Why did Conan O'Brien's show end? Talk show host reportedly has HBO Max show in the works
Conan O'Brien kept true to style as he closed off his TBS show 'Conan' on Thursday, June 24. After nearly 28 years on the late-night stint, alternating between self-deprecating and smart-alec humor, he allowed himself a moment of feeling on the last episode of 'Conan'.
The talk show host was in the news bonding with Stephen Colbert over missing live audiences while guest-starring in each other's shows. In 2018, he launched a new podcast titled 'Conan O' Brien Needs a Friend' and named Will Ferrell as his first guest.
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'Conan' had an hourlong conclusion on June 24 was mostly a journey down memory lane, with footage of guests like Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, and Sarah Silverman, as well as highlights from specials filmed outside of the US. Will Ferrell arrived via Zoom from Boston, accompanied by Jack Black, who saluted O'Brien.
Conan, thank you for 28 wonderful years of late night shows. Now, can I claim the title of “palest host?” pic.twitter.com/GIeJfdqroc
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) June 25, 2021
Why is the show ending?
Conan O'Brien didn't give any particular reason for ending his show. However, his next project reportedly is a weekly variety show on HBO Max, which will premiere in 2022 with an unnamed format. "I honestly love hosting a late-night talk show," O'Brien said. "I always thought it was the job I was born to do. But every so often I like to try my hand at another career."
The 58-year-old said, according to the Daily Mail: "It's hard to believe, it's hard to say, it's our final show on TBS." He went on to say that he was wrapping up a tenure in which he had shot almost 4,000 hours of television. "Every night, I always said, "Tonight we have a really great show" and I have to tell you I was often lying," he said. "But tonight we really do have a great show! And if we don't, what are you going to do about it? I'll be long gone."
Thanking his fans and coworkers, O'Brien said: "'I am so grateful to all of my staff and to the fans in this country and around the world who have joined me in this really crazy and seemingly pointless pursuit to do things that are kind of stupid but have something smart in there somewhere and there's a little tiny flicker of what is kind of magic."
Conan has one last order of business before he wraps up his nightly talk show on TBS - an exit interview with Homer Simpson. pic.twitter.com/5x8N0ZRIj8
— Team Coco (@TeamCoco) June 25, 2021
"My advice to anyone watching right now is it is not easy to do but try and do what you love with people you love and if you can manage that, it's the definition of heaven on earth," he added, saying that he had pursued "this strange phantom intersection between smart and stupid".
"There's a lot of people that believe the two cannot coexist. But God I will tell you that it is something that I believe religiously, when smart and stupid come together it's very difficult, but if you could make it happen, I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world," he said, before going on to play a montage of his old show starters like Tom Hanks, Betty White, Harrison Ford, and Ryan Reynolds, among others.
Lorne Michaels, the creator of 'Saturday Night Live,' pushed O'Brien to succeed David Letterman as host of 'Late Night,' and he was successful. After losing the post-Johnny Carson 'Tonight' position to Jay Leno, Letterman moved to CBS for 'The Late Show,' a rivalry that became a media obsession. From 1993 until 2009, O'Brien hosted Late Night With Conan O'Brien, and from 2009 to 2010, he was the host of The Tonight Show for an eight-month tenure.