List of Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketches
The sketch was invented prior to the actual year 2000, but the show's writers decided to keep the named year the same even after the passing of the titular year, in a sort of ironic twist. However, when the sketch was revived on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien", Richter heaped ridicule upon O'Brien for failing to update the name of the skit nine years after the year 2000 had passed. The sketch is renamed "In the Year 3000", with the black robe (referred to as a 'ratty smock' by Richter) being replaced with a more futuristic-looking outfit consisting of a large metallic collar with a series of blinking lights, which Conan said were very expensive to make and Andy said smelled bad. Appearing on "Tonight" June 3, 2009, it was the first "Late Night" sketch to be carried over to Conan's "Tonight Show". The open to the sketch included narration by William Shatner and, on one occasion, George Takei.
Late Show with David Letterman
On June 1, 2009, Conan O'Brien (who had succeeded Letterman as host of "Late Night" in 1993) took over as host of "The Tonight Show"—an event Letterman referenced in his own show's Top Ten List on that night—and Letterman's "feud" with Leno temporarily ceased. In 2008 Letterman told "Rolling Stone" that he would welcome Leno on his show once Leno's tenure ended. Letterman said on competing with O'Brien, "I still find it hard to believe that Jay won't be there." The interview was held prior to Leno announcing his return to NBC for "The Jay Leno Show". In the second week after Letterman and O'Brien began their opposing broadcasts, viewer ratings for "Tonight" began to slip and "Late Show" was poised to beat "Tonight" for the first time in over ten years, a fact pointed out by Letterman's guests on air (Howard Stern and Julia Roberts). Letterman quickly tried to change the subject in the interviews and tried to avert a new rivalry. In fact, the June 9, 2009 episode of "Late Show" featuring Roberts rated better than "Tonight" with a 3.4 household rating nationally to O'Brien's 2.9. The Letterman/Leno feud was revived in the wake of the 2010 "Tonight Show" conflict, which saw Letterman side with O'Brien. Despite the rivalry, Leno appeared in a "Late Show" promo with Letterman and Oprah Winfrey which aired on CBS during Super Bowl XLIV; it was Leno and Letterman's first joint appearance since Leno took over the "Tonight Show" in 1992. The feud between the hosts ended for good on February 6, 2014 with Leno's second and final retirement and "Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon, who succeeded Conan O'Brien in 2009, becoming the current host of the "Tonight Show" on February 17, with its subsequent return to New York for the first time since 1972.