Conan O'Brien speculates on the future of Stephen Colbert, late night, and television as a whole

In his remarks, O’Brien conceded that “late-night television, as we have known it since around 1950, is going to disappear.” Nevertheless he still sees a future for the medium and for the creatives who make it. “People like Stephen Colbert are too talented and too essential to go away,” he said. “Stephen is going to evolve and shine brighter than ever in a new format that he controls completely. So, technology can do whatever they want. It can make television a pill. It can make television shows a high-protein, chewable, vanilla-flavored capsule with added fiber. It still won’t matter, if the stories are good, if the performances are honest and inspired, if the people making it are brave and of goodwill.”

It’s an optimistic view, and one that doesn’t get into the political ramifications of Colbert’s firing (or the ramifications of television’s tech overlords cozying up to the politicians who are meddling with the medium). O’Brien acknowledged that folks are “rightfully” afraid of the “seismic change” occurring in TV. But he pointed to shows like Hacks, Abbott Elementary, and I Think You Should Leave as examples of a path forward. “I choose not to mourn what is lost, because I think in the most essential way, what we have is not changing at all,” he said. “Streaming changes the pipeline, but the connection, the talent, the ideas that come into our homes… I think it’s the focus. We have proof here tonight.”