LOS ANGELES — After a week of caustic jokes, jawboning and behind-the-scenes negotiations, “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien is leaving NBC to make room for the return of Jay Leno to late-night TV.
An announcement could come as early as today and will settle, at least in public, the acrimonious maneuvering among the comedians, their respective camps and NBC in the wake of its decision to shuffle Leno from prime time and back to his late-night slot, which O’Brien has occupied for the past seven months.
In the past few days, representatives for O’Brien and NBC resolved key issues, including how long O’Brien would have to sit on the sidelines before appearing on a rival network and how large a check the network would have to write, according to a person close to the negotiations. A couple of points were still to be hammered out, the person said, but were not expected to derail the deal.
A final resolution will be costly to NBC. O’Brien, who earns about $12 million annually, has 2 1/2 years remaining on his contract.
O’Brien, the fifth host of “The Tonight Show,” is likely to have his final show Friday.
Leno’s last show in prime time will be Feb. 11, the day before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.
