Conan O'Brien seals $45 million deal to quit "The Tonight Show"

NBC said it has reached a $45 million deal with Conan O’Brien for his exit from the “Tonight Show,” allowing Jay Leno to return to the late-night program he hosted for 17 years. Under the deal, which came less than eight months after O’Brien took the reins from Leno, O’Brien will get more than $33 million, NBC said. The rest will go to his 200-strong staff in severance.

I have a feeling Conan is counting his money as we speak. Over the course of 8 months, Conan hosted 160 shows. This means, he was paid $206,250 per show! And his staffers are walking away with their current contracts, plus $60,000 in severance pay. I think everyone made out OK on this deal except for NBC!

Turn that frown upside down Conan, you are walking away with $45 million! With all due respect, I think Conan is walking away from the "Tonight Show" with class and integrity. One of Conan’s last few words: “All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite."