26 February 2010

Conan Joins Twitter, Asks for Help

Chicago Tribune

Conan O'Brien is keeping himself busy by interviewing animals.

That's the word from the former "Tonight Show" host via his new Twitter account.

"Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial. Somebody help me," O'Brien said in his first tweet. His account bio reads: "I had a show. Then I had a different show. Now I have a Twitter account."

O'Brien hosted "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" for 16 years before taking over the "Tonight Show" in June 2009 for Jay Leno, who went on to host a quickly canceled program on NBC at 10 p.m. ET. After conceding that the Leno primetime experiment failed— because it made a poor lead-in for local news—NBC execs decided to move the "Tonight Show" to 12:05 a.m. ET to make room for a half-hour Jay Leno show at 11:35. O'Brien declined to accept the move because to do so would mean participating in the show's "destruction," he said, ending his "Tonight Show" gig after just seven months.

O'Brien's final "Tonight Show" aired On January 22. Guests Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell and Neil Young stopped by to pay tribute to his run as the host of the late-night institution. The normally ebullient host grew serious as his final "Tonight Show" drew to a close. He's been keeping a low-profile ever since.

O'Brien received a $45 million payout for exiting the show; of that sum, $12 million went to his staff as severance pay. Under the terms of the payout, O'Brien isn't allowed to host another TV show until September 1, 2010. Jay Leno returns to host the "Tonight Show" on March 1.

To follow Conan on Twitter, check out twitter.com/ConanOBrien.

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