Conan O’Brien’s much-talked about interview on 60 Minutes was a boon to CBS; the network won the night in viewers (10.9 million), according to preliminary results. The newsmagazine averaged 12.5 million in its first half-hour and jumped to 14.1 million in its second, thanks to Steve Kroft’s interview with TBS’ newest late-night star. The show was up 8 percent in viewers (roughly one million) versus the same time last year and also topped the hour in the all-important adults 18-49 demographic.
Though Fox aired a repeat of The Simpsons at 7:30 p.m., 60 Minutes was up against originals on the competing networks.
ABC still won the night among adults 18-49 while CBS was second. In viewers, ABC was second with 9.0 million, followed by NBC (6.2 million) and Fox (5.1) million. The interview — which was O’Brien’s first since leaving NBC and signing onto TBS — aired on the very day his contractual muzzle expired (as part of his exit deal with NBC, O’Brien agreed not to give any interviews in print or broadcast until after May 1).
I thought he was awsome !! good for him to think that things really happen for a reason. ENJOY LIFE I LOVE U CONAN.
I love Conan too and wish him the best, he and Craig Ferguson are the best on late night. Kimmel has his moments. And for all the people bashing him because he got 30 million to walk away, you don’t understand that man clearly has pride in what he does. It is not always about money, I’m sure he was rich while doing Late Night anyway
Can EW please stop posting Conan/Leno stuff for a month or so? It’s the same people writing the same stuff – either Conan is awesome and Leno sucks, or viseversa. It’s just annoying… I’m giving up reading anything Conan or Leno related until August – who is with me?
My final thought: Leno has never been funny and he never will be. Conan was funnier five or six years ago than he is now (he became condescending), so hopefully the break will be good for him.
See you in August.
There were more folks watching this than watched him on the Tonight Show.
Yep, leave it to CBS and Letterman to exploit the NBC thing. Too bad Letterman still can’t beat Leno in the ratings.
Actually, Leno’s ratings have fallen below Letterman’s since taking back the show. Look it up.
B.S.
BTW did anyone else notice the bald spot in back of Conan’s head. It was combed over with hair but you could still see it. And his forehead is higher.
Poor Conan is going bald.
It’s not half as bad as someone who sits on the internet all day and responds to people on Entertainment Weekly boards.
Sean is correct – there was a report on Cinemablend showing Leno’s ratings are comparable to what Conan’s were
Leno has sucked from day one. He still sucks just as bad!!!!
So, clearly you are a Letterman hater – ok, I get it, but I am a bit unclear as to what he has to do with a 60 minutes interview and why CBS is anymore exploitive than any other network who would have interviewed Conan (trust me they are ALL lining up to hear his side).
BTW = this comment was in response to ‘As I See It” but it didn’t reply properly.
Conan, a comedian, I didn’t know that!!
Well that’s because you obviously don’t have a sense of humor!!
My thought watching Conan’s comments was, “BooHoo–you got 30 million and –that’s about a buck for every out of work person in America.” Besides, didn’t he do the same thing to George Lopez? George’s show got bumped to midnight so that Conan could get the earlier spot for his new cable show.
1) That money he’s used to pay his staff (who didn’t get such a settlement), and to come on tour with him.
2) George Lopez endorsed the idea of pushing his show back. Conan is a good lead-in for your show. Leno is not a good lead-in. Leno is just not good at all.
I am so tired of hearing Conan “whine” about the change especially in light of the huge amount of cash he received.
Why isn’t anyone discussing how Jay Leno never wanted to give up his original slot to begin with. He agreed to move to Prime Time but was not happy about it but didn’t whine like a baby. Conan had no problem moving Jay out but now that the tide has turned, its wrong?
Also, Conan is perfectly willing to take the George Lopez’s slot away from him. But again, George is being graceful and not making such a stink like Conan. Even Jimmy Fallon was going to get moved and he wasn’t crying like baby Conan!
I wish people would realize just how ridiculous and selfish Conan is being!!!!!
