Conan O'Brien Slams NBC on Friday's Tonight Show: Settlement May Be Reached Saturday

Conan O'Brien continued to slam NBC on Friday night's Tonight Show, poking fun at the broadcasting company and his uncertain future. Andy Richter has been in on the hilarity, turning Conan's monologues into a two-man bit. Rumors are circling that the current Tonight Show host and NBC may announce an agreement on Saturday.

Possible Conan/NBC Deal Saturday

According to Wall Street Journal, Conan will possibly walk away from the Tonight Show with $25 to $35 million. The paper has also heard numbers closer to $40 million, but those were disputed. The NBC settlement supposedly pays Conan for the rest of his contract, which is two and a half years.

The pressing issue, for Conan O'Brien's fans, is how long it will be before he can host another show. The deal with NBC is expected to allow the red-haired host to be back on the air in less than a year. Speculation is that we will be tuning into to him by the Fall.

There is no word yet on when the final Conan-hosted Tonight Show will air. Details are expected to be revealed on Saturday, when the agreement with NBC is rumored to be announced.

Conan Takes More Jabs At NBC

Friday's Tonight Show began with "Hi, I'm Conan O'Brien, the future answer to a $200 Jeopardy! question."

The host went on to address NBC executives putting him down in the press. "They think I'm such an idiot, they now want me to run the company."

Tonight Show viewers were then treated to a film of Conan coming to work. It shows him getting out of the car, while being shot at. Conan pulls a gun and shoots back. He meets up with Andy Richter, who is wounded in the studio parking lot battle.

Conan goes on to make a lame bible joke. He admits it was bad, but says he just doesn't care (an attitude the audience seems to love).

Conan and Andy Richter once again mischievously hammer in the point of how little time the host has had with the show. They do what has become a nightly bit, a nostalgic classic clip of Conan hosting the Tonight Show. The clip featured Eddie Murphy and falsetto singing, from June 2009.

O'Brien then very seriously explained that items around the office have suddenly "skyrocketed in value." Enter Andy with a luggage case, HSN-style. Conan testifies that the "bag is as impenetrable as an NBC executive's skull."

Andy throws in that it is "easier to move than a NBC time slot."

Conan promises to send "all proceeds to bailing out the 2010 winter Olympics on NBC. Which analysts say has already lost $200 million."

The funniest joke of the show was when Conan 'admitted' to putting the Tonight Show up for sale on Craig's List. In exchange for the show, he was offered a storage shed, grandparents and an enormous cat.

Doesn't NBC Know Conan's a Pimp?

Staff writer Dion Cole came out yelling, "You big pimpn' now!" He insisted Conan was now in charge and not taking anything lying down. Conan demurs, saying he's not a pimp.

The Tonight Show staffer asks him: Do you drive a big fancy car? Have tall flashy hair? Has Paris Hilton been on your couch? Do you have a crew of people that would do anything for you?

Check, check, check and check. Conan O'Brien is a pimp.

So what has Jay Leno been up to? The former and probable future Tonight Show host was getting in his own jabs to the network Friday night. Asking viewers if they were excited about the 2010 Olympics, he suggested, "If you can't wait until next month, stay on this channel between 10:00 and midnight and you will see NBC's coverage of "Two Hosts Skating on Thin Ice."

Sources:

The Tonight Show, aired January 15, 2010

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/01/15/conan-obrien-and-nbc-near-agreement-on-parting-ways/