Conan O'Brien Praises Jimmy Fallon In His Return To 'The Tonight Show'

By Andrew Sanford | TV | April 10, 2024 |

The last episode of The Tonight Show starring Conan O’Brien aired on January 22nd, 2010. It was an unceremonious exit, to say the least, as NBC gave the option of moving his show or leaving. It was just as much Jay Leno’s fault as it was NBC’s. The whole situation was embarrassing. It stained what should have been a celebrated moment in late-night. Conan did fine.

He went on to host CONAN on TBS and produced some of the best work of his career. If you’ve never watched Nut Spoon, do so now. Then, the longtime host started a podcast that arguably became his most popular project. he has evolved and grown. His stock has risen, maybe higher than it would have had he stayed at The Tonight Show. Last night, he returned to the show that didn’t want him.

Conan sat down with an interview with current Tonight Show host, Jimmy Fallon. The interview is fun and sweet. They don’t get into the bad of what happened. There is no talk of Leno or Jeff Zucker. Instead, Conan focuses on what it feels like to return to a home that is no longer his. He mentions how it feels weird to see another show in his studio. It’s Conan at his most humble. But, even then, he dominates the interview.

Something noticeable about the chat with Fallon is that Conan either wanted to make sure he said what he said, or didn’t trust Fallon to ask the right questions. The latter seems less likely, as Conan ends the interview with praise for his gracious host. It could be Conan’s big personality, but he cuts Fallon off at every turn. Jimmy lets it happen. Late-night hosts appreciate a talkative guest. Still, by the eighth or ninth time Conan interrupted Jimmy, it was hard not to notice.

Still, Conan ends his time at the show praising an oft-maligned Fallon. He commends Fallon for making the show into his own, which he calls beautiful. It’s a wonderful full-circle moment, given that Fallon mentioned earlier in the interview that Conan’s late-night show was the first he appeared on 25 years ago. An emotional Fallon seemed taken aback by Conan’s compliments. It was nice.

The whole interview is about twenty minutes long, and I recommend watching it, even if you aren’t a fan of Fallon. Conan’s return to The Tonight Show was a classy, important affair. As late-night shows as we know them are on their way out, it was a pleasure to see O’Brien get his moment on a stage he was unjustly removed from.