Breaking up is hard to do.

According to TMZ, NBC and Conan O’Brien have much more than final payment matters to settle before they part ways. The almost-former Tonight Show host is known not just for his red hair and Irish origin but for a handful of characters he created while under NBC’s employ. So, does Conan own the skits…or does the network?

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Pimpbot 5000 and the Masturbating Bear are all credited as being the brain children of Conan (though some might say Triumph actually belongs to Robert Smigel), and his intellectual property. Legally, however, NBC owns all of these characters. TMZ reports that Conan wants his characters, which NBC will relinquish only if the price is right.

It seems the matter of NBC’s non-disparagement clause is the sticking point in the proceedings. According to this bit of contract legality, there are certain things O’Brien can’t say about his (soon to be) former network. If Conan makes a few concessions, perhaps this matter being one of them, he’ll find it much easier to re-claim the characters he created - at least, that’s the rumor.