The Shocking Truth Behind Conan O‘Brien‘s Late Night Saga
Conan O‘Brien‘s journey to become the host of The Tonight Show was filled with twists and turns worthy of a Hollywood drama. Though he ultimately lived out his lifelong dream of taking over for Jay Leno on late night‘s most storied franchise, it didn‘t come easy. After finally reaching the pinnacle of late night success in 2009, Conan saw it all unravel in spectacular fashion just a few months later due to backstage conflicts and broken promises.
The resulting shockwaves ricocheted through the media world and battered Conan‘s public image. However, true to form, the offbeat comedian dusted himself off in defiant fashion. What transpired under the hood was an extraordinary multi-year comeback that saw Conan not only survive, but land smarter, sharper and more popular than ever.
Behind the Scenes: Conan vs. Leno vs. NBC Executives
Late night historians point to 2004 as the genesis of the tensions between Conan and Jay Leno. When Leno considered retirement that year, NBC executives secretly began maneuvering to hand The Tonight Show keys to Conan rather than lose him to competitors. This marked the first strains between Leno and his longtime employers at NBC.
Specifically, Leno signed a contract extension in 2004 to remain host of The Tonight Show through 2009, when Conan was to inherit the role. But when 2009 arrived, Leno had little desire to actually retire. Having dominated late night ratings for over a decade, he was uneager to give up hosting duties on TV‘s most prestigious franchise.
According to former NBC CEO Jeff Zucker, Leno‘s reluctance remained an open secret as he continued to rate as the top late night draw all the way into 2009. With Conan‘s takeover date imminent, NBC scrambled to appease both stars. The network struck a deal for Leno to host a nightly 10pm program to precede Conan‘s relaunch of The Tonight Show in the flagship 11:30pm slot.
Behind the scenes, Conan bristled at what he viewed as NBC‘s catering to Leno, while Leno himself privately questioned whether Conan could maintain his ratings dominance. But neither host anticipated the full disaster still to unfold.
Leno‘s struggling 10pm comedy news show started hemorrhaging viewers immediately. Affiliates balked at the sagging ratings, setting off a domino effect that impacted Conan‘s Tonight Show viewership at 11:30. NBC suddenly found itself mired in an escalating public relations crisis that dominated tabloid headlines throughout the winter.
By January 2010, desperate NBC executives hatched a secret plan to push Leno back to 11:35pm and bump Conan‘s fledgling Tonight Show to midnight. But Conan refused the offer, viewing it as an insult after waiting years for his chance at the legendary 11:35pm slot. The network finally pulled the plug on Conan‘s short-lived Tonight Show era, plotting his swift ouster. A weary Leno reluctantly reclaimed the throne he‘d occupied for 17 years prior as Conan‘s fans unleashed vitriol towards the network.
The four-way beef between Conan, Leno, NBC executives and local TV affiliates represented an unprecedented public fallout between generations-long late night institutions. Accusations of broken promises and corporate maneuvering left all parties battered in the court of public opinion. But lost in the sensational headlines was O‘Brien himself now questioning his professional future.
At just 46 years old and less than eight months into a job he‘d dreamed of occupying nearly his entire career, O’Brien endured the humiliation of being stripped of an honor that had eluded him for decades. But true to form, in the ashes of Conan‘s embarrassment lay the kindling for an extraordinary multi-year comeback .
Conan by the Numbers: Ratings Show Host‘s Resilience from 2015-2020
Despite no longer occupying network TV‘s most visible late night platform after his swift Tonight Show ouster, Conan rebuilt his personal brand and audience from unconventional places. Cable mainstay TBS provided Conan the perfect outlet to reinvent himself creatively following his NBC fallout.
Though initially written off as doomed to basic cable purgatory, O‘Brien rapidly rebounded based on several key metrics:
-
Average Nightly Viewership
- 2015: 820,000
- 2016: 712,000
- 2017: 651,000
- 2018: 561,000
- 2019: 505,000
- 2020: 462,000
-
YouTube Subscribers
- 2015: 2 million
- 2016: 4 million
- 2017: 6 million
- 2018: 8.3 million
- 2019: 10.2 million
- 2020: 11 million+
While Conan‘s linear viewing audience on TBS slowly eroded like all non-streaming offerings, his digital presence and consumption accelerated rapidly across the decade. Short segments tailor-made to go viral combined with Conan‘s built in social media fan engagement outpaced declining cable ratings.
As younger generations shifted entirely to consuming late night clips online, Conan styled his show to meet these changing habits. In doing so, he forged deeper connections with emerging Gen Z and Millenial fans. This loyal audience turned Team Coco into late night‘s most engaged digital ecosystem–a distinction that eluded O‘Brien during his brief Tonight Show hosting stint just a year into the social media revolution taking root.
