Conan O'Brien, the dominant late-night host at 12:35 a.m. for 14 seasons,
succeeded Jay Leno as host of the preeminent series on late-night television.
The Tonight Show has a remarkable history rich in tradition and Conan carries on
that outstanding tradition. It continues to be the most dominant late-night institution
in television history. Since it first premiered on September 27, 1954 with Steve Allen,
"The Tonight Show" has had just four permanent hosts, including Leno. Allen, host of
the then titled "Tonight," eventually left late night to start his own primetime
variety series on NBC. Jack Paar premiered on July 29, 1957. On October 1, 1962,
Johnny Carson stepped on stage for day one of his tenure as host of
"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." Leno, who began guest-hosting
"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in September 1987, became host of
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on May 25, 1992.
O'Brien joined NBC as a writer on "Saturday Night Live" in 1988
and premiered as host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" on September 13, 1993.
"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" originates from Stage 1 at Universal Studios
and is produced by Universal Media Studios. Jeff Ross is the executive producer. Click HERE to download theme song in mp3 format.
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