PM, 9-10PM
- 30 Rock NBC, 8:30-9PM
- Rules of Engagement CBS, 8:30-9PM
- Awake NBC, 9-11PM
- Grey's Anatomy ABC, 9-10PM
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Friday, May 18
- Nikita The CW, 8-9PM
- Shark Tank ABC, 8-9PM
- Who Do You Think You Are NBC, 8-9PM
- Grimm NBC, 9-10PM
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Saturday, May 19
- Saturday Night Live NBC, 11:29PM-1AM
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Sunday, May 20
- America's Funniest Home Videos ABC, 7-8PM
- The Cleveland Show FOX, 7:30-8PM
- Harry's Law NBC, 8-9PM
- The Simpsons FOX, 8-8:30PM
- Bob's Burgers FOX, 8:30-9PM
- Celebrity Apprentice NBC, 9-11PM
- Family Guy FOX, 9-10PM
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Monday, May 21
- Dancing With the Stars (Performance) ABC, 8-9PM
- House FOX, 8-10PM, SERIES FINALE
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Tuesday, May 22
- American Idol (Performance) FOX, 8-9PM
- Dancing With the Stars (Results) ABC, 9-11PM
- Glee FOX, 9-10PM
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Wednesday, May 23
- The Middle ABC, 8-8:30PM
- American Idol (Results) FOX, 8-10:07PM
- Modern Family ABC, 9-9:30PM
- Don't Trust the B— ABC, 9:30-10PM
- Revenge ABC, 10-11PM
- Law & Order: SVU NBC, 10-11PM
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Thursday, May 24
- Awake NBC, 10-11PM
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Tuesday, May 29
- Cougar Town ABC, 8-9PM
- The L.A. Complex The CW, 9-10PM
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Wednesday, May 30
- America's Next Top Model: British Invasion The CW, 9-10PM
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We could save Conan if Hugh Grant picked up a hooker and then had a movie to promote. That’s when Jay spiked in the ratings. Well, that is assuming Hugh Grant was still relevant.
Leno sucks. I hope Conan winds up somewhere he is appreciated. I also hope Letterman books him as a guest….
Well, there’s always Tiger Woods who can substitute for Hugh Grant and give Conan his moment on TV.
Unlike Jay’s trainwreck of an exploitive interview with Kanye West, Conan has some class.
If this is all true, Leno should say, “look, give Conan a chance. Give him a year to build an audience. If he doesn’t, I’ll come back.”
I was watching the opening of Leno’s show tonight. He just showed a clip of The Poseidon Adventure. The 1972 version. Jay is such an edgy comic. Mom jeans across America just rolled with laughter.
what a load. leno’s juts trying to talk his way out of the doghouse…my staff??? please, like you gave a sh@t about your staff. or conan for that matter. you and nbc screwed up and now you’re taking it back and going against your word. be a man and admit it. and for the record, i can’t wait for leno to return to 1130…AND TOTALLY BOMB. you made your bed jay leno, get ready to start lying in it.
Jay always has to be the “underdog”, he can’t just let it go. He did everything possible to get the Tonight Show in the first place, but let the ruthlessness be pinned on Helen Kushnick. Watch his retirement statement on Funny or Die and think about this, is he lying now, then, or are both lies of some sort. Boycott Leno.
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6d1caacad1/jay-s-2004-announcement?rel=player
People are calling Jay Leno names. Other individuals are calling Conan O’Brien names. The bottom line is we don’t know these people. All we know is the person we see on the camera. I disagree with anyone who puts the blame on those two individuals.
I do place the blame with NBC. The executives were the ones that came up with a weak plan in the first plan and then backed out of it after a few months.
I like both Jay and Conan. It’s the NBC execs who are the scum bags here. I also watch Dave, although he’s coming across as a bitter old man in his slams of Jay.
Do you know the NBC executives? Moreover, do you know what really happened behind the scenes? You basically make an argument for not blaming people you don’t personally know – and then blame people you don’t personally know.
I don’t need to know the NBC executives. There is concrete evidence that they made a bad decision. 10 pm ratings are down; 11:30 pm ratings are down. Do you know what happened behind the scenes? No, neither do I. So, I’m not personally attacking either guy.
I’m sorry to say it, but this discussion is becoming as ridiculous as the Tonight Show fiasco itself. Most of you people are wasting your time by arguing baseless comments and calling names. Occasionally someone makes an intelligent comment, and meanwhile we have a family feud on page 1 between the EW parents and child.
The arguments about Conan did this, Jay did that, and one or the other sucks are pointless. The real people that screwed up are the NBC executives, and you can’t really blame Jay and Conan for dealing with it the way they have. Conan deserves some credit for telling them to stick it, because this whole mess is absurd. Jay obviously really enjoyed what he did, and wants to keep doing it. So what; NBC is screwed up and the executives have been running it into the ground for awhile.
