Thursday, April 04, 2013

NBC Gives Jay Leno $15M To Make Him Go Away

It is official and I'm not sure this time that Jay Leno will ever be able to come back. NBC has given Jay Leno $15M to make him go away before his contract with the network expires. This has now paved the way for Jimmy fallon to take over The Tonight Show and Seth Myers to replace Jimmy Fallon on Late Night. Leno will be paid through September 2014, but will step down right before the Winter Olympics which are on NBC and will be used to launch Jimmy Fallon. For his part, there are rumors that Leno will move to Fox and keep his same time slot.

Posted by ent lawyer at 7:30 AM

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76 comments:

  1. All about Eve7:33 AM

    Are we ever to be rid of Leno??? Is he really going to Fox??

    I'm glad they're bringing the show back to NYC and hope Fallon can live up to the hype.

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  2. Jeneral7:34 AM

    If NBC payed him 15M to buy out his contract, I hope they were smart enough to get him to sign a non-compete agreement. Just retire and enjoy your money Jay, damn!

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  3. surfer7:35 AM

    I find it hard to believe that NBC, especially after what they went through with Conan, wouldn't make him sign a non-compete clause.

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  4. Izzie7:39 AM

    @Jeneral - you'd think! But $15m isn't really all that much, considering Jay's net worth. I imagine a non-compete wasn't part of the package or the deal would've been considerably higher, and NBC can't afford that right now. They've got to save some cash to pay Lauer to go away, too.

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    1. LottaColada7:40 AM

      @Izzie, great eye candy avi!

      Delete
    2. The Langoliers are coming7:49 AM

      I saw this picture on dlisted and it made my day. Yum

      Delete
  5. Unknown7:40 AM

    Leno is like the herp. Keeps coming back. We'll never be free. Conan forever!!!!!!

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  6. Patty7:41 AM

    None of this really matters to me. I can't stay up that late anymore.

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  7. Unknown7:42 AM

    Hey Leno, remember when you and your manager forced Carson into retirement before he was ready with your underhanded, public coercion tactics? Remember how he handled it with grace and then quietly went away because he didn't want to turn the institution that he loved into a circus? You wanted to be Johnny so badly, well now is your chance to exit like him. Just.Go.Away.

    I would rather have Carson's corpse do the show than to continue seeing your snakey mug on so many youtube interviews that I want to watch. Carson's corpse would have better interview skills, too.

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    1. Bella Inamorata8:01 AM

      Yes, because lowly comedian jay leno had the power to make Johnny Carson retire. He had all the leverage in that situation and underhanded tactics to make legend and publicly beloved Johnny Carson retire and to get the network on board. It had absolutely nothing to do with the opinion and desires of the network execs who actually write the checks, issue the contracts and make the decisions. It was clearly all the work of jay leno, who most people only knew because of his appearances on Carson. For the life of me, I will never understand how or why so many people think that Leno had so much clout. The Carson exit was business, plain and simple, just like this decision to replace Jay. Its no different than any other business decision

      Delete
  8. LottaColada7:42 AM

    Kelly Ripa(don't judge me) was saying this morning Jay Leno has never cashed a Tonight Show check.... Whaaaat?! Has anyone heard about this before? I find it hard to believe.

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    1. auntliddy8:43 AM

      He puts them right in bank, lives off standup money. He for sure doesnt need money. Besides the cars and wifes charities, he isnt one for the extravagant lifestle-ie, trendy suits, crstal chamoagne, ugly flashy jewelry-

      Delete
  9. Redd7:47 AM

    well said, Miss Hall.

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  10. SusanB7:49 AM

    You guys really don't get this. It's just business. Do you really think Leno, or Conan, or Fallon have this much power? It's the people who run NBC who make these decisions. You don't like someone, don't watch them. These are business decisions made by suits at NBC that you'll never see. This isn't the first instance where someone has been paid to leave a contract early - this happens often in all kinds of businesses, banking, insurance, etc, especially at the highest levels. It's a typical golden parachute.

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  11. LeGrange7:52 AM

    I find it very hard to believe that this early termination agreement didn't foresee a non-competition clause and is allowing him to go to another network to do the exact same thing at the same time slot.... Really hard.... It's like the network's legal team just signed their own 'dumb ass lawyer certificate'! Ridiculous....

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  12. Unknown7:55 AM

    Thanks Redd.

    Susan, I understand the business part of it, but what gets me is how Leno expected Carson to step down just because he was ready to take over but yet has never offered the same grace to anybody else. He is such a self serving little rat. The comedy world is a tight knit world and they try to have each other's backs. Leno has repeatedly gone against that unspoken rule. He did it with Carson by publicly forcing him to retire, he did it with Letterman by doing so many underhanded things to get the leg up and he did it with Conan after he had already agreed to step down and let Conan take over. Carson is probably rolling in his grave at what Leno has done to The Tonight Show.

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    1. Bella Inamorata8:09 AM

      So, Jays the bad guy because he wanted the job? Did you see when Leno announced that Conan was taking over for him? He brought him out and interviewed him, clearly stating that he wanted to avoid any issues he ran into when the network decided to give him the job over Letterman. Please explain how that is underhanded in any way. I don't know what underhanded things you claim he did to get the tonight show job to begin with but regardless of the veracity of your allegations, the execs still had the final say and they chose him so that's not his fault. All your issues seem to come from things that weren't in Jays control. I don't get it

      Delete
    2. auntliddy8:46 AM

      These talk show hosts are swimming in money and shld stfu. Its like jr high for christ sake.

      Delete
  13. Patty7:55 AM

    @Lotta,
    I've heard that he donates his Tonight Show earnings.

