O'Brien, who has kept his lips sealed so far over NBC's decision to bump his show to midnight , other than cracking wise about it on "The Tonight Show" , is going public. And he's not happy.
In a lengthy statement addressed tongue-in-cheek to the "people of earth," O'Brien said he could not "participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. The 'Tonight Show' at 12:05 simply isn't the 'Tonight Show.'"
That assertion could wind up being at the center of O'Brien's battle with NBC, should it get that far. While NBC may argue that it hadn't breached O'Brien's contract , he is, in their mind, still the host of the "Tonight Show," just at a different time , O'Brien will likely argue that the "Tonight Show" is whatever airs at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.
In other words, you can dress O'Brien's show up and call it the "Tonight Show" , but with former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno back at 11:35, it's a hollow title.
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