Conan was great at 12:30, but he really wasn’t ready for 11:30 yet. It’s too bad that he didn’t get more time to work it out, but one thing I haven’t noticed anyone mention is that I don’t think NBC was in the same position in the 1990s as they are in now. I would imagine they were doing much better overall, and back then could handle giving Jay as much time as they did. I’m sure tensions are high at NBC, many people probably feel they are at the verge of collapse, so it’s no wonder why after only a few months NBC is fearing for their lives over this ordeal.
So the point is–get a life if you are going to sit around and shout JAY SUCKS, or CONAN SUCKS, or call one camp or the other names. The fact is that Conan should come out better in the end. He is talented and will hopefully end up with a network that doesn’t stifle him like NBC did at 11:30, and you’ll end up with a much better show. Like it or not, Jay will at least do “good enough” back at 11:30 if he can’t do as well as he did before. Then eventually Jay will die/retire, and NBC will likely be pretty screwed.
So if you can’t play nicely–Conan fans, go watch Conan on his new network, Jay fans go watch Jay at 11:30 until he dies, and find better things to do than post stupid comments here.
Jay will get the last laugh, when Coco returns on another network he will get crushed by Leno in the ratings
Probably true.
Even if he does his old Late Night ratings, he’ll be fine. His audience will make it profitable enough for the likes of Fox or Comedy Central.
And once the current generation stops watching TV at 11:35 because it’s past their bedtime, NBC will be left with no one to build on or replace Jay.
Smart TV execs know it’s a marathon rather than a sprint, especially when it comes to late night.
and then there’s the fact that nbc was “kind enough” to release this transcript. like leno had anythign to do with this . he’s nbc’s puppet, and they’re tryign to pull some serious suck up strings. guess what? not working.
The truth according to Leno: If you don’t get the ratings you get cancelled. The actual truth: Jay’s ratings were in the toilet for the first 23 months he had the Tonight Show – it takes time to build an 11:30 audience whether you are Leno or Conan. Leno had his chance!
Another thing, Leno keeps saying he was fired in 2004. But according to his own statements then (available on youtube and funnyordie) he consulted with friends including Seinfeld and made his own choice to “go out on top.” Was he lying then, or now?
He made a choice to accept the deal with NBC in 2004 to retire. He made a choice to tell NBC he’d go back to the Tonight Show now. He said he was going to retire. He lied. The same as he lied back in the early 90′s when he leaked to the press that Carson was going to retire before Carson himself had decided that. The same as he started leaking to the press last fall that he’d take back the Tonight Show if NBC asked him. He’s the same evil guy thats admitted to eavesdropping in closets to get info to bully network execs.
I am interested in knowing the answer to this question. Did NBC have an option back in the 1990s? If it cancelled Leno, what would have been “Plan B?” One could argue that they have a “Plan B” in this situation with returning Leno to 11:30. I’m not arguing one way or another, I’m just throwing that out there.
Plan B was, allegedly, having Letterman return. Letterman turned them down. Oh the irony
Well since he’s been dead for 100 years I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
JAY LENO SUCKS BIG TIME.I LOVE CONAN WILL NEVER WATCH THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH LENO.WHAT A COWARD GIVING HIS SHOW TO CONAN AND THEN TAKING IT BACK.LENO SUCKS,LENO SUCKS
I don’t exactly understand the situation to be honest. It seems obvious that Jay Leno never wanted to leave the Tonight Show. I don’t believe Conan was trying to force him to leave. He was getting better offers and NBC didn’t want him to take them. SOMEHOW Leno agreed to give up his show in 2009. End of story. He should have kept his end of the deal. Conan wasn’t given a fair shot. Who cares if he’s entitled to one or not? It’s just the truth. Conan is doing all he can do at this point. He’s leaving and I don’t blame him. I just wish he didn’t let NBC manipulate him like that. Basically, NBC wanted to keep both Leno and Conan. They pitched the worst idea to make that happen. I still think Leno should have stepped aside. He’s obviously going to do whatever he wants. Conan will be fine either way. It just would have been nice to see Leno do the gracious thing.
Jay Leno is 60, so when he retires in a few years who are they gonna replace him with then? Jimmy Fallon? Please. They are screwing themselves royally.
I think it’s funny how people are saying things like “Jay should have just retired.” Who are we to say that another person should stop doing what’s made them happy their whole lives. As much as I love Conan, let’s not forget that Conan is a multi-millionaire. I think he’ll land on his feet just fine.
All ye rabid COCO fans who are just screaming down the house: “Poor COCO.” Let’s not forget that it was poor, put upon COCO who FORCED Jay Leno out of The Tonight Show. Classy! He could have said I’m not going to do that to Jay and took his show elsewhere. But, HE didn’t have the strenght you’ve been screaming at Leno about to tell NBC “NO!” Now it’s coming home to roost on him. Now, that said, if I was both Leno and COCO I would tell NBC to shove it. NO ONE, heare me COCO fans, NO ONE is blameless here! Least of all NBC who are all a bunch of idiots. All the top execs there should be handed a pink slips. Now move on to more imporant things in this world like, health care, the economy, rising energy costs, Haiti, etc.