Conan O'Brien went on the offensive Friday night, albeit in typical comic fashion, taking aim at NBC, Jay Leno and the rampant rumors about the late-night show shuffle during the"Tonight Show".
"We've got a great show for you tonight," O'Brien said during his monologue. "I have no idea what time it will air, but it's going to be a great show."
O'Brien promised his audience that he'd address the rumors running rampant, including reports that NBC would push Leno's flailing "10pm experiment" back to 10:35 p.m. and push both O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel back an hour. Another rumor puts Leno back in his old "Tonight Show" time spot of 11:35pm. Ultimately, in a backhanded dose of consolation, NBC has reportedly left the final decision to Conan.
Other networks, most prominently Fox, immediately expressed interest in recruiting O'Brien and lifting him entirely out of Leno's quagmire.
"I'm sure you've heard all the rumors," Conan said during his monologue, "NBC has come up with an exciting new idea, they want me to follow Jay Leno."
O'Brien mocked Leno, impersonating him and joking about Leno's well-known obsession with classic cars. Conan continued the show with another installment of his popular "The Crisis" segment, bringing up various fake rumors.
Leno addressed the rumors again on Friday as well, taking the low road by dragging David Letterman into the fray. "You know what that means? I didn't sleep with my staff for nothing," he joked, referencing Letterman's recent intern troubles.
He then said that NBC has devised a plan in which "all parties will be screwed equally." Sure, everybody chuckled heartily, but it doesn't look like he was kidding. Watch below.
What would be better, Leno getting his "Tonight Show" back, undeservedly, leaving Conan to go up against him in another network, or having NBC's whole late-night programming pushed back 30 minutes to an hour? And if that were the case, would anybody ever watch Fallon?
