Conan O’Brien to end late-night show in 2021, signs deal with HBO Max for new series

Details around presenter’s new HBO Max series are yet to be announced

Conan O’Brien is set to say goodbye to his late-night talk show next year.

The renowned host will be calling it quits on his self-titled Conan show in June 2021, WarnerMedia announced on Tuesday (17 November).

The show – which airs Monday to Thursday at 11.00pm ET in the US – began broadcasting on TBS in 2001.

O’Brien’s travel series will continue to air on TBS (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

During its eleven-year run, Conan has welcomed notable guests including Amy Poehler, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Will Ferrell, and Cardi B.

O’Brien’s travel series Conan Without Borders will continue to air on the network.

The 57-year-old has also signed a deal with HBO Max for a new weekly variety series, which is yet to receive a title or release date.

Before Conan began in 2001, however, O’Brien had hosted Late Night with Conan O’Brien for 15 years on NBC when he was tapped to replace Jay Leno on The Tonight Show.

When news broke that the network intended to push back The Tonight Show to 12.05am in order to give The Jay Leno Show the late-night slot instead, O’Brien exited the series. He said he would rather quit the show than “participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction”.

Fans have shared their disappointment at the news on social media. 

The Daily Show’s Roy Wood Jr wrote on Twitter: “Between now & his departure it needs to be written how important @ConanObrien run in late-night was for the business of stand-up and the INNUMERABLE number of comedians he gave at-bats on national TV when A LOT of other shows wouldn’t f*** with us. He always been 100.”

Conan’s cancellation leaves Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee as TBS’s only late-night show.

Last month, O’Brien also revealed that the set of Conan had been burgled.