NEWARK, N.J. — Conan O’Brien and Newark Mayor Cory Booker turned their frivolous feud about the gritty city into comedy on NBC’s “Tonight Show” on Friday. The chatty 40-somethings worked off each other like a comic duo. But the jokes gave way to a plug for Booker’s efforts to transform Newark, long an icon for urban decay, and a $100,000 donation to his Newark Now charity from O’Brien and NBC.
Booker’s appearance culminated a facetious feud that began Sept. 23 with O’Brien joking that Booker’s new health care program consisted of a bus ticket out of Newark. The mayor responded with a humorous video on YouTube in which he banned O’Brien from Newark Liberty International Airport.
The 15-minute segment confirmed Booker’s newfound status as a national figure in U.S. politics, said Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor of television and popular culture. “They were like Abbott and Costello,” Thompson said. “Those two could go on the road.” The Associated Press
