Conan O'Brien (R) and wife Liza arrive at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles on September 20, 2009. UPI /Lori Shepler |
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BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- NBC reached an agreement with Conan O'Brien to end the comedian's seven-month tenure at "The Tonight Show."
"The Wrap News" reported Thursday O'Brien signed a deal worth more than $40 million to vacate his late-night position, allowing Jay Leno to return as host of the late-night mainstay, a job he held for 17 years. O'Brien's final "Tonight Show" is to be Friday, the report said, citing O'Brien's manager.
The Wall Street Journal said O'Brien would be paid $32 million and his staff would split $12 million. He could return to the airwaves on an NBC competitor next fall.
Leno would return to "The Tonight Show" after NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics (Feb. 12-28) ends.
The changes were spurred by the inability of Leno's prime-time show, which was much like "The Tonight Show" when he was host, to catch on with viewers.
