Conan O’Brien is returning to The Tonight Show stage after his unceremonious exit over a decade ago. The beloved talk show host is slotted to appear as a guest on next Tuesday’s (April 9) episode to promote his upcoming travelogue series Conan O’Brien Must Go.
Debuting on Max on April 18, the new series will be the comedian’s first TV venture since his talk show, Conan, ended in June 2021 after 11 seasons.
Nicole Richie and musician Benson Boone will also share the screen on Tuesday night’s episode.
O’Brien briefly hosted The Tonight Show for two seasons from 2009 to 2010 until he was fired and promptly replaced by former host Jay Leno. The comedian’s firing came soon after NBC suggested pushing The Tonight Show to a later time slot of 12:05 p.m. in order to accommodate an 11:35 p.m. airtime for the short-lived Jay Leno Show.
At the time, O’Brien released a statement refusing to host a 12:05 p.m. show, saying, in part, “For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show.”
O’Brien added, “I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.”
Leno hosted The Tonight Show until he retired in 2014. Comedian Jimmy Fallon stepped in as host, and has been helming the late night show ever since.
Considering this is the first time O’Brien is returning to program since his firing, fans wonder if there will be any tension between the two hosts. There doesn’t seem to be any bad blood, though, as O’Brien previously appeared in a skit for The Tonight Show in 2018 with fellow talk show host Stephen Colbert.
Want to see the interview for yourself? Tune into the The Tonight Starring Show Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.