Annedee, you’ve miserably failed at drawing a parallel between Conan’s situation and that of Lopez. Lopez is on a basic cable show that no one watches. He actively campaigned to get Conan to take his spot because that would bring a bigger audience to his own show. with Conan as the big lead-in, Lopez stands a chance of getting some new viewers. Lopez wanted him there.
There are good reasons why most people are not seeing things the way you Leno fanatics want us to… Conan very openly stated he wanted the Tonight Show eventually, or else he would go to another network and host another talk show. If NBC hadn’t baited him with that false promise, Conan would be hosting at ABC to this day. Leno agreed to relinquish the show, prompting Conan to sign a new contract for a few more years. There is nothing unethical about Conan stating that he wants to host the Tonight Show. In the real world, people compete for jobs every day. Jay should have openly contested it. Instead, like the passive-aggressive weasel that he is, Jay agreed to give it up and then went back on his word. If you can’t understand the problem with that, then you are truly morally bankrupt.
You are wrong about another thing. Jay Leno did indeed whine like a baby about losing his show. He did repeatedly let everyone know how he felt. He even joked about possibly getting his old job back when Conan suffered his concussion. Years ago, when NBC were reconsidering Letterman for the Tonight Show, Leno very openly whined about possibly losing his job. Leno does nothing BUT whine when things don’t go his way.
Who cares if Leno didn’t want to leave, as it was not his show to begin with, nor was it his decision. Leno is 60 years old. The only reason why his ratings were ever high to begin with is because babyboomers outnumber 18-34 year olds in this country, and they are not known for being a cutting edge audience. As one can see by Leno’s current dwindling ratings, his time is just about up. That is, if NBC wants to stick to its original story that this is all about ratings…..
To Yodamite: Saying Leno agreed to relinquish the show is like saying that you ‘agree’ to relinquish your life because you were made aware one day you’re going to die. Leno was not in a position to disagree, so your whole premise about Conan not being unethical is nonsense. Conan could have waited until Leno decided on his own to retire. Your entire premise – even if we all don’t know the particulars – doesn’t make sense. Why would someone who is not only the best at what he does but has been so consistently just arbitrarily decide to relinquish his show to Conan. Any one with common sense who does not know the particulars knows this is NOT the case. That’s like you constantly winning the lottery and whilst in the midst of winning arbitrarily deciding to stop and let someone else take your place. B.S.! Leno was categorically booted out albeit with a 5 year heads up. If Conan had the integrity you are claiming, he would have said to NBC (regardless of who brought up the proposition of Conan hosting the tonight show): “I will not negotiate for another man’s job (referring to Jay) until that man voluntarily decides to retire OR the ratings decline badly”. That’s not what happened. Conan decided to negotiate for the Tonight Show when it was in perfectly capable hands thus displaying a callous disregard for Jay’s job and at Jay’s expense. Conan’s the hypocrite here.
Rich, that is some twisted logic. It looks like you’re making up rules as to how Conan was supposed to act, and even making up scenarios that you know didn’t happen. The Tonight Show does not, nor has it ever belonged to Jay. It is a late night institution that is owned by NBC. Conan is free to negotiate for a show that does not belong to Jay. You falsely state that Jay was not in a position to negotiate. Bull! He could have used the same negotiating chip that Conan did–”Let me have the Tonight Show, or I’ll go somewhere else!” At that point it’s up to NBC as to whom they want more–Jay or Conan. None of this dishonest, passive-aggressive BS that Jay pulled. Jay WILLINGLY said he would step aside–there is no arguing this, because he admitted it! Your claim that he didn’t have a choice is pure speculation. Jay is like an overgrown fat toddler who won’t let go of his favorite baby toy.
Way to formulate firm opinions on a story you obviously haven’t been following closely.
It was Conan’s lifelong dream to host The Tonight Show, and that was snatched away from him. The 30 million meant next to nothing for him in comparison to having the show taken away and given to an inferior host that has now himself driven the ratings down as well.
And on the George Lopez note, Conan REFUSED the TBS offer for that very reason; he didn’t want to do to George what Jay was willing to do to him. It wasn’t until George personally called Conan up and actually talked him into coming to TBS that Conan accepted the offer. Just because George is being pushed back to midnight doesn’t mean he’s losing out; on the contrary, his ratings will now probably go up thanks to having Conan as his lead-in.
