It says an awful lot about Jeff Zucker and his chronic tone-deafness that as late as Thursday, he and his wife Caryn were still planning on attending the Golden Globes, which will be broadcast live on NBC Sunday night. For almost a decade, the NBC Universal president and CEO has been derided by people in his industry as cocky and overpromoted. Now, as the Conan O'Brien-Jay Leno debacle winds down to a conclusion, the ill will toward him has escalated even further: He has become the most hated man in entertainment since Michael Ovitz (or at least Sumner Redstone, when he had his famous meltdown three years back).
“Why shouldn’t he go to the Globes,” said one source, who had been in touch with him this week. “Just because he’s the brunt of every joke?”
“Why shouldn’t he go to the Globes,” said one source, who had been in touch with him this week. “Just because he’s the brunt of every joke?”
"The balls," said another, who had heard of his travel plans through friends at NBC Universal. "Can you believe it?"
By Friday night, though, there were indications Zucker was having second thoughts and was considering skipping the event, after all. "He's not that stupid," said another Tinseltown source. "I mean, he may look pretty stupid this week, but he's not that stupid."
If he does decide to skip, it would probably be for the better. Already, his behavior has overshadowed the entire week, which ordinarily is to Oscar season what the Iowa caucuses are to the presidential election.
• Kim Masters: Tallying the NBC Damage• Lee Siegel: Conan and Leno Are Telling the Boss Off At dinners at the Sunset Tower and at parties at the Chateau Marmont, few seemed interested in discussing the competition between The Hurt Locker, Avatar, Up, Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds, and Precious, the films believed to be the major contenders for the Best Picture Oscar. Instead, entertainment-business executives placed bets on how long Zucker would survive once the Comcast acquisition goes through (most think not longer than six months), while the talent bemoaned what they saw as outrageous treatment of one of their most beloved (if not commercially popular) comedians.
At the Critics Choice Awards Friday night in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino walked on to the red carpet, where questions from Extra centered not around his awards-favorite film, Inglourious Basterds, but where he stood on the Conan vs. Jay fight. "I can't take sides," Tarantino said. "But I will say that the last five days, Conan's been on fire. He's been so amazing. The comedy gods are smiling down on him."
That was about the least negative thing anyone said about NBC and Leno.
Just moments later, Rob Corddry of The Daily Show walked onto the carpet and said, "Oh God. I don't have anything to say, except that Jay Leno should burn in hell and Conan O'Brien should run for president." And apparently referring to a blistering critique Jimmy Kimmel did on Leno’s own show Thursday night, Corddry added, "Jimmy slammed Jay, which was wonderful."
Others clearly siding with O'Brien included Justin Bartha of The Hangover ("As someone who thinks Conan is the most important comedic mind of my generation, I have to be on Conan's team”) and Inglourious Basterds' Eli Roth, who said at the T: New York Times Magazine party at the Chateau later that night, "I'm on Team Coco." (For those just tuning in, Team Coco is the viral campaign of choice among O’Brien supporters.) "He had me on back when I did ‘ Hostel 2," Roth said, referring to one of the slasher pics he made at the beginning of his career. "It meant a lot to me. If he was hosting a show on YouTube, I'd watch it."
Roth was not the only one whose loyalty went toward O'Brien because O'Brien had been supportive of him early on in his career.
While working the red carpet, Sarah Silverman said, "I don't like to be forced into labels or T-shirts, but Conan put me on all the time when I was in New York. The first time I was ever recognized on the street it was because of appearing on Conan. It's home to me. And to displace an entire staff and crew and their families. They put their kids in school out here and moved their whole lives, to give them six months is kind of shitty."
Other comedians said they opposed returning Leno to the Tonight Show simply because it was stupid. "I think it's a big mistake," said Cedric the Entertainer. "It's like getting back in an old relationship, and then you remember all the things you didn't like about the person in the first place. They gargle when they chew."
Indeed, as O'Brien's representatives worked toward an exit package with NBC, one question lots of people were asking was whether Leno is returning to the Tonight Show in a damaged position. A year ago, he was the host of the No. 1 late-night show on television. Now, he's a guy recovering from a disastrous show on prime time, shackled to a network where his lead-in has been destroyed by bad programming choices, fighting against David Letterman, who’s been newly revitalized, and battling a growing sense in his own industry that maybe the nice-guy image he's worked so hard to create is really just a facade. As one entertainment source put it Friday: "You look at the way Jay Leno has behaved in this thing and you don't think he's a nice guy. You think the nice guy thing is bullshit."
If everyone in Hollywood starts thinking that, how will his Tonight Show succeed for a second time?
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.