Late Night War: Kimmel Airs Ken Burns-Style Documentary About Leno/Conan Drama (VIDEO)

NBC created the Tonight Show in the 1860's, so it's only appropriate that Ken Burns would do a documentary called "The Late Night War."

Actually, Jimmy Kimmel's team did the documentary, but it's still a good way to understand the history of President Jeffrey Zucker, General Jebediah Jay Leno, and a young commander named Conan O'Brien.

An equally accurate account was animated earlier this week by Taiwan's NMA News.


WATCH:

Comments

[Infostream]

05:39 PM on 01/24/2010

Good stuff again Jimmy K!

FYI: Despite a weak lead in and NBC giving the A-list guests to Leno at 10 leaving Conan with mostly sitcom c-list guests, Conan still had numbers better than Leno's in the key demographics that caused NBC to make the change 5 years ago.

So why do the suits now stand by Leno?

Leno was the only SCAB during the writer's strike, he gave NBC new programming while everyone else was honoring the strike.

[KIVPossum]

01:28 PM on 01/24/2010

This video contains content from Jimmy Kimmel, who has decided to block it in your country.

Well scr3ew you Jimmy

[TheBillyClub]

01:19 PM on 01/24/2010

This Docu/Funny, via a tip of the hat to Ken Burns, is an absolute riot! It's Jimmy Kimmel at this best.

[outhouse mouse]

03:41 AM on 01/24/2010

This piece of work is the best in late night comedy (excluding Stewart and Colbert) since the weatherman Letterman had his duel with the Barracuda.

[GoDogGo]

11:28 PM on 01/23/2010

It's only funny because it's true. Every word.

[lemondade]

01:55 PM on 01/23/2010

THAT WAS FANTASTIC!!! LOVED IT.

[ekimnedrab]

11:34 AM on 01/23/2010

I thought they only
did them kinda things on
PBS?

[repugnicansfearme]

10:49 AM on 01/23/2010

Good except-- why the admiration for Conan? Is he supposed to be, as opposed to actually being, funny?

[murphysgirl]

10:46 AM on 01/23/2010

Loved this clip!! What young comedian would ever want to replace Leno when he really decides to retire?

[ezgoingal]

10:42 AM on 01/23/2010

Funny! Well done.

[MsMassachusetts]

10:26 AM on 01/23/2010

Now that is how you do late night. Kudos to Jimmy and his staff.

[bridgeworker]

09:32 AM on 01/23/2010

Terrific. The only silver lining in this debacle has been the upping of the quality of comedy all across the board. I don't like to harbor ill thoughts, but my greatest hope here is that Leno gets abysmal ratings on his return to the Tonight Show and that he along with all responsible NBC execs like Zucker are fired. 7 months would be a sweet timeframe. Let's see, that would be around Aug/Sept, just in time for the fall season launch. And then, the good commander, Conan O'Brien, is redeemed, with profuse apologies, and returned to his rightful place on the throne of the Tonight Show.

May be a fairy tale or may just be a script for a new, saner and brighter NBC. We'll see.

[BMinDC]

01:54 PM on 01/23/2010

Or part 2 of Ken Burn's documentary.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

09:11 AM on 01/23/2010

Brilliant

[Imzadi]

07:54 AM on 01/23/2010

The best work to date for Kimmel.

[QueenCeleste]

03:57 AM on 01/23/2010

Hilarious. And here I've dismissed Jimmy Kimmel all these years because he was put in Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect" time slot after Bill's unjust removal.