Conan O'Brien Rejects NBC Plan

Conan O'Brien says he won't do the Tonight Show at 12:05, putting him in direct opposition to NBC's new late-night plans. "I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction," O'Brien says of the show in a statement released this afternoon. He adds that he "has no idea what happens next" and says he does not have an offer from another network. "My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly," says the statement.

"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," it says. "The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. ... 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." (More Conan O'Brien stories.)