The plan moved forward after confirmation that O'Brien's contract did not guarantee a strict 11:35 start time (a loophole included primarily to accommodate sports preemptions and specials such as the network's New Year coverage) [REF].
By the following morning, both men reasoned that they would have to leave NBC, and O'Brien opened that night's show with "We've got a great show for you tonight-I have no idea when it will air, but it's gonna be a great show."