Conan O'Brien & Max Weinberg Officially Split

Conan O'Brien and Max Weinberg have officially gone their separate ways. After much speculation that Weinberg wouldn't be a part of the new Conan show on TBS, an announcement made yesterday ended the rumors.

“Max has been a huge part of my life for the past 17 years and he is an incredible band leader and musician. I hope he can find time to stop by the new show, sit in with the band, and pretend to find my monologue funny.”

O'Brien stated in a recent press release. Rumors that Weinberg had been contemplating the jump from the show surfaced back in April of this year when he applied for Kevin Eubanks' vacated job on The Tonight Show. Weinberg was also absent from O'Brien's Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour. There were also rumors circulating that Weinberg was running into issues with the staff on the show by involving them in his pay disputes and even sending interns to do gardening work at his home. Weinberg summed up his goodbyes in the following statement.

"17 years–a lifetime on TV. Conan and I met on a New York City street corner in the Spring of 1993 and my association with Conan, his staff, and crew has been a deeply rewarding experience for me. And, making music with Jimmy Vivino, Mark Pender, La Bamba, Jerry Vivino, Scott Healey, Mike Merritt, and percussionist James Wormsworth enabled me to become a better musician and bandleader. I thank them for their first rate work on the bandstand. I wish Conan and his show the best and I do look forward to dropping by,” said Weinberg.