Getting Fired: Conan’s Great Legacy

Won Kim — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:34:01 -0800

“Please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism--it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” - Conan O’Brien

The above quote was part of Conan O’ Brien’s farewell speech on the last taping of The Tonight Show. As everyone knows, his run was short-lived (7 months). A combination of low ratings, poor primetime programming (Jay Leno’s 10 pm show), impatient NBC executives and the invention of DVR/Hulu/Cable all led to the demise and firing of Conan as host of The Tonight Show.

The public relations nightmare that NBC faced all week has hopefully come to an end (for now). Could it have been handled better? Probably. Did Conan, Leno and David Letterman showcase the highest level of etiquette? No. Was this trainwreck entertaining to watch? Yeah. Still, there was more haranguing on late night this past week than you’ll find on C-Span … snare drum and cymbal. There were more finger pointing taking place than a dance floor at a 70s nightclub during a Bee Gees song … crickets. Wow, it is a hard gig.

But the hilarity of this whole late night drama is that Conan was given a chance that rarely any person who has ever been fired (or let go) from a job will ever get—that is he had a whole week to air dirty laundry, stick it to the man and try to coax fans and new viewers onto the Conan bandwagon.

In the corporate world, if you are fired, your departure more closely resembles Jerry Maguire’s experience in the famed Cameron Crowe film. You get the pink slip and you are escorted out … quickly. Like a band-aid, your ties to the company are ripped swiftly. Or as the saying goes, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” Yet, Conan, who works for one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, General Electric, was given one week on the air to share his grievances with millions of viewers.

Although he got canned from NBC, he was given a chance to get the last laugh. So gradually, this past week’s monologue and sketches became more poignant, and somewhat scathing. Well-known stars of current NBC shows (Ed Helms, Joel McHale, Steve Carrel, Chevy Chase) made cameos, as did familiar faces who had runs on NBC shows like Saturday Night Live (Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell), all with subtle or not-so-subtle slights directed toward NBC.

Imagine you getting fired from your company this week, yet the company allows you to stay on for another week. On top of that, they give you the liberty to visit every employee sitting in their cubicles and the power to call every client on that master list. What would you do? Would you sully the name of the company? Would you take current and former employees out to lunch and just let them air it out?

Conan did some of that. He was noticeably shaken up about the fact that his dream job was suddenly stripped from him without a real fighting chance. He felt for his staff that moved from New York City to Los Angeles believing it was for the long haul. Most people in that situation would do what Conan did, which is to punch back some.

Conan and Leno definitely caused some verbal damage and created fodder for the media masses. No one knows yet what the collateral damage will be. Can Leno reclaim the ratings war in late night? Will Conan’s career be successful come next Fall when he’s contractually allowed to return to a competitor network?

I don’t watch enough late night to know, and I’m guessing you don’t know (or care). Seriously, how many of you actually stay up on a nightly basis to watch The Tonight Show until recently? Exactly.

However, as the show came to a close this past Friday night, Conan didn’t leave with a huge swipe at NBC or a last biting comment at the executives. He left fortunate that he had a chance to live his lifelong dream (albeit for 7 months), and he also exited with such practical and simple words that my dad could have wrote it: “Please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism--it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

Five simple points:
-   Kill cynicism
-   Life is unpredictable
-   Work hard
-   Be a nice person
-   Good things will come

So, next time you get fired, pooped on or wronged, remember the lasting legacy of Coco … well, at least the last 5 minutes of his run.

Dear Jimmy Fallon

Barb Sherrill — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:36:17 -0700

Dear Jimmy Fallon,

Dude, I like you.

I really do.

You (and Tina!) anchoring the newsdesk were the only reason I tuned into SNL during that era. And I don't care what anyone says, Fever Pitch was a cute little movie.

So, when I heard you got the Late Night gig, I was thrilled--thrilled you'd be back on TV making us laugh.

Okay, so at the moment you're a nervous bundle of energy and (just maybe) interviewing celebrities isn't exactly your forte, but I have faith. I have faith because you've honestly made me laugh during your first few broadcasts (not a ton, but some). I love it when you make me laugh.

Stay true to yourself--your ever-laughing, self-deprecating, good-spirited, kind-hearted self--and you'll find your way. I know you will.

Thankfully, people seem to be remembering that Conan's Late Night wasn't built in a day, so I think you're going to get what most tv shows don't get anymore--time to work it out. And you appear earnest enough and dedicated enough to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

I don't know who said this, but I believe it's true: "Anything worth having is worth waiting for."

Jimmy, you'll be worth the wait.