NEW YORK—Conan O’Brien’s potential departure from the “Tonight Show” inspired fans across the U.S. to gather outside of three NBC studios Monday in New York, Chicago, and Universal Studios in Studio City, Calif., where “The Tonight Show” is taped.
O’Brien himself ventured outside in the rain to greet his fans and express his gratitude for their loyalty. The crowd went wild, as he talked to individuals face to face despite the weather.
“The Tonight Show” has experienced a 50 percent bump in ratings since the conflict between O’Brien and NBC erupted, following the studio’s decision to pull “The Jay Leno Show” from its current 10:00 p.m. time slot and bump O’Brien’s from his 11:35 p.m. slot.
This season O’Brien’s “The Tonight Show” ratings averaged 2.5 million viewers in contrast to Leno’s 5.2 million.
Last week O’Brien’s wrote an open letter, rejecting NBC’s attempt to push the “Tonight Show” back to a 12:05 a.m. time slot. His last show with the studio is expected to be on Friday. Speculation of the negotiations center around a multi-million dollar severance package, and the late night star’s right to work for a competing network.
Some fellow celebrities made wisecracks at NBC’s handling of the matter as they appeared on the NBC telecast of the “Golden Globes” award program on Sunday night. Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and others all cracked jokes at the studios expense.
O’Brien himself ventured outside in the rain to greet his fans and express his gratitude for their loyalty. The crowd went wild, as he talked to individuals face to face despite the weather.
“The Tonight Show” has experienced a 50 percent bump in ratings since the conflict between O’Brien and NBC erupted, following the studio’s decision to pull “The Jay Leno Show” from its current 10:00 p.m. time slot and bump O’Brien’s from his 11:35 p.m. slot.
This season O’Brien’s “The Tonight Show” ratings averaged 2.5 million viewers in contrast to Leno’s 5.2 million.
Last week O’Brien’s wrote an open letter, rejecting NBC’s attempt to push the “Tonight Show” back to a 12:05 a.m. time slot. His last show with the studio is expected to be on Friday. Speculation of the negotiations center around a multi-million dollar severance package, and the late night star’s right to work for a competing network.
Some fellow celebrities made wisecracks at NBC’s handling of the matter as they appeared on the NBC telecast of the “Golden Globes” award program on Sunday night. Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and others all cracked jokes at the studios expense.
