Comedian and talk show host Conan O'Brien announced that he is leaving late night television in 2021 for a new, weekly variety series on the HBO Max streaming platform.
The host's nightly talk show "Conan" which airs on TBS will end after its 10th season in June 2021, according to a press release from WarnerMedia.
Conan to end
O'Brien said that in 1993 Johnny Carson gave him the best advice of his career. Carson told him that as soon as possible, get to a streaming platform.
O'Brien added that he is thrilled that he will get to continue doing whatever he wants to do on HBO Max and he is looking forward to a free subscription.
Although his late night show will end on TBS after 10 years, his famous segment "Conan Without Borders" will continue to be produced, according to the statement.
Also Read: Actress Kate Mara Claims Filming for "Fantastic Four" was a Horrible Experience
O'Brien has worked as a late night host for almost 30 years. In 2015, he became the longest-working current late night talk show host in the United States, following David Letterman's retirement, according to TBS.
The host started as a writer and producer on multiple TV shows including "Saturday Night Live," before he became the host of "Late Night" on NBC in 1993. He then left the network in January 2010 after a short time as the host of "The Tonight Show." According to IMDb, his show "Conan" debuted in 2010.
Brett Weitz, the General Manager for TNT, TBS and truTV, O'Brien's 28 years is a monumental achievement in late-night television.
Weitz said that they are proud of the groundbreaking work that Conan and his team have accomplished during the 10 years at TBS and they are glad that they will continue to have his presence on their air with the "Conan Without Borders" specials.
The 57-year-old host is also the face of Team Coco, a fan-centric multi-platform media company with a reach of more than 55 million fans every month.
O'Brien has hosted the Emmy Awards twice and has performed at the White House Correspondents Dinner for two presidents. He has also earned four Emmys and other awards throughout his career.
Conan vs. Jay Leno
Before O'Brien moved to TBS, he was one of the talk show hosts on NBC. However, the network switched his timeslot with that of Jay Leno's and O'Brien stated that he was not even informed about the switch, according to HuffPost.
On January 2010, O'Brien made an announcement that he would not take the 12:05 time slot following Jay Leno because it will not be "The Tonight Show" anymore.
Other late night hosts and comedians weighed in on the issue. Jerry Seinfeld took a jab on NBC during NBC's winter Television Critics Association for moving O'Brien.
Comedian Patton Oswalt took O'Brien's side and cited Leno's inability to do anything new with his late night show, while O'Brien is constantly pushing the platform in new directions.
Late night hosts David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon also took O'Brien's side stating that he is the one who has something new to offer and has the potential to take over "The Tonight Show." O'Brien eventually left and moved to TBS.
Related Article: Matthew Perry Announces Rescheduled 'Friends' Reunion to Be Slated on March 2021
