THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN -- Pictured: Host Conan O'Brien -- Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Conan O’Brien has reached a deal with NBC to leave the network a whopping $45-million richer. Actually, O’Brien get $33 mil of that, the rest of the package will go to his 200 staffers as severance packages.

Those employee packages were the final hurdle in the negotiations between O’Brien and the network, which clears the way for Jay Leno to return to The Tonight Show and frees O’Brien up to accept a new position…but not until September 1st, 2010.

O’Brien’s final Tonight Show is Friday. Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell, who were his first guests when he took the reigns of the late night talker seven month ago, are set for that closing show.

Leno will resume hosting The Tonight Show March 1st.

Full statement courtesy of NBC:

STATEMENT FROM NBC AND CONAN O’BRIEN:

NBC and Conan O’Brien have reached a resolution of the issues surrounding O’Brien’s contract to host “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”

Under terms of an agreement that was signed earlier today, NBC and O’Brien will settle their contractual obligations and the network will release O’Brien from his contract, freeing him to pursue other opportunities after September 1, 2010.

O’Brien will make his final appearance as host of “The Tonight Show” on January 22.