So next time you go bad-mouthing Conan, how about you know what the hell you’re talking about first?
Ivan, don’t believe everything you read. If you think George Lopez had the final say about the Conan/TBS deal you’re very, very naive.
Conan was rejected by every broadcast network and had no choice but to go to basic cable.
Oh, and my comment was to Ivan. The link is for As I See it.
“Conan’s lifelong dream to host The Tonight Show, and that was snatched away from him.”
Um, he kind of snatched it from Leno to begin with. He gave NBC an ultimatum to get that spot. Leno wasn’t giving it up, he was asked to leave for Conan.
Honestly, Conan could have been more gracious. He got 30 million dollars for himself and 10 million for his staff.
The irony is that he *did* bump George, who graciously accepted the change in time. Conan can learn a thing or two from George.
“As I See It”, you didn’t actually say anything that refuted or even contradicted what Ivan said. Although Lopez is not calling the shots for anyone, he has publicly expressed enthusiasm for Conan’s arrival.
Conan had a lifelong dream of Hosting the Tonight Show? I’m sure we all have lifelong dreams. He’s lucky, he had 7 months of his dreams and 32 million to boot.
Did you see his house? I don’t think he’s suffering. Do you?
Leno’s an unfunny a-hole and backstabber. He deserves no respect at all.
SMOOTH YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!
Leno tarnished the Tonite Show by peppering it with relentlessly unfunny Bill Clinton jokes EVERY NIGHT FOR EIGHT YEARS, only to “retire” when Bush left office (coincidence?). He has retained an equally unfunny and bully-punch-oriented group of followers. Leno and his power-hungry manipulators continue to take the fun out of our lives. Conan rocks. He was good before all that ugliness, and may be up for comic sainthood — for merely surviving the heinousness.
I’m glad the ratings were high! Conan DOES have a fanbase and we’re not abandoning him this time!
I was a big fan of Conan but no more. I don’t care for Leno either, but I felt Conan handled this whole situation poorly himself. He took absolutely no responsibility for his role. At the end of the day, Conan did not appeal to the audience at that time slot. Even if Leno wasn’t around and didn’t lead into Conan’s show, Conan would not have performed well.
Ex-Team Coco
That’s not much of a bump to 60 Minutes ratings. I saw another article that said the episode was still BELOW this season’s average for 60 minutes. If I ran TBS, I’d be very worried.
I’m sure they will sleep well Jean or should I say NBC executive trolling to hate on Conan?
@ Zeddicus: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA good one!
I am so tired of hearing Conan “whine” about the change especially in light of the huge amount of cash he received.
Why isn’t anyone discussing how Jay Leno never wanted to give up his original slot to begin with. He agreed to move to Prime Time but was not happy about it but didn’t whine like a baby. Conan had no problem moving Jay out but now that the tide has turned, its wrong?
Also, Conan is perfectly willing to take the George Lopez’s slot away from him. But again, George is being graceful and not making such a stink like Conan. Even Jimmy Fallon was going to get moved and he wasn’t crying like baby Conan!
I wish people would realize just how ridiculous and selfish Conan is being!!!!!
I didn’t see Conan “whine” at all. I have watched the interview twice and don’t see it. In fact, he said he sleeps fine and has no problems with what happened, agreed it was a business decision because it would have cost more money to buy out Leno than Conan.
Conan left because of the Tonight Show franchise, he didn’t want to see it moved back 30 minutes. He has respect for the Tonight Show, which is more than can be said for Leno.
Where is this proof that Lopez didn’t like being moved back, from Lopez himself? There isn’t any, its a rumor.
Jimmy Fallon was just happy to stay on TV, he didn’t care if he got moved. He has only been on a year, you can’t say anything as a new employee.
If you’ve paid attention you’d know that most of the money Conan got is going to his staffers who are out of a job.
Lets see you lose your job that you’ve been at for almost 20 years and not be a little depressed when you were let go. It has nothing to do with money, but his dream. He went through his grieving process, if you went to his show you’d know that.
