Conan O’Brien: NBC considered shutting down his Twitter account

NBC considered shuttering the Twitter account of Conan O’Brien, which he launched after being shown the door by the network, according to O’Brien himself. In a largely farcical chat with Google employees which has since been uploaded to YouTube, O’Brien did take one moment to address his exit from The Tonight Show and the groundswell of internet support he received once the network began attempting to shift late night time slots around. O’Brien revealed the NBC initially thought that he himself was behind movements such as the “I’m with Coco” Facebook campaign and asked him to put a stop to it. Of his Twitter account, Conan says that he “had nowhere else to go” because he’s contractually prohibited from appearing on television or radio or even doing “performances” on the internet until the fall. He went on to sat the marketing campaign for his current comedy tour consisted of one tweet, which caused the tour to begin selling out.

Conan’s earliest days on Twitter, which he likens to a prisoner writing things on a scrap of paper and throwing them out the window of the cell, were met with a response from NBC along the lines of “We’re not sure you should be able to…” before he says they realized the “absurdity of shutting down my Twitter account.” The conversation comes at about the fifteen minute mark of this forty-eight minute video, the entirety of which should prove entertaining for those who enjoy Conan’s brand of humor (and Andy Richter does join him toward the end).