I'm with Coco...

Ladies and gentleman, before we bring this rodeo to a close, I think a couple things should be said. 
There's been a lot of speculation in the press, about what I legally can and can't say about NBC, and, this isn't a joke, to set the record straight, and this is true, tonight I'm allowed to say anything I want. 

Tonight I really am allowed to say anything I want, and what I want to say is this: Between my time at Saturday Night Live, the Late Night show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I've worked with NBC for over twenty years. Yes, we have our differences right now, yes, we're going our seperate ways, but this company has been my home for most of my adult life. 
 

I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible, I really do.
 
A lot of people have been asking me about my state of mind, I'll be honest with you, walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world. I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. I will fight anybody who says I don't but no one would. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian, every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show, and for seven months, I got to do it. And, I did it my way, with people I love. I do not regret one second of anything that we've done here.

I encounter people on the street now, who are just sort of give me a sad look; I have had more good fortune than anybody that I know. And if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-11 parking lot, we will find a way to make it fun, I really will, I will have no problems.

Finally, I have something to say to our fans. This massive outpouring of support, and passion from so many people has been overwhelming for me. The rallies, the signs, all this goofy, outrageous creativity on the Internet. The fact that people have travelled long distances, and camped out all night, in the pouring rain to be in our audience.

Here's what all of you have done: you made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. So to all the people watching, I can never, ever thank you enough for the kindness to me, I'll think about it for the rest of my life, and all I ask is one thing, and I’m asking this particularly of young people that watch:

Please do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality, it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.
 ”
—Conan O'Brien, in his final statemement, 22nd Jan 2010.

You can read the full story on the screw up NBC did to the tonight segment here.

"In January 2010, after the show had been on the air for only seven months, it was announced that NBC intended to move Jay Leno from primetime to 11:35 p.m., with O'Brien's show starting shortly after midnight. In response, O'Brien released a press statement saying that he would not continue as host of The Tonight Show, if it was bumped to the next day to accommodate another comedy program. After two weeks of negotiations, NBC announced that they had payed $45 million for O'Brien, and his staff, to walk away from The Tonight Show, and to leave NBC Universal altogether."

Well NBC you did a good job screwing up the Late Night show tradition, and Jay Leno, you are no where near funny....

To quote Kevin Smith, director of Dogma, Clerks and others, "Conan's farewell was really classy. Fare thee well, Coco. Good Luck, Jay. Fuck you dry."


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