Conan O'Brien: Divorce from NBC is Ugly and "Crazy Expensive"

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed)
Jan 22nd 2010 at 2:20PM

If you can't beat them and you are leaving anyway, why not spend all their money?

That seems to be Conan O'Brien's philosophy this week as he embarked on a series of skits and extraordinarily expensive props to put on the appearance that he intended to blow through the Tonight Show budget in one week.

On Wednesday he trotted out a Bugatti Veyron, a rare and pricey sports car that costs as much as some private jets. O'Brien unveiled the Bugatti Veyron, showing the million dollar car embellished with mouse ears and whiskers. O'Brien claimed to have purchased the sports car.

Last night, he upped the ante by bringing out Kentucky Derby winning racehorse Mine That Bird adorned with a mink "Snuggie" and by showing restricted Super Bowl footage. This "crazy expensive" skit, he claimed, cost NBC $4.8 million.

But did O'Brien really spend millions of NBC's money? Our sources reveal the Bugatti is owned by Bob Petersen of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles and was loaned to the show for free. Conan did authorize to pay for its transportation costs to and from the show. It is already back at the museum where it may end up being moved to the Hollywood Wing, where important cars from movies and TV are displayed.

Likewise, the identity of the racehorse and the authenticity of the Super Bowl footage has since been disputed. As our sports-loving friends at FanHouse point out, that footage was actually a 1984 USFL game between the Tampa Bay Bandits and Houston Gamblers. A quick look at the horse on the Tonight Show and at Kentucky Derby winner reveals that while the two share some markings including a white smudge on the forehead, they are not the same animal. Mine That Bird is a bay with a darker mane and a smaller white marking than the horse that appeared on the Tonight Show (which was a chestnut). And while it is hard to tell from a television screen if the horse is wearing real fur, the thinness and drape seem to indicate that the horse is not adorned in real mink.

To be sure, there were some costs involved with the jabs at NBC. Our sources say that O'Brien may have actually purchase the rights to use the master copy of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" which played while he unveiled the Bugatti. O'Brien claimed the skit cost NBC $1.5 million in expenses to air, which includes securing the royalty rights for the music. This may explain why, as Mashable reported, the network took down the clips of the Veyron sketch from Hulu and NBC.com to avoid fees associated with replaying the song each time. The clip remains on YouTube.

O'Brien's antics became more fantastic since he put "The Tonight Show" up for sale last week on popular website Craigslist offering a barely used show "guaranteed to last for up to seven months." The posting was later pulled but Conan used the ad as a launching off point for what he called "crazy expensive" comedy bits.

What set O'Brien off was a decision NBC made earlier this month to move "The Jay Leno Show" to the "Tonight Show's" slot at 11:35 pm beginning in March, and shift O'Brien's show to 12:05 am. Leno, who's show is floundering in its current 10:00 pm slot, is supportive of the decision. O'Brien, on the other hand, is outraged. O'Brien is livid that he passed up "far more lucrative" offers to have the opportunity to take over "The Tonight Show" in June 2009. "I sincerely believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting."

O'Brien only has one more chance to pull another fast one off on NBC. Earlier this week, the comedian reached a deal with NBC to step down as host of the "Tonight Show", reportedly pocketing a $32 million payout, with his staff receiving a severance package worth another $12 million to $13 million. He is prohibited from going back on the air until September of this year. O'Brien's final show as host of the "Tonight Show" will air this evening. What should Conan trot out tonight? We're hoping for some serious bling. Maybe he'll wear Lil John's record setting crunk necklace or something similar.

We'll see what he has in store for us.

Tags: bugatti veyron, BugattiVeyron, conan obrien, ConanObrien, jay leno, JayLeno, kentucy derby, KentucyDerby, Mine that Bird, MineThatBird, nbc, nbc universal, NbcUniversal, rolling stones, RollingStones, Super Bowl, SuperBowl

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Reader Comments (Page 14 of 15)

Hey You Jan 22nd 2010 11:16PM

Conan passed up other 'far more lucrative' offers my a&#^s......he is a nobody that has always and continues to be a 'D' list comedian who caters to uneducated and immature audiences. If he had even been lucky enough to have had ONE offer that he passed up, I doubt very much it was any more lucrative than the Tonight Show (or that it even matched it for that matter!). With his idiotic humor, he should consider himself lucky to have had the opportunity to host the TS ONE month.....I mean seriously, it really should be no surprise that he lost ratings ~ anyone with a brain could have seen THAT coming!!! But then again...there seems to be no shortage of brainless people out there these days, so there will always be 'someone' out there who will believe that he is hilarious (takes small things to amuse small minds!). That said, I will now sit back and wait for my comment to become faded out....as small minded people often tend to feel 'empowered' by going thru and rating down all comments that hurt their sensitivities.......................

metoo Jan 22nd 2010 11:23PM

conan pushed for nbc to make leno go...
don't blame leno as conan will never be as good as leno....
conan is like captain kangaroo...
leno had better numbers than letterman...
conan and letterman are the crybabies

sheprave Jan 22nd 2010 11:43PM

hey guys.thats show business conan will be just fine.and jay will keep on keepen on .if you dont like it . go read a BOOK!

papam11 Jan 22nd 2010 11:47PM

O'Brien is not the least bit funny. Whoever picks him up will be making a costly mistake. Good bye---and good riddance.

Bobbmarr Jan 22nd 2010 11:52PM

Conan O'brien is a useless unfunny waste of time. He should have been dumped years ago and while I'm at it, they should dump Jimmy Kimmel as well. He was a sick, useless individual who ran a very unfunny sick show called The Man Show along with another guy who was also a gross, sick guy.

Wendy Jan 23rd 2010 12:23AM

Conan is hilarious!! I used to like Jay but now I don't. He should've told NBC no to going back to "The Tonight Show". I won't watch him!! I can't wait to see what Conan is going to do! I will watch him!!

macias4 Jan 23rd 2010 12:24AM

So sick of this 7 months isn't enough time to get a show going--wah wah excuses. Either you have it or you don't. You put a great product out or you didn't. Look pilots and other shows if they don't have it they won't have it with more time. This was a business decision plain and simple.

O'brien just didn't bring it. I'm not saying bring Jay back.
I'm just saying STOP with the excuses. Yeah I feel bad for Conan because he uprooted his family and crew.

However, how long did he know the bring his "A" game to the tonight show--what was it 3 years? The fact is Conan thought he had it in the bag is his own fault.
He got a little too comfortable in his title of hosting the show.
He ASSUMED that he wouldn't get fired. How long did Johnny Carson have the job and how long did Jay have it?
I also recall that Johnny went off the show when HE was GOOD AND READY. Not the network telling him when. WHY? because Johnny brought his "A" game every night. This comfortability that Conan had was like some civil or union worker (not all) that doesn't perform and do their job at their best. Why? ah because they think they are secure and don't have to. They aren't gonna get fired/let go/retire/bought out etc. They don't need to do their best.

So for NBC to cut their losses while they were ahead--shoot yeah. Business is Business ain't personal. Conan's numbers WEREN"T THERE!
Either you get the job done or there is someone else out there that will!

diane h Jan 23rd 2010 12:34AM

The three of them are vulgar, offensive and filthy. They should all be thrown off. Masterbating bears, etc. If they had any morals they'd be ashamed.

dee Jan 23rd 2010 2:16AM

The three of them are vulgar, sickening and filthy. If they had any morals they would feel ashamed.

LINDA SMITH Jan 23rd 2010 12:53AM

CONAN YOU ROCK AND AS FAR AS ALL OF US HERE IN YULEE,FL NBC DESERVES A HOLE LOT MORE THEY ARE BACK STABBERS AND CARE LESS ABOUT FAMILY AS LONG AS THEY GET THEIR BLOOD MONEY GOOD LUCK CONAN AWAY FROM THE TRASH

teamwoods2007 Jan 23rd 2010 12:56AM

While I appreciate Conan, his audience is just not as broad as Leno's. He just does not appeal to me at all. He has a niche place, and he is best there. I thought they had lost their minds when they got rid of Leno. Nice to see those things can return to their rightful owners...or maybe someone else got axed and the mistake was fixed. Best to you Conan. Looking forward to seeing you, just somewhere else.

debra Jan 23rd 2010 1:07AM

conan sucks big time. not only was he not funny but he was so scarry looking i could not bear to look at him. since being canned he has acted like a spoiled brat that did not get his way. i for one is glad he is gone,

d Jan 23rd 2010 1:40AM

i went to see conan live. They let you have bathroom breaks, they had a comedien come and entertain us and Conan actually came into the audience to tell jokes.

I went to see Letterman live. He made u wait hours on line and if you left it you would be kicked out, same for inside the studio. How mean is that???????///

mojotxs432 Jan 23rd 2010 1:25AM

I am not a fan of Conan, but I will say his comments before Will Ferrell came on to close the show were very classy and I believe they were heartfelt. He left the show a true gentleman!

riverboatnurse Jan 23rd 2010 1:33AM

CONAN is a class act, and ANYBODY would be major league insulted if they worked so hard and for so long to have NBC yank the rug out from under them - having them fall ass first into the abyss.
Shame on Leno for being the NBC patsy. He too shall be cancelled because the old man is passe'

JMChladek Jan 23rd 2010 1:33AM

What I want to know is, Who are these sports guys who actually spent time LOOKING at that clip long enough to figure out they were from a 1984 USFL Football game between the Houston Gamblers and the Tampa Bay Bandits? Of course, the last one was a corker tonight, a giant sloth fossil spraying beluga caviar from a garden hose onto an original Picasso painting to the tune of $4.5 MILLION DOLLARS (insert Dr. Evil pinky pointing at mouth moment here). ;) Great humor Conan. I'll miss you and see you where ever you happen to end up!

igotagoodreason Jan 23rd 2010 2:34AM

conan o'brien is acting the spoiled brat that he is... with how many american's out of work struggling to survive in this unstable economy??? and how many people in need after the horrific tragedy in Haiti... in seriously desperate need of medical aid and life sustaining support??? and he is getting how many millions to have to step aside until september??? i am one who firmly believes in the need of a sense of humor, but he is splashing too loudly for having such an east life. he is an embarrassment to all hard working americans...

Greg Jan 23rd 2010 5:03AM

Conan is a certifiable numbskull. From the first day he appeared on the To-Nite Show. I'd rather watch paint dry, then watch a minute of his shtick.
LENO is heads above Conan the Barbarian....

hurricanehhannah Jan 23rd 2010 1:33PM

For all the angry internet-bloggers and whatnot on here: CONAN DIDNT SPEND ALL THAT MONEY! IT WAS A JOKE!
I know you're all reading and flexing your angry little fingers to write out some hate.. but he actually didn't spend all of that money, He said himself on the show that it was a SKIT.

CinderYella-Labrador Jan 23rd 2010 2:06PM

Conan wasted millions on crap when there are people all over the
world who are dying for lack of being able to get a sip of clean
water. He would do more for his crappy image if he spent that money
in a humanitarian effort to help those less fortunate. His immature
attitude and money-grubbing stupidity just goes to show he needs to
grow up. NBC was so right to dump his ass. Their biggest mistake
ever was to move Leno when he had been #1 for 14 years. Conan's
humor is pidantic at best and even when he has a good line or schtick
he cannot deliver it. He does not have the comedic presentation and
should go back to writing comedy and stay behind the scenes. His
interviewing skills are still piss poor after all these years he
still has not improved. His grammar and presentation demonstrate his
ignorance and immaturity. He sucks glad he is gone and sorry he has
to waste millions of dollars in today's economy that is just too bad
beyond words.