January 22, 2010

On the night of January 22nd, 2010 Irish-American comedian Conan O’Brien hosted the legendary Tonight Show for the last time. His departure followed fierce negotiations with network NBC’s move to push she Tonight Show’s long-held start time of 11:35 p.m. to 12:05 a.m. to create an earlier slot for a half-hour show with O’Brien’s predecessor Jay Leno. After talks and outcry from O’Brien’s many fans, NBC struck a deal with the comedian, which reportedly granted him $30 million in exchange for leaving the show. On March 1st, 2010 Leno resumed the role of host. O’Brien, who was born to an Irish Catholic family outside of Boston in 1963 and had had a long career in comedy, now hosts Conan, his own late-night show, on TBS.