Whether you like his comedy or not, whether you're on Team Coco or not doesn't matter; there's no denying that the man went out with class on Friday night.
Conan O'Brien's final "Tonight Show" wasn't spent unleashing a series of stabbing attacks at the big brass at NBC, but rather a heartfelt and hilarious look back at Conan's short run as host, before a semi-all-star jam including Beck, Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper and Will Ferrell, with his very pregnant wife Viveca on backup. Tell me, what other host in the history of late-night could be a better fit to strap on a guitar and end his childhood dream with a Ferrell-led "Freebird" performance? That's right, no one.
Six-and-a-half months of late night talk show glory came to a close on Friday, after a war of words, contracts and egos among Conan, Jay Leno and NBC shot-callers resulted in Conan's unfortunate exit as host of the "Tonight Show". The tears were quite minimal, replaced with a bit of gallows humor; Tom Hanks made a toast with either scotch or cream soda, Steve Carell gave Conan an intentionally uncomfortable exit interview ("Did anything trigger your decision to leave?") before shredding his NBC ID card, and Neil Young misted up the old folks' eyes with a stirring rendition of "Long May You Run".
Conan looks back at a montage of the best of the last 7 months:
After news of his termination broke, Conan spent the last two weeks doing his strongest run of "Tonight Show"s, unapologetically steering the ship any which way he wanted it - with hilarious results. It was inspiring, to say the least. He made no effort to save face for NBC, openly mocking them and encouraging his guests to speak freely about the situation.
But for Conan's last words as "Tonight Show" host, rather than skewer his former bosses yet again, the big Ginge got classy and reflective on his twenty years with NBC, with an unprecedented level of emotion in his voice:
"Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we're going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.
"Walking away from the Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do," he went on. But, he added, "I did it my way, with people I love. I do not regret one second of anything we've done here."
Coman made it clear that he's not gone for good, and is devoted to returning with another show—"even if we have to do it in a 7-11 parking lot." He also thanked the Team Coco fans who poured out support for him online and in this week's pouring L.A. rain, as well as a handful of other cities across the country.
He closed, his voice breaking as he grasped the finality of his childhood dream coming to an end, with a statement that transcended the entire fracas: "All I ask is one thing, and I'm asking this particularly of young people that watch: 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, I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."
Then something tamazing did happen: Conan introduced Will Ferrell, in bell-bottoms and hippie wig, to lead a band including ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Ben Harper, Beck and Ferrell's own (very) pregnant wife, plus Max Weinberg and the crew, for Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird."
Topping all previous host final send-offs, Conan strapped on a guitar and wailed his way through the credits along with the band, the twinkle in his eye telling us all that he'll be alright, that the song - about getting out of a relationship with no future - is just the segue, not the farewell.
Bonus video - Jimmy Fallon bids Conan farewell from his old studio:
