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Conan O’Brien got bumped by Jay Leno – and then got four Emmy nominations for his canceled show. Leno didn’t get a single nod. Sweet, sweet revenge.
Since NBC gave him the boot, O’Brien has been consistently getting the last laugh. In brief:
- Fans around the world started an “I’m with Coco” campaign, even holding rallies in support of Conan.
- Conan started a Twitter account and gained 50,000 followers in just a few hours. His daily quips are brief glimpses at the funny we’re missing every night.
- On this Twitter account, O’Brien announced his national stage tour, The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour, which sold out across the country.
- In May, he announced his deal to being a late-night show on TBS, starting on Nov. 8. The basic-cable format will give him more freedom to do what he wants.
- In June, TBS began an Emmy campaign for Conan’s NBC stint, seemingly in jest.
- Conan gets nominated for four Emmys, for art direction, directing, writing and Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series. And, of course, Conan tweeted about it.
Aside from losing his dream job hosting the Tonight Show, Conan’s had a pretty fantastic year. He even made the TIME 100! (And if it makes Leno feel any better, Letterman didn’t get nominated for Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series either.)