Leno: Conan and I got 'screwed'
By Alan Duke, CNN
March 31, 2010 4:05 p.m. EDT
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Jay Leno expects Conan O'Brien will return to late-night television as a head-to-head competitor against NBC's "The Tonight Show."
"I think Conan will come back, and he'll be strong and, you know, we'll all compete against one another," Leno told Joy Behar, host of HLN's "The Joy Behar Show."
"It should be me against [David] Letterman, against Conan, against [Jimmy] Kimmel, and then you see who wins," he said, referring to all the other late-night comedians.
Behar turned the table -- or the couch -- on Leno while waiting backstage Tuesday for her "Tonight Show" appearance.
"Do you feel upset about Conan?" Behar asked Leno.
"Conan got screwed, and I got screwed," Leno said. "This is TV. The reason how business pays a lot of money is, when you get screwed you have something left over."
When NBC yanked Leno off his 10 p.m. show and returned him to "The Tonight Show" host chair, O'Brien was paid in excess of $32 million. He's free to host another talk show after September 1.
"It worked out OK," Leno said. "I don't quite get why I get beat up over it. I know people don't really understand sort of how this business works. It's all numbers. You know, the affiliates wanted us back, so we came back."
NBC's local stations suffered a drop in ratings for their 11 p.m. newscasts in the months that Leno's earlier show was a lead-in.
Leno told Behar he does not take personally all the jokes and criticisms from other comedians about his acceptance of the NBC plan to dump O'Brien.
"All comedians are friends, but when you go onstage your job is to blow the other guys off the stage," he said. "I get it. That's the way it works. I don't want to impede anyone else's opportunity, but when you go out there that's what you do."
The uncertainty of television is why he will keep his other job as a nightclub stand-up comedian, he said.
"That's why I always tell comics, keep your act," he said.
Indeed, Leno flew to Las Vegas after his Tuesday taping to do a 10 p.m. show.
Leno's not like 100% wrong. Once his show predictably failed, the best move in terms of buyouts and what not for NBC was to do what they did- and that kinda makes Jay look like a dick.
However, in doing shit like this Leno's managed to basically act enough like a dick to make everybody right for thinking he was one in the first place. By never acknowledging that it was the failure of his own show at 10 that brought this all about- it just makes him look like a giant fucking cunt.
Sankofa wrote:I feel nothing for either of them, they're both rich beyond reason and we pick sides and rally troops to what end?
oh yeah i agree that's why i don't have a favorite sports team, i mean come on all the players are rich beyond reason so why should i get behind one specific team.
srsly one person had great talent and went through the same ratings drop that leno went through when he took over the spot, and the other one is a lazy hack that has a super boring show. leno's show tanked in the new timeslot and he was rewarded for it... thats why i pick sides. I can't wait to see conans new show, if the fox rumors are true.
Dids wrote:Leno's not like 100% wrong. Once his show predictably failed, the best move in terms of buyouts and what not for NBC was to do what they did- and that kinda makes Jay look like a dick.
However, in doing shit like this Leno's managed to basically act enough like a dick to make everybody right for thinking he was one in the first place. By never acknowledging that it was the failure of his own show at 10 that brought this all about- it just makes him look like a giant fucking cunt.
Dids wrote:Leno's not like 100% wrong. Once his show predictably failed, the best move in terms of buyouts and what not for NBC was to do what they did- and that kinda makes Jay look like a dick.
However, in doing shit like this Leno's managed to basically act enough like a dick to make everybody right for thinking he was one in the first place. By never acknowledging that it was the failure of his own show at 10 that brought this all about- it just makes him look like a giant fucking cunt.
Sankofa wrote:I feel nothing for either of them, they're both rich beyond reason and we pick sides and rally troops to what end?
oh yeah i agree that's why i don't have a favorite sports team, i mean come on all the players are rich beyond reason so why should i get behind one specific team.
Sankofa wrote:I feel nothing for either of them, they're both rich beyond reason and we pick sides and rally troops to what end?
I also don't understand all the picking sides and shit. NBC made a business decision and it looks to be the right one. I guess I can relate to wanting a show you like to stay on the air, but people act like their favorite uncle got fired the day before his full pension kicked in.
Sankofa's point is silly, because there's an obvious reason to pick a side. People would rather see Conan on TV because he's substantially better at this than Leno, and there was some half-baked chance that people voicing their opinions might change that.
Sankofa wrote:I feel nothing for either of them, they're both rich beyond reason and we pick sides and rally troops to what end?
I also don't understand all the picking sides and shit. NBC made a business decision and it looks to be the right one. I guess I can relate to wanting a show you like to stay on the air, but people act like their favorite uncle got fired the day before his full pension kicked in.
Once heard uttered by Sherman Da Oblivious: "I float above the fray, bro. Above..."
The Ivy League Nigga wrote:My jealousy of Employee burns with such intensity I'm forced to gird my loins before loggin in. "I float above the fray, bro. Above..."
I WOULD SUGGEST YOU TWO RETARDS FUCK BUT I CAN'T IMAGINE EITHER OF YOUR IDIOTS YOU COULD FIGURE OUT HOW.
I'm not even fucking trying to argue that Conan has more support in terms of numbers. I am simply saying that there exists a group of people who prefer Conan because they feel he is better and that is what motivated them to be vocal about it. Sherman is imagining that I made some argument saying there were more Conan fans than Leno, which pure numbers wise is obviously not true.
These people also happen to be right, because if you prefer Leno, you're fucking simple.
Conan is far more entertaining then Leno. I don't see how that's debatable. Middle america and old people prefer Leno though so I'm not really surprised that Leno came out on top on this one.
'n faggs in this thread.