So long, Coco. In Conan O’Brien’s final comments to viewers tonight, the comedian thanked his fans for their support and — despite a protracted and ugly negotiation – gave a shout-out to NBC, his home for more than 20 years. Here is tonight’s final monologue:

Ladies and gentleman, we have exactly one hour to steal every single item in this studio. We’ve a had a lot of fun being here these last 7 months, but like everything in life, the fun has to come to an end a decade too early. The terms of my settlement say that I can’t host another show for 7 months.  So next week look forward to the `Andy Richter Show’ with his sidekick, me! As I set off for exciting new career opportunities, I just want to make one thing clear to everyone listening out there: I will do nudity.

Now that this mess is almost behind me – I just have one last request: HBO, when you make the movie about this whole NBC late night fiasco, I’d like to be played by Academy-Award winning actress Tilda Swinton. People have been asking me what’s going to happen to our studio after we’re gone. There are actually a few possible uses for our studio being kicked around.  I thought I’d share some of the ideas with you right now:

Site of Tiger Woods’ 1st Annual Mistress Reunion
Fitting room for cast of “The Biggest Loser”
Storage facility for apology notes to NBC stockholders
Waterpark for Max Weinberg’s illegitimate children
Hair and chest oil storage for the “Jersey Shore” cast
Future site of “Cooters,” the nation’s first pants less sports bar and restaurant
Studio preserved as a nice, quiet, peaceful place where the cast of “Chuck” can be alone with their thoughts
Magician David Blaine will attempt the impossible by trying to remain in the studio for longer than seven months
Leave the studio cold and empty and re-name it “The World’s Largest Metaphor For NBC Programming”
Panic room for Gary Busey after the rise of the fire hydrants
Studio will be air-lifted to a location with better luck, like on top of a native-American burial ground

And his closing remarks:

Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can’t say about NBC.  To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, the Late Night show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over 20 years.  Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we’re going to go our separate ways.  But this company has been my home for most of my adult life.  I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.

Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I’ve had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot, we’ll find a way to make it fun.

And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the Internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational.

To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.  As proof, let’s make an amazing thing happen right now.

NBC Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin told EW.com that he expects Jay Leno “will be competitive” when he returns to The Tonight Show on March 1 and — despite the wave of pro-Conan O’Brien sentiment — that he will not have trouble luring stars to his old stomping grounds. (NBC just announced today that O’Brien will leave the franchise tomorrow and Leno will take back the hosting gig he previously held from May 1992 to May of last year.) “Jay has been booking guests for 18 years, and while there might be a guest or two who favors Conan who doesn’t want to come on, there are also guests who Leno has that don’t like to go on Conan,” said Gaspin. “I think we will be fine.”

Gaspin is equally as optimistic about the challenge of convincing viewers to return to the franchise now that Leno is back. Up until O’Brien took over the show, The Tonight Show under Leno consistently dominated the 11:30 p.m. time slot and was a cash cow for NBC. “I think we will take a slightly different tack than when we were announcing The Jay Leno Show at 10,” explains Gaspin of the new marketing plans. “I suspect we’ll do it with some humor and a wink, not a sledgehammer. We will certainly be more subtle. Fortunately, the positive side of this public battle is that everybody knows what is going on, so you don’t have to create awareness. All we have to do is gently remind people when it starts. We’ll have the Olympics as a platform to let people know that Jay will be back on The Tonight Show starting March 1.”

As for NBC’s agreement to let O’Brien seek employment as early as September, Gaspin wouldn’t comment, but an insider close to the negotiations said the network ultimately compromised because it was eager to wrap up the contentious negotiations. The source says it was the language in the deal that slowed the process, not the actual deal terms, which included O’Brien walking away with a cash settlement of more than $30 million, and his staff receiving severance as well. His last day on NBC is Jan. 22.

For at least next week, reruns of The Tonight Show with O’Brien will air at 11:30 p.m.