Official (But Not Surprising)!! Leno Retakes THE TONIGHT SHOW, NBC Settles With Conan & His Staff!!

Merrick here...
This is more or less confirming what we've already suspected/conjectured for the last week or so, but since it's now official, I thought this was probably worth a mention. NBC will pay Conan O'Brien $45 million in fuck off money. Reuters says that $32.5 million will go to O'Brien and about $12 million to his staff (some of whom relocated from New York to L.A. when Conan initially took over THE TONIGHT SHOW). NBC says Conan will be...

"free to pursue other opportunities after September 1."

Word on the street says that, as part of this agreement, Conan would have to remain in suspended animation for a few months - i.e. not take on new shows, or talk about the matter for a while. Presumably, the reference to Conan being "free" after September 1 means this stipulation is in effect. Leno will return to THE TONIGHT SHOW on March 1 (post Olympics). Conan's last TONIGHT SHOW will be Friday. Reruns of the show will begin Monday & continue until Leno re-assumes control. This per Reuters, Wall Street Journal, and TMZ.
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