The most famous seat in late-night television gets a new owner tonight as funnyman Conan O’Brien takes his much anticipated turn as host of “The Tonight Show.”
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Following a dramatic Friday-night handing-over of the reins from Jay Leno, all eyes are on the towering redhead to see how he fares with a more mainstream audience and in a head-to-head ratings competition with David Letterman.
Not only is O’Brien filling Leno’s shoes at NBC, he’s following in the footsteps of “Tonight Show” giants, including the legendary Johnny Carson, Steve Allen and Jack Paar.
Like Carson, who moved the show from New York to LA, O’Brien must adjust to life on the West Coast after more than a decade of poking fun of people from his perch in New York.
His first order of business before bringing on fellow funnyman Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam as guests is delivering the biggest monologue of his career.
Conan’s comedic colleagues were quick to offer their counsel on what it will take to put the kooky clown on top.
“Conan is a tall, wonderful late-night host,” cracked comedian Don Rickles, a frequent “Tonight Show” guest. “But he has to stop dribbling around his office and telling everyone what a great basketball player he is.”
“Conan is just going to have to be himself, and I think he’s going to do wonderfully,” said real-estate mogul Donald Trump, himself the subject of many late-night hair jokes. “I think he’ll be able to handle the pressure well.”
Comedian and TV host Howie Mandel said, “Whenever I appear on Conan’s show, I always find him to be smart, generous and funny, but, most of all, not as self-centered as most of us in the business.
“This is the reason I am so grateful that he would move himself, his family and the entire show to LA just to be closer to me.”
O’Brien got a boost Friday when Leno gave him the warm welcome that Leno missed out on when he took over for Carson.
“You were the perfect choice,” Leno told O’Brien. “You’ve been an absolute gentleman in private and in the press.”
Leno is moving on to prime time, where he will host a 10 p.m. show, a move he called a gamble.
“I’m betting NBC will be around in three months,” he quipped. “That’s not a given.”
And the advice kept on coming for O’Brien.
“You are in Hollywood now, and Hollywood is about the movies,” said “30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin. “Whatever you do, don’t bring up ‘The Tonight Show.’ That is just a hobby. You must always be perceived as being in the middle of a film.”