Apparently Conan O’Brien won’t be waiting another 14 years to return to The Tonight Show.
O’Brien is set to visit Jimmy Fallon next Tuesday, Sept. 22, marking his second appearance on the show since his famously short-lived stint as Tonight Show host ended in 2010.
The former NBC late-night host will be joined on Tuesday’s show by Brandon Flowers and Lauren Lapkus.
O’Brien’s last visit, on April 9, 2024, was something of an event. It marked his first time physically returning to The Tonight Show since his seven-month run as host ended amid NBC’s much-publicized decision to restore Jay Leno to the franchise.
The appearance proved considerably warm.
After receiving a lengthy standing ovation, O’Brien spent two segments reminiscing about his years at NBC, including his 16 seasons hosting Late Night across the hall from Fallon’s current studio. He also offered some notably sincere praise for his successor.
“I think what you’ve done with the show is beautiful,” O’Brien told Fallon. “You made it your own. You’ve done so much great quality work. And I couldn’t be happier for you.”
At the time, O’Brien was there primarily to promote the first season of his HBO Max travel series Conan O’Brien Must Go. In the two-and-a-half years since, his post-late-night career has only grown more conspicuous.
Most notably, O’Brien has hosted the Academy Awards twice, in 2025 and 2026, and he’s already been tapped to return for a third consecutive year in March 2027. He has also continued Conan O’Brien Must Go, maintained his popular Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, and has added a pair of high-profile feature-film acting roles to his résumé.
O’Brien hosted Late Night with Conan O’Brien from 1993 through 2009 before succeeding Leno as host of The Tonight Show in June 2009. His tenure lasted just seven months, ending with his final episode on Jan. 22, 2010. He went on to host Conan on TBS for nearly eleven years.
Fallon, who replaced O’Brien on Late Night, ultimately took over The Tonight Show himself in 2014.
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