Thursday marked Jay Leno’s final night as host of the Tonight Show and Conan O’Brien marked the occasion with a single wisecrack.
The two comedians were famously pitted against one another in 2010 when NBC forced O’Brien out of the Tonight Show gig so that Leno — who had left the show the previous year — could return as host.
O’Brien has since snagged his own show — Conan, on TBS — and on Thursday night, his opening monologue included a rare crack about Leno. “The Olympics start airing tonight on NBC. It’s very cool. That’s right, NBC has the Olympics. It’s a big deal. NBC will finally get to show somebody who is OK with passing the torch.” O’Brien then noted, “I allowed myself one, but it was a good one.”
Leno’s final Tonight Show featured high-profile guests such as Oprah Winfrey, Billy Crystal and Garth Brooks. Jimmy Fallon will be taking over the show beginning Feb. 17.
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