Has “Idol” taken sides in Conan vs. Jay?

Some of you may have noticed that Lacey Brown, the first Idol cut from the Top 12, appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman” last night. She performed a snippet of “Over the Rainbow” and took some ribbing from Dave and Paul.

According to Ken Tucker at EW.com, the booted contestants will appear on “Letterman” every Monday after their elimination.

Which brings up an immediate question. Why not “The Tonight Show”? For at least the past four seasons that I know of, Jay has welcomed the “Idol” castoffs to his show for a silly comedy bit the night after they’re voted off. And he has been the first late night appearance of the winner. So why the change?

Could “Idol” be choosing sides in Conan vs. Jay?

After all, this development comes on the heels of “The Hollywood Reporter” reporting that Conan was offered a part in “Idol Gives Back” by 19 Entertainment (He can’t participate, though, because NBC won’t allow him to break their agreement that he cannot appear on TV before May 1st.).

Hmmm…

You can see Lacey’s appearance here.