Back in 2004, when Conan and Jay still liked each other...
Someone at Funny or Die got in their Wayback Machine and found these clips from 2004, when NBC announced that Conan O'Brien would take over the Tonight Show and Jay Leno announced he would gracefully step aside to allow it.
Guess it didn't quite work out the way everyone planned.
Leno's clip is especially interesting. He must be psychic because the scenario he said he wants to avoid is exactly what's playing out now.
First, Conan's announcement that he was staying at NBC and moving to 11:35:
Conan's 2004 Announcement - watch more funny videos
Then, Jay announcing he would "retire."
Jay's 2004 Announcement - watch more funny videos
DAN SCAPUSIO joined the Sun Sentinel's online team in 2008. A self described Internet enthusiast, he says the World Wide Web brings him joy, sadness, excitement, joy and a deep sense of terror all at once. For him, it's a crossroads where college humor and the most valuable scholarly information can be found and, in some cases, even melded.
