Conan O'Brien Films Last
The Hollywood curtain fell on Friday night as Conan O'Brien filmed his final Late Night with Conan O'Brien in preparation for taking over Jay Leno's hosting duties on the Tonight Show.
According to Variety.com, "That was the late night host's message to viewers Friday night, as he signed off 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' for the 2,725th and last time."
O'Brien's final Late Night included memorable clips from the show's 16-year run. In addition, O'Brien's former sidekick, Andy Richter, who left the show in 2000, even showed up to say goodbye. Other notable guest appearances were musician John Mayer, and actor Will Ferrell dropped by dressed up as former President George W. Bush. The White Stripes even made a rare television appearance.
The Variety.com article also commented on O'Brien's mood during the show, "A visibly choked-up O'Brien spent the last few minutes of the episode thanking a wide variety of execs, staffers and fellow hosts for their support through the years. O'Brien singled out 'Saturday Night Live' and 'Late Night' exec producer Lorne Michaels for giving him a shot at the gig, for starters."
Gratitude was also bestowed upon O' Brien's band, the Max Weinberg 7, and announcer Joel Godard.
O'Brien also gave tremendous props to New York, specifically Rockefeller Center, which he affectionately called the "Mount Olympus of broadcasting." O'Brien also saluted his predecessor, David Letterman, calling him "one of the most brilliant broadcasters, certainly of the last century and this century and of all time."
O'Brien will relieve Jay Leno as the host of NBC's Tonight Show on June 1. SNL alum Jimmy Fallon will take over as host of Late Night on March 2.
Although, Late Night's final episode didn't achieve record-breaking ratings, the Variety.com article closed by stating, "Among the 56 markets metered by Nielsen Media Research, 'Late Night' averaged a 2.6 rating and 8 share. That repped the yakker's best perf since just Dec. 8, 2006, but was still up 44 percent vs. the show's average this season (1.8). 'Late Night' has won its time slot for the past 15 seasons."