Conan's "Employee of the Month" Gag: A Nod to His Late Night Forefathers?
Conan O'Brien's quip Thursday night on "The Tonight Show" that he had just been named NBC's "Employee of the Month" has a historic context. David Letterman told that same joke on his final episode of "Late Night" on NBC in 1993:
(The David Letterman clip -- see 2:50 in)
Is it an obvious joke that everyone uses? Or, as I prefer to think of it, something that has been passed down from host to host?
A year earlier than that "Late Night with David Letterman" clip, "Tonight Show" legend Johnny Carson also used that same joke in his finale:
(Above, the Johnny Carson finale. Jump to 4:50 in order to see the "Employee of the Month" crack.)
A coincidence? Or O'Brien's nod to late night history, as his "Tonight Show" reign comes to an end as well?
Variety's Team TV -- Cynthia Littleton, Stu Levine, Jon Weisman, Andrew Wallenstein and A.J. Marechal -- provides a roundup of stories big and small, as well as opinions and analysis from across the TV dial.
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