Conan O'Brien hits highest ratings for his 'Tonight Show' with final telecast

A hefty 10.3 million viewers tuned in for Conan O’Brien’s final outing at the helm of NBC’s The Tonight Show, the host’s largest audience since taking over the helm June 1, according to figures provided by Nielsen to the LA Times. By comparison, O’Brien’s premiere telecast of the show drew 9.2 million viewers. It’s no stretch to posture that viewers tuned in to the final telecast, mostly in the wake of the drama that unfolded around Jay Leno’s return to The Tonight Show franchise. For the week, O’Brien’s Tonight Show averaged 5.3 million viewers, his highest since his premiere week (which averaged 6.1 million) and far ahead of the 3.9 million David Letterman’s Late Show netted.