Here is the full text of the statement released by Tonight Show Conan O’Brien this afternoon, confirming that he would not accept a 12:05 a.m. time slot for his show and would not follow Jay Leno at 11:35 p.m.

Conan O’Brien’s kiss-off letter to NBC is going to make him a hero, not only to people who started off loving him, but because he’s been cast as the underdog here, unfairly subject to the failings of Jay Leno and fickleness of NBC. But Leno wants a bit of that victim spotlight, too.

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The news yesterday was that Conan O’Brien was not happy about NBC’s shenanigans. On his own show, he joked about it, zinging NBC with a much lighter touch than Leno, but still. “Welcome to the show everybody,” he greeted the crowd, which seemed to cheer for him extra-long at the start. “We’ve got a great show tonight – I have no idea what time it will air, but it’s gonna be a great show.” Video inside!

Who: Dick Wolf, Rene Balcer, S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston (Law & Order), moderated by Pat Mitchell What: The Inside Media series’ “Law & Order: Twenty Years and Counting” Where: The Paley Center for Media When: November 16, 2009 Thumbs: Up