So go troll elsewhere and stop commenting if you don’t care to hear about Conan.
In 2003, Leno announced his retirement, scheduled for 2008. How weird is that to begin with? When Leno LEFT, the question was opened as to who would replace him. This was a talking point long before the surprise 10pm show. What? Why leave The Tonite Show for an experimental gig, when the Tonite Show could have been yours for LIFE? Ask Jay Leno. He’s the one casually announcing his “retirement” 5 years earlier. How can you imagine Conan O’Brien being behind these moves? Leno could have called his own shots for the next 20 years. NONE of it makes any sense. Leno isn’t saying anything, because he doesn’t have a thing to say. If he were being FIRED (by ANYONE: NBC, O’Brien, Obama) they wouldn’t have said, “Leno, you’re fired. In five years.” The whole thing reeks of shenanigans and back-room deals.
Bob Feta I agree with you….If Leno was any kind of a man he could have said no 6 yrs ago “I don’t want this deal I don’t want to leave the Tonight Show now or in 5 years”. NBC could not force him to leave since he had a contract with them. NBC would have said fine you don’t have to leave since his contract would have cost them more than Conan’s to buy out just like it did in January when this all happened. I don’t believe Jay was forced out of anything he was the one holding all the cards with the huge contract that NBC would have had to buy out if he decided to leave. It was cheaper for them to buy out Conan’s contract than Jay’s. Also Jay could have also been a decent man and said I don’t want to take the Tonight Show away from Conan after I promised he could have it. It’s really not fair to promise Conan a show he has dreaming about hosting most of his life just to take it away 6 months later, not cool. Also in the interview I never heard Conan whine once he just answered the questions he was asked.
To Bob Feta and Pinkp. You guys obviously don’t know what you are talking about. You are filling in what you don’t know will incorrect information and ultimately building the wrong picture. Pinkp – you saying that Leno should have said “I don’t want this deal I don’t want to leave the Tonight Show now or in 5 years” is like you saying “I don’t want to die now or ever” and thinking you’d live forever. Jay could’ve said what you put in quotes until pigs could fly and it wouldn’t have made a difference because it is NBCs decision to make. The only thing Jay could’ve done was to protest it and make an arrse out of himself, similar to you protesting against the fact that one day you’re going to die. The only thing that would happen in the end is that people not only would say you’re dead but say you’re a dead fool. Only idiots protest over what they clearly cannot change.
Then you go on to say you don’t believe Jay was forced out of anything because he was the one holding the cards. That a piece of convoluted and imaginative nonsense. What cards was Jay holding? Please do tell. Don’t just throw around terms like “holding cards” or “had a contract.” If you just CHOOSE not to believe it because it suits your preconceived notion- that’s fine but your argument has NO CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER. Once you go into the realm of what you choose to believe and can’t back up you assertion with facts then you have no case.
Same with Bob Feta’s point. Your post comprises conjecture, insinuations and no facts. You’re making a vacuous assumption by saying If Leno was being fired (and then you try to distract by mentioning Obama) they (NBC) wouldn’t have said “…in five years”. You say that without giving the reason why NBC wouldn’t. The fact is wasn’t a “firing” as much as it was a “heads up” as to when his last day hosting the Tonight Show would be, and that they most certainly could do. Firstly NBC would be foolish to immediately let Jay go when he was an had consistently been No.1 in the ratings? They’d rather wait 5 years when the believed the chances are he wouldn’t still be, and they also didn’t want to lose their percieved hot commodity Conan. Furthermore Conan admitted he wanted to host the Tonight Show. If Conan were a gentleman he would’ve waited until Jay choose to voluntarily retire. He would have said to NBC “I will not negotiate for another man’s job until that man voluntarily retires or the ratings are no longer respectable, and In the meantime I will work on another project with you that doesn’t require booting Jay from his job”. The thing is it’s been know for years that NBC are the ones that told Jay he’d be out in 5 years and replace with Conan. NBC’s Zucker on PBSs Charlie Rose admitted this. They talked to Conan about staying and asked him what they could do to get him to stay and Conan intimated he wanted to host to Tonight Show so they offered him the Tonight Show spot in 5 years to get him to stay. Conan accepted. Then they went and told Jay. You think it happened the other way around?? Really? You think NBC first gave their No.1 rated guy a five year notice not knowing if Conan would accept the job? Of course not. Conan had designs on Jay’s job. He was ambitious. He did this fully aware that it would be at Jay’s expense. The only consideration that was shown to Jay was that he got a 5 year “heads up”, but had Jay had the power to void this decision by NBC he would have. And every one who knows the relationship between NBC and it’s talk show hosts knows that NBC makes the decision and NOT JAY. All Jay can do it voice his opinions period. You guys are just parroting a bunch of conspiracy theories and generalities saying stuff like “it doesn’t make sense” and “…reeks of shenanigans..” without being able to point out said shenanigans. The reason why it doesn’t make sense to you is because you already settled on a conclusion for which the facts don’t support.
