Conan O'Brien Set to Take Over NBC's "Tonight Show" Next Monday

By Leader Staff. Published on 05/27/2009 - 8:41am

Fans of comedian and "Late Night" talk show host Conan O'Brien shouldn't worry that he will completely revamp his comedic style when he takes over NBC's "Tonight Show" from Jay Leno next Monday. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, O'Brien said:

"I think sometimes, especially in 2009, people can overstate the idea that there's a comedy barrier that separates 11:30 and 12:30 and that you'll ignite antimatter if you bring 12:30 comedy into the 11:30 hour,. But DVRs have changed everything. The Internet has changed everything."

Translation: Late Night favorites like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, the Masturbating Bear, and the Year 2000, as well as plenty of other comedy sketches, will be joining Conan on his cross-country move to Los Angeles.

Conan said:

"[On 'Late Night'], we prided ourselves on having a lot of produced comedy, and I will probably try to continue that tradition," said O'Brien. "I think that's what I'm comfortable with."

But don't worry, not everythign will be the same. The Tonight Show will not become the Late Night show simply moved up an hour earlier.

O'Brien commented:

"It would be shame to dust off the 'Late Night' show and move it to 11:30. I think people would be disappointed if I didn't reinvent myself in some way."

Before officially taking over for Jay Leno next week, Conan will appear as his final guest on the Tonight Show this Friday. During his first week on the new show, O'Brien will sit down with guests including Tom Hanks, Ryan Seacrest, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Will Ferrell, and will feature musical performances from Green Day and Pearl Jam, amongst others.

"It should be a fun week, but I have a rule which is, don't overthink this. My most important job is to think of funny things to do with my writers and enjoy this. What I've noticed is that when I'm really enjoying myself, it seems to be good television. Right now, I just feel like a race horse that was put in the chute five years ago," he said. "I'm feeling like, let's go," said O'Brien.

Tags: