In 2010, NBC agreed to pay Conan O'Brien roughly $33 million to leave The Tonight Show. He had waited five years for the job and held it for less than eight months. In the video below, Conan discusses reports that ending Jay Leno's contract could have cost NBC up to $150 million. "If you're General Electric, the decision's probably pretty clear." In 2004, the network announced that Conan would replace Jay Leno in 2009. But when the handover happened, NBC kept Leno and gave him a separate show at 10 p.m. Ratings for Leno's new show disappointed local stations, while Conan trailed David Letterman. NBC decided to move Leno back to 11:35 p.m. and push The Tonight Show to 12:05 a.m. Conan refused, arguing that moving past midnight would damage the show itself. After negotiations, NBC agreed to pay him roughly $33 million and his staff another $12 million. Conan understood the financial logic but rejected NBC's account of his performance. Asked whether he had been given a fair chance, he answered: "Absolutely not." When NBC claimed his Tonight Show was on track to lose money, he said: "It's really not possible." He also questioned Leno's return. "He went and took that show back," Conan said, explaining that he would not have done the same if their roles had been reversed. Around 50 stagehands and other crew members received nothing from NBC under the settlement. Conan paid them at least six weeks of severance out of his own pocket. Did NBC keep the better host, or the one it would cost more to let go?