Conan O'Brien pays back taxes, gets to keep home

Conan O'Brien accepts the award for favorite talk show host at the 2011 People's Choice Awards in Los Angeles January 5, 2011. (Reuters)

A home owned by talk show host Conan O'Brien has been removed from a Rhode Island auction after he paid some back taxes on the property.

Town officials tell The Westerly Sun that O'Brien paid his $8,000 bill on Friday morning.

The property near the Westerly shore is valued at about $723,000. It was among several the town planned to auction Tuesday to settle delinquent tax bills.

O'Brien publicist Drew Shane issued a statement saying O'Brien had been unaware he owed back taxes. He blamed the problem on a clerical error that prevented the bill from reaching O'Brien's accountant in Los Angeles.

The 51-year-old O'Brien grew up in neighboring Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard.