Conan O’Brien tells CBS that he wouldn’t have taken back ‘Tonight’ show like Jay Leno did

O’Brien: I wouldn’t have done what Jay Leno did

NEW YORK — Conan O’Brien says he wouldn’t have done what Jay Leno did and take back the “Tonight” show. O’Brien tells “60 Minutes” that he could not have publicly handed over the “Tonight” show and wished his successor well, then displace him less than a year later. He made his first remarks about his acrimonious January departure from NBC in a “60 Minutes” interview to be broadcast Sunday.

O’Brien says he decided to leave NBC rather than accept an offer to move back a half hour in late-night because he saw no point in giving his all to a relationship that seemed to have no future.

O’Brien has signed a contract with TBS to begin a talk show there in November.