Conan O'Brien says so long to Late Night

Conan O'Brien said goodbye to New York and NBC's "Late Night" by passing out shards of his stage and promising fans he wouldn't grow up for an earlier time slot.

O'Brien is heading to Los Angeles, where NBC will fulfill a promise it made five years ago to make him "Tonight" show host. That new gig begins in June.

O'Brien took a sledgehammer and axe to his stage set this week, giving fans souvenirs. On his last show, taped Friday evening and aired at 12:35 a.m. ET, a construction vehicle was used to tear down a pillar of lights, which was cut up offstage.

Most of his final "Late Night" after 16 years was spent airing highlights and visiting with Andy Richter, O'Brien's former sidekick who left the show in 2000. It was an excuse to air the priceless clip of Richter, "tricked" into believing he was going to a spa, wandering nude onto the "Today" show set and interrupting Matt Lauer.

"We're going on to this next gig and sometimes I read that it's time for Conan to grow up because he's going to 11:30," said the 45-year-old O'Brien. "I assure you, that's just not going to happen.

"This is who I am," he said, the roar from his studio audience's standing ovation drowning him out.

Some in the TV industry have questioned whether O'Brien's silly, absurdist humor would fly on the "Tonight" show. But the time slot is now a comfortable home to Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central and a popular lineup on The Cartoon Network that appeals to a coveted audience of young men.

Besides, current "Tonight" host Jay Leno will continue on an NBC talk show, moving up himself to 10 p.m. in the fall.

NBC has built a new studio for Jimmy Fallon, who replaces O'Brien beginning March 2.