In 40 years i’ve never seen so much wrong info on one tv subject.
Leno was under contract to do whatever NBC told him to do.
His 10 pm show was not a failure,it pulled in the numbers it was supposed to.
Conon’s tonight show Bombed,plain and simple.
NBC paniced.
The biggest loser is Conan,he could have stayed on NBC following the Tonight Show for the rest of his life but ego got in the way and he had to have the Tonight Show.
No one wanted him so he’s on TBS,really moving up in TV land,and he pushes another show out of the way,did’nt that just happen to him.
I don’t feel sorry for him.
Ego has ruined many a life,i just feel real bad for his Staff.
The staff whose salary he pays himself these days? The staff who have got a new job with on tour and at his new show? Seems to me he took care of them quite well.
Al, you must have been living under a rock when all those news stories of angry affiliates were published. It was Jay’s horrible lead-in that caused the near-death knell of the local news in many markets. That NBC changed their minds about what was ‘acceptable’ for Jay’s ratings is proof of this.
What is painfully apparent about O’Brien is that despite his high I.Q. his emotional maturity is that of an adolescent which may serve him well with his comedy but is a definite stumbling block in coping with real life. As soon as he felt that he wasn’t getting the love from the powers that be he wanted out and pouts all the way to the bank.
“Earth to Conan…Earth to Conan”. When an employee under performs bosses don’t love you up in response. No doubt the the NBC execs were under the gun to fix the late night situation with the Comcast merger coming down the pike. No doubt they needed a quick fix and couldn’t wait “x” number of years for Conan to catch on if ever.
They certainly waited for Leno to catch on. It took Leno YEARS to become the success he was, and he didn’t have another talk show airing right before his either.
And they waited for Conan to catch on on Late Night, but that was 17 years ago. Times are different now. BTW Conan fans conveniently forget that Jay’s 10 o’clock was given about half the time Conan was given.
Your reply really doesn’t answer my point.
@As I see it – Conan was a hit on Late Night, where have you been? “Times are different now” – that’s a convenient argument. How about how Leno did not catch on until he had the support of hits like ER to help? What did Conan have? Oh yeah, the lame Jay Leno show so the Flomax crowd would not whiz in their Depends from shock
>>>>”BTW Conan fans conveniently forget that Jay’s 10 o’clock was given about half the time Conan was given.”<<<<
Which is irrelevant given the fact the Jay Leno Show was the cause of the problem. The affiliates were angry over their poor lead-in to the local news. WHDH-TV Boston even threatened to replace Jay Leno with an extra half-hour of news.
. . . frack, the EW message board is now Barrens chat.
/quit
The only whining I saw was when Jay Leno went running to Oprah and cried over getting his show back!!!
Boohoo! I got what what I wanted! I got a big chin and a million cars, boohoo!
Leno: unfunny hack since the 1980s.
Zudd, you’re wrong. Conan had terrible ratings when he took over Late Night and was almost canceled more than once.
To As I See It:
Then, I wonder if Leno is petrified about being canceled himself as Leno’s current ratings are no better than Conan’s were one year ago per some recent reports by such as TVbyNumbers.