Late Shift 2010: A done deal (TW)
By Nancy Tartaglione
The Wrap reported early Thursday morning that a deal has finally been reached in the latenight debacle at NBC. Conan O'Brien and NBC have finally put pen to paper on a $40 million-plus breakup agreement, O'Brien's manager told the Web site.
The final sticking point, according to manager Gavin Polone, was severance for O'Brien's staff.
"It's signed. In the end, Conan was appreciative of the steps NBC made to take care of his staff and crew and decided to supplement the severance they were getting out of his own pocket," Polone told TheWrap.
"Now he just wants to get back on the air as quickly as possible."
O'Brien will end his seven-month "Tonight Show" run on Friday.
Then, it's expected that on March 1, "Tonight" will return with new/old host Jay Leno.
O'Brien will be free to begin work for another network on Sept. 1, a person familiar with the deal told TW.
Check out The Wrap for more.
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