• Late Night with Conan O'Brien is a late night comedy/talk show hosted by comedian and writer Conan O'Brien. Jimmy Fallon will officially take over hosting duties on March 2, 2009, and O'Brien exited as host on February 20, 2009.E! Online: NBC Reveals Conan Exit Date, Jimmy's Start Date (January 15, 2009) O'Brien will move over to The Tonight Show on June 1, 2009.E! Online: NBC Reveals Conan Exit Date, Jimmy's Start Date (January 15, 2009) In February 2009, NBC announced that Andy Richter would rejoin O'Brien as the announcer for his new program.

• Fast Facts

  1. Network: NBC
  2. Airs: Monday-Friday, 12:35AM ET
  3. Current Season: 15
  4. First Aired: 1993
  5. 1993-2009: Host Conan O'Brien, Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7 and Joel Godard
  6. March 2, 2009: Host Jimmy Fallon
  7. Originally created to replace Late Night with David Letterman after David Letterman moved to CBS
  8. Created by Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live fame
  9. Originated Triumph the Insult Comic Dog
  10. Conan O'Brien will take over NBC's The Tonight Show on June 1, 2009

• Late Night Pre-Conan

  Late Night was originally hosted by David Letterman. In the early 1990s, Letterman wished to succeed the retiring Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. NBC had other plans, however, and announced Jay Leno would be the new host. Letterman reacted by leaving for CBS, taking his skits, his gags, his taglines, and all the other things that had made Late Night a hit with him.

• Search For a Host

  Letterman indeed left big shoes to fill. Dana Carvey and Gary Shandling both turned down the hosting position on Late Night, and Jon Stewart and Drew Carey did not make it through the audition process. Lorne Michaels, the Saturday Night Live producer, suggested a little-known writer for the animated series The Simpsons for the job - a man named Conan O'Brien.

• Conan On the Bubble

  O'Brien's first several shows were described by many as a "trainwreck". O'Brien had no hosting experience, many of the writers were new, and, to put it charitably, the show was rough around the edges. NBC renewed O'Brien's contract every thirteen weeks for the first three years, constantly leaving him in suspense as to whether he'd have his job in four months' time. Slowly but surely, however, the show found its feet, and ratings improved.

• Conan the Star

  Late Night with Conan O'Brien was so successful that, when O'Brien's contract came up for renewal in 2002, other networks tried to wrest him away. O'Brien re-signed with NBC. In 2004, it was announced that O'Brien was the heir to the post Letterman was denied - host of The Tonight Show, beginning in June 2009.

• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

  On April 24, 2008, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter announced that Jimmy Fallon would replace Conan O'Brien as host of Late Night in 2009. Conan's last day on set is February 20, 2009, and Fallon to serve as the official replacement on March 2, 2009.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Conan O'Brien | Jimmy Fallon | Conan Returns to TV | NBC | Jay Leno | The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | Johnny Carson | Last Call with Carson Daly | David Letterman | Jon Stewart | Jimmy Kimmel Live | Triumph the Insult Comic Dog | Chelsea Lately | Stuff White People LIke

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