NBC has reportedly finalized a contract deal with late night talk show host Conan O’Brien to release him from “Tonight Show“, after a brief network drama between fellow host Jay Leno.

The deal, worth approximately $45 million, requires O’Brien to host his final show this coming Friday, after which Jay Leno will return as the host of “Tonight Show”. O’Brien, who had been hosting the show for only seven months, will get approximately $33 million from the deal, and will be allowed back on television after eight months.

Some disagreements between MSNBC and O’Brien ensued when the network proposed to move an earlier comedy show hosted by Jay Leno farther back into primetime, effectively pushing O’Brien and the “Tonight Show” into midnight. O’Brien argued that doing so would destroy a long-standing tradition built up by Johnny Carson, Jay Leno’s predecessor as host of the show.

Leno left “Tonight Show” to host a new comedy show showcased at an earlier network time slot as part of an experiment by MSNBC. This move, however, resulted in substandard ratings for the show, as well as for “Tonight Show”, which O’Brien has taken over.

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