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TMZ: Conan Gets $32.5 Million, NBC Keeps the Masturbating Bear

TMZ today has new details on Conan’s reported $40 million walkaway deal with NBC: $7.5 million is allocated for severances for Tonight Show employees; Conan will agree not to host a show anywhere else until September; if he gets a deal at another network, anything he’s paid there will offset NBC’s contribution (so a $20 million deal with Fox would mean NBC only has to shell out $20 million instead of the full $40 million — or, we guess, Fox could basically get him for free if they wanted); and, aggravatingly, NBC will likely retain the rights to all of Conan’s recurring characters. On the plus side, this means the Masturbating Bear remains a plausible candidate to replace Jeff Zucker as CEO of NBC Universal after the Comcast deal goes through.

Conan O’Brien Scores $32.5 Mil from NBC [TMZ]

TMZ: Conan Gets $32.5 Million, NBC Keeps the Masturbating Bear