David Letterman and Johnny Carson: Conan‘s Eternal Inspirations
When Conan emotionally signed off in his last episode of The Tonight Show on January 22nd, 2010, both he and his fans wondered whether his career would recover from the very public embarrassment. But in reflecting after the infamous final episode, Conan mentioned drawing strength and wisdom from his heroes and late night mentors before him. He offered:
"All I ask is one thing, and I‘m asking this particularly of young people that watch," O’Brien said. "Please do not be cynical…I hate cynicism; for the record, it‘s my least favorite quality. 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."
In the void left by his sudden Tonight Show dismissal, Conan found inspiration from icons Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Carson famously overcame early career turbulence in the 50s and 60s before cementing his late night legacy spanning 30 years on The Tonight Show. Letterman lost out on inheriting Carson‘s throne to Leno, only to forge an iconoclastic legend of his own in his later years.
Conan channeled the courage, wisdom and perseverance of Letterman throughout his career even well before the 2010 shakeup. When Late Night with Conan O’Brien launched in 1993, Conan instantly carved out a niche to younger audiences by personifying the smart-but-silly dorm room humor that populated Letterman’s Late Night show in the 80s. Conan co-opted signature Late Night franchise bits like viewer mail and repurposed them for a 90s generation.
But when Late Night with Conan O’Brien finally ended its 16-year run in 2009 to make way for Fallon, it marked the official passing of the torch from Letterman. By Conan inheriting the literal Tonight Show desk and soundstage previously occupied by Carson and Letterman, he linked himself to both late night legends.
Conan Returns: From the Ashes to Renewed Success
Channeling Carson and Letterman‘s examples, Conan rebuilt his personal brand and audience on cable mainstay TBS following his fallout with NBC. Though he no longer occupied network TV‘s most visible platform, Conan found creative liberation in his show‘s intimate new format. No longer forced to broaden his comedy style to appease network crowds, he instead played to his scrappy, absurdist strengths years before peak TV elevated signature comedy voices.
Shedding the weight of expectations, Conan doubled down on beloved classic bits from Conan and Late Night lore: from Triumph the Insult Comic Dog to Clueless Gamer to"(???) for Calvin Klein". But he also conjured up delightfully bizarre new franchises like fan-favorite Conan Without Borders travel specials and the cheeky late night "feud" with cordial rival Stephen Colbert.
Beneath all the thematic silliness lies a genuine rapport between Conan and longtime fans that deepened since 2010. His perpetual underdog persona connects on a gut level with those who grew up idolizing his original Late Night run. Visceral moments like 2009‘s "Free Lady Gaga Concert" outside NBC‘s studios offered raw glimpses behind his public goofball bravado. Integrating fans into shows through Q&As, contests and skits reinforced genuine two-way fan appreciation .
This fearless feedback loop with audiences enabled experiments culminating in fan-curated episodes and shows performed internationally. Now nearly 30 years into his late night career, the formula forged after Conan‘s crucible has made his show the comedy world‘s ultimate cult hit.
The Shakeup‘s Lasting Influence: Unbowed Legacies & Audience Fragmentation
While Conan clearly emerged unbowed from his Tonight Show travails, the shakeup radically altered the late night landscape permanently. Jimmy Fallon took over for Leno on The Tonight Show in 2014, while British import James Corden found his footing with a quirky show stylistically inspired by Conan.
As streaming further fragmented audiences and ratings, networks greenlit innovative new shows from Samantha Bee (TBS) Hasan Minaj (Netflix) and Lilly Singh (NBC) expanding late night’s diversity. Ironically, the chaotic 2010 shakeup marked the last time late night politics regularly made front page news or water cooler discussion topics.
While Conan lost his high-stakes battle for The Tonight Show throne itself, the war elevated his brand‘s myth and devoted following more meaningfully than a desk and soundstage ever could. His underdog spirit persevering through the crucible connected with audiences on a deeper emotional level – one amplified by YouTube views not Nielsen ratings.
Twenty years after first getting his initial shot at 12:35am on Late Night, Conan remains late night‘s longest tenured veteran besides Letterman holdover Stephen Colbert. What legacy advice has Conan mined from the steepest ups and downs throughout his unconventional journey? For those wondering whether he harbors bitterness, look no further than the wisdom he still dispenses:
"Please remember that when you go after your dream — the bigger the dream, the bigger the obstacles"
"You have talent, work really hard, and be kind — and amazing things will happen"
If the lessons from Conan‘s late night journey reveals anything, it‘s that daring to be bold (and a bit stupidly silly) opens the door for amazing things well beyond the traditional measures of success or wildest expectations. Conan didn‘t just break barriers becoming late night’s perpetual awkward kid – he redefined all the rules for being one along the way.