Call it the Battle of the Hosts, call it Conangate 2010-whatever NBC's late-night debacle comes to be called, there's no denying that it's been a long, messy battle.The drama started on Jan. 7, when TMZ reported that NBC planned to put Jay Leno back in his old time slot at 11:35 p.m. after the Olympics hiatus. This would bump Conan O'Brian back half an hour to 12:05 a.m.

Only one day after NBC's announcement, Conan's reps made it very clear that TV's favorite ginger had not accepted NBC's plan, and he wasn't likely to do so anytime soon. That same day, FOX expressed an interest in having Conan do some network-hopping. "We've always been interested in late night, and we're always looking to bring great new talent to FOX," said a FOX employee, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record on the issue. "While Conan would be a great fit for FOX, he's still under contract with NBC, so we'll just see how all of this plays out."

The stakes grew even higher when the news broke that Conan has a contract requiring NBC to pay him a staggering penalty, reportedly $45 million, if his circumstances as host of The Tonight Show change. Not a bad deal, right? Conan certainly seemed to be keeping a light-hearted view on things-on Jan. 8's episode of The Tonight Show, Conan addressed the rumors during his monologue, discussing everything from the possibility that he and Leno may simultaneously air at 11:35 p.m. via split screen and that he and Leno may join Jersey Shore together as "The Awkward Situation" to the possibility that each host is pregnant with the other's baby.

Despite his apparently lighthearted attitude, by Jan. 10, Conan basically had three options. Door No. 1: Quit the show, and spend the next four years hanging out at the beach. NBC would have to pay him the value of his contract, worth about $20 million a year. That's $80 million for the next four years. Unfortunately, given Conan's fair complexion (and, of course, his ego), the beach seems doubtful. Door No. 2: Go to either FOX or ABC. This is iffy. If Conan made $20 million a year at NBC but got a deal with FOX for $15 million a year, NBC would only owe him $5 million a year for the four years remaining in his contract. Door No. 3: Suck it up and take the new time slot. Chances are that if Conan chose that option, NBC would negotiate a new contract with the same salary-it's cheaper than paying him off. This would be the ideal option for NBC, because Conan wouldn't be taking a large percentage of Leno's viewers with him as he would if he moved to another network.

After staying mum on the issue for a few days, Conan issued an official statement on Jan. 12. In an open letter to "People of Earth," he announced that he's against moving The Tonight Show to a new time slot, as he feels that "delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't The Tonight Show." In response to the rumors that he was moving to another network, he continued, "I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work." (He also apologized for his hair, saying, "It's always been that way.")

Despite the rally of support online and off for Conan, on Jan. 14, Jay Leno signed a contract officially giving him The Tonight Show from 11:35 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. While Dick Ebersol, a top executive at NBC, blamed Conan, the fans weren't having it-the "I'm with CoCo" movement launched protests outside of NBC's studios and sent millions of letters in support of Conan and opposing Leno's takeover.

While Conan did his best to keep things light by putting The Tonight Show up on Craigslist-"4 SALE: BARELY-USED LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW," Conan's looking for your best offer, but also "willing to trade for Coldplay tickets"-the final episode of Conan's Tonight Show aired Jan. 22. Conan made a touching farewell monologue, thanking his staff for all their hard work.

Don't you worry, CoCo. Wherever you go, your fans will follow you. (Good luck, NBC.)