Conan O'Brien returns to The Tonight Show for the FIRST time since 2010 firing: 'It's weird to come back'
Conan O'Brien returned to The Tonight Show for the first time since his abrupt departure as host from NBC's long-running late-night talk show in 2010.
While appearing on Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the comedian, 60, reflected on coming back to his old stomping grounds and time working in the iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza in the heart of Manhattan.
'It's weird to come back. It's weird. I haven't been in this building for such a long time, and I haven't been on this floor in forever,' said the Massachusetts native, who hosted Late Night with Conan O'Brien from from 1993 to 2009 in the building.
As he walked back through the doors, the father-of-two revealed 'all these memories came flooding back' to him.
Conan O'Brien returned to The Tonight Show for the first time since his abrupt departure as host from NBC's long-running late-night talk show on Tuesday
While appearing on Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the comedian, 60, reflected on coming back to his old stomping grounds and time working in the iconic 30 Rockefeller Plaza in the heart of Manhattan
The former talk show host proceeded to warn Fallon, 49, how emotional it is seeing someone else in your former studio.
'The first thing that will hit you, and it will hit you, too, because one day -- you'll have this show as long as you want it, but when you're 98, you'll move on, and someone else will be in this studio. When someone else is in your studio, it feels weird,' he admitted.
After asking who took over his old studio, O'Brien learned the space has become the set of Kelly Clarkson's Emmy-winning talk show.
'I love Kelly Clarkson. Who doesn't love Kelly Clarkson? But still I felt like, 'It's not right!'' he joked of his reaction. 'It's blasphemy! They should have burned it to the ground!'
While on the program, O’Brien promoted his upcoming Max series Conan O’Brien Must Go.
He previously had a brief stint as The Tonight Show's host from June 2009 to January 2010.
His firing, prompted by NBC's move to replace him with Jay Leno despite Leno's earlier handover of the Tonight Show reins to O'Brien, remains one of the most striking turns in late-night television history.
Following his tenure on The Tonight Show, O'Brien embarked on an 11-season journey as the host of the TBS late-night program Conan, culminating in its finale in 2021, thus concluding his 28-year stint as a late-night talk show host.
'It's weird to come back. It's weird. I haven't been in this building for such a long time, and I haven't been on this floor in forever,' said the Massachusetts native, who hosted Late Night with Conan O'Brien from from 1993 to 2009 in the building
As he walked back through the doors, the father-of-two revealed 'all these memories came flooding back' to him.
In a 2022 interview on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, Leno addressed the Tonight Show drama, refuting any allegations of intentionally undermining O'Brien's opportunity on the show.
'That doesn't work,' Leno explained. 'It doesn't work that way. You try and do the best you can and it didn't work.'
In May 2009, Leno bid farewell to The Tonight Show and commenced hosting The Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Yet, with declining ratings for both programs, he resumed hosting duties on The Tonight Show in 2010.
He previously had a brief stint as The Tonight Show's host from June 2009 to January 2010; pictured with Tom Hanks in January 2010
During the Maher podcast, Leno stood by his choice to remain at NBC instead of switching to another network amidst the controversy.
'Sometimes the czar you have is better than the one you're going to,' he told Maher. 'Then you have your old team shooting at you as well. I just figured let's just play this out and see what happens. This all happened fairly quickly.'
Leno acknowledged considering a move to ABC, the network of Jimmy Kimmel Live, and reached out to Kimmel himself for discussion, but ultimately opted to remain at NBC.
'I suppose I should have called Jimmy and explained to him again, but I didn't,' Leno said.
'I don't know why I didn't. I just didn't. I thought he probably would figure it out. But I think maybe he was hurt by that, and I apologized to him for that.'
In February 2014, Leno bid farewell to The Tonight Show, with Jimmy Fallon taking over as his successor.
His departure, prompted by NBC's move to replace him with Jay Leno despite Leno's earlier handover of the Tonight Show reins to O'Brien, remains one of the most striking turns in late-night television history; Leno pictured in 2011
Following his tenure on The Tonight Show, O'Brien embarked on an 11-season journey as the host of the TBS late-night program Conan, culminating in its finale in 2021, thus concluding his 28-year stint as a late-night talk show host; pictured 2014
O'Brien addressed the controversy in a 2010 interview with 60 Minutes.
'He went and took that show back and I think in a similar situation, if roles had been reversed, I know — I know me, I wouldn't have done that,' O'Brien said at the time.
The former Simpsons writer went on to say that he would not 'surrendered The Tonight Show and handed it over to somebody publicly and wished them well — and then … six months later [reclaimed it]. But that's me, you know.'
He added that if he were in Leno's position, he would have pursued alternative opportunities elsewhere.
In a statement at the time of his firing, O'Brien said: 'I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it.
'My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of the Tonight Show.
In a 2022 interview on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, Leno addressed the Tonight Show drama, refuting any allegations of intentionally undermining O'Brien's opportunity on the show; pictured 2011
O'Brien addressed the controversy in a 2010 interview with 60 Minutes. 'He went and took that show back and I think in a similar situation, if roles had been reversed, I know — I know me, I wouldn't have done that,' O'Brien said at the time; pictured 2010
In February 2014, Leno bid farewell to The Tonight Show, with Jimmy Fallon taking over as his successor; pictured 2022
'But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.'
O'Brien initially ventured into late-night television in 1993 with NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, a role he held until 2009.
His upcoming appearance on Tuesday will signify his first live return to the network’s late-night lineup, following his earlier pre-recorded sketch on The Tonight Show in 2018 alongside Stephen Colbert.
Additional guests scheduled for next Tuesday's episode feature Nicole Richie and musical guest Benson Boone.
