Conan O’Brien staffers are furious that they’re losing their “Tonight Show” jobs while O’Brien walks away from the fiasco with $30 million, sources tell Page Six.
About 200 of O’Brien’s production team, who last year uprooted from New York to Los Angeles for his show, are fuming that they’ve been overlooked as Conan negotiates his way out of NBC.
“The production team feels betrayed,” one source said. “They don’t understand why Conan couldn’t have just agreed to move the show to 12:05 a.m. and see how things turn out, which would have allowed them all to keep their jobs. But his ego got in the way.
“They all uprooted their lives and their families’ lives to move to LA for him, and now they feel like they have simply been forgotten,” the insider said. “There are 200 people losing their jobs while he walks off with a payoff worth $30 million. The mood on set and backstage is dismal.”
It was reported yesterday that O’Brien might be negotiating with NBC on how to compensate his loyal team while he’s off the air, so he can keep them together for a future show on a different network.
Our source added, “If Conan goes to another network, it would be at least six months until he gets back on the air. Does he expect his production team to just wait around?”
But a “Tonight Show” producer told us, “There’s been no discussion over severance with the staff. Conan has only told them he simply doesn’t know what will happen.”
O’Brien’s staff was shocked by his rapidly issued “People of Earth” letter, which outlined his reasons for refusing to move “Tonight” to 12:05 a.m. after Jay Leno was restored to his old slot at 11:35 p.m.
Despite infuriating NBC brass with his barbs against Leno, Conan was working out a deal yesterday to get out of his NBC contract, and insiders said his last “Tonight” could be as early as next week.
Reps for Leno, O’Brien and NBC all declined to comment.