Hot damn, Conan. We knew the comeback would be big, but that was some next-level shit.

America's favorite middle-aged carrot set the record for the most-watched show in cable-TV history last night: His brand-new 11 p.m. slot on TBS roped in a baffling 4.2 million viewers.

Conan O'Brien's “Conan” beat out out Jay Leno's “The Tonight Show” by almost a million viewers, and Jon Stewart's “The Daily Show” by an easy 3 million.

Now, in his beef with Leno, O'Brien can put his ratings where his mouth is — 'cause there's nothing like some good old fashioned numbers to show who's king of the late-night.

NBC execs are no doubt kicking themselves right now. Especially since O'Brien never once ceased the bitter “ex” jokes about his time at the “Tonight Show” network last night.

The endless NBC jabs were overkill for all of us, considering that's all O'Brien's been able to talk about since the last time we saw him on television. Now that he's the best-loved talk-show host in the universe, he might have to drop the whole starving-artist act.

So what do you think: Is it a fluke? Did 4.2 million Monday-night procrastinators just want a one-time glimpse of O'Brien's talked-about TBS revenge, or will this be a permanent leg up for the comeback kid? Weigh in.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.