It’s been a good couple weeks for Conan O’Brien: He’s landed on his funny feet at TBS, and he’s been named the second most influential artist on the planet. This Sunday on 60 Minutes , meanwhile, the comedian will speak in depth for the first time on the decision by NBC to toss him aside as host of The Tonight Show and replace him with Jay Leno, who was all too happy to take back the gig. Would Conan have done the same thing in Jay’s place? “He went and took that show back, and I think in a similar situation, if roles had been reversed, I know – I know me, I wouldn’t have done that,” O’Brien says. “If I had surrendered The Tonight Show and handed it over to somebody publicly and wished them well – and then… six months later. But that’s me. Everyone’s got their own way of doing things.” A classy individual, as evidenced by this statement he released in the middle of the late-night mess, Conan continued to emphasize that he could only speak for himself, refusing to completely lay into Leno. As for why he left NBC, O’Brien remembers thinking “this relationship is going be toxic and maybe we just need to go our separate ways. “That’s really how it felt to me… and I started to feel that I’m not sure these people even really want me here … I can’t do it [anymore].” While we appreciate how mature and professional Conan has been throughout this ordeal, we’re also glad David Letterman is around – to basically be the exact opposite .
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Conan O’Brien Speaks on "Toxic" Relationship with NBC, Backstabbing Jay Leno