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  14. KendraWM7:56 AM

    He said in an interview that he has never spent a dime of his TV money. Which people took to mean he does not cash his checks.

    What he said was growing up he had 2 jobs, 1 gave him his living money and the other he saved. He continued this into adulthood. The money he makes on the road is the money he lives off of. Hie Tonight Show money gets invested and saved and that is why he is worth so much damn money.

    But he does cash the checks.

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  15. Patty7:56 AM

    ...to charity.

    Dang, posting at work is such a chore on this site anymore.

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  16. Anonymous7:58 AM

    I really do not like Leno, when was he ever funny?? Ok I'll give him a couple of Paris Hilton and Michael Jackson jokes. But still.

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  17. Unknown8:00 AM

    Patty, he does give to charity, but it doesn't amount to what he makes on TTS. He saves and invests his money, he doesn't spend it. From public records, it seems that he gives a very low percentage of his earnings to charity. But giving to charity at all is a good thing, so I would never go after him for that. However, I also won't make him into a saint, when he's far from it.

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  18. timebob 8:00 AM

    He earns TONS and I mean TONS of money doing corporate gigs 15 million is chump change to him. My firm hires him every year to do a corporate event in Palm Springs. I don't know how much but it's a lot and he has been doing it for years.

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    1. auntliddy8:50 AM

      Time- i heard this before, and leno has spoken about it. Cool gigs!! And i thought same-$15 million? That is chump change to him.

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    2. Rickatoo10:37 AM

      Timebob, tell them you'll do it for 10M, you're funnier than he is anyway.

      Delete
  19. LottaColada8:01 AM

    Ok, makes much more sense. I took Ripa's comment with a grain of salt, she was trying to he's so rich just by doing stand-up and didn't need to cash Tonight Show checks bwahahaha.

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  20. KendraWM8:04 AM

    I have never found Leno funny and am amazed that he is still around.

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  21. Unknown8:06 AM

    Bella, you obviously don't know the story. His manager went behind the network's back and posted a HUGE retirement ad on behalf of NBC saying goodbye to Carson. NBC was pissed, Carson was pissed, Leno says he had nothing to do with it, but judging from everything else he has done I do not believe it.

    His manager was hella powerful at the time and a steamroller. NBC didn't want to cause controversy and neither did Carson. Since it was out there in public, Carson and NBC came to an agreement and made up a retirement package for him to leave a few years earlier than he had intended so as not to tarnish the reputation of The Tonight Show. Little did they know.

    But yes, Leno and his manager gave themselves the power by using publicity. They knew how powerful it was and they were right.

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    1. Bella Inamorata8:28 AM

      Thanks for the history lesson lol. I still have a hard time believing that nbcs decision was based solely off of an ad and not because johnny was getting up there in age. Moreover, I don't think that his agents actions can necessarily be attributed to Jay. I'm a lawyer and I've seen time and time and time again that the client isn't informed or necessarily on board with certain legal tactics employed. As a rep you're given leeway to do your job, which is win. I imagine its similar if not the same for agents. Ultimately, it was still nbc decision. Plus, Leno replacing Carson seemed like a natural progression since he filled in for Carson all the time.

      Delete
    2. Anna V. Xol8:32 AM

      Not only that, Conan was doing great before all this mess. Other networks were trying to get him. So yes, it was business but there are other circumstances that affect the decision.

      I miss Conan in New York. The show had this great spark.

      Delete
    3. auntliddy8:52 AM

      Slma-i always found/find conan dull as dishwater.

      Delete
    4. iknowpeople9:24 AM

      Auntliddy, Robert Smeigel is the comedic brain behind Conan. SNL writer and creator of Ambiguously Gay cartoons and sock dog. Robert brought Conan to dinner one night right after he got the first NBC gig and he was boring...as are most comedians IRL.

      Delete
  22. SusanB8:10 AM

    If what you guys say about Leno is true, you can say the same thing about Conan. Didn't he push the issue so he would get the Tonight show? And when he couldn't deliver the ratings and left, didn't he do the same thing to George Lopez?

    From what I've read, the suits were scared Conan would go to another network so they pushed Leno out. Conan didn't deliver, so they pushed him out and brought back Leno. Now I think they're scared Fallon will leave so they're doing the same thing. I think this time they just handled it better by involving Leno in the process.

    I've never seen anything about Leno pushing Carson out, but I really don't think Leno had that kind of pull. I'd have to see some documentation on that.

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  23. KendraWM8:26 AM

    Yes, compared to his worth he gives almost nothing to charity.

    Giving to charity is not mandatory, but you would think that he would give a bit more.

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  24. Peregrine White8:27 AM

    I've never really understood the attraction of Jay Leno. He hasn't been funny for decades. Has he ever done anything memorable as a host?

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  25. Wen8:30 AM

    Leno has not been funny in YEARS.

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    1. auntliddy8:54 AM

      Dont watch yhe shiw, but leno is funny. I watch jon stewart/ colbert. Now thats funny.

      Delete
  26. Patty8:32 AM

    I don't have some of the background info you all have, and I'm just going from my own memory from back when I could stay up long enough to watch the Tonight Show. Here's what I remember...

    Joan Rivers used to sub for Johnny when he took time off, till he felt she crossed him. Can't remember the exact incident. After that, Jay became the regular sub.
    Since Jay was the regular sub, in my mind he was the heir apparent...not sure what deals or assumptions there was on Dave's part.
    It seems that Johnny's retirement was announced a few years before it actually happened. Jay took over in 1992,correct?
    Once Jay took over I seem to recall that Doc and Ed said negative things about Jay while Johnny stayed quiet.
    Dave got his panties in a bunch and left for CBS (disclaimer...never ever liked Dave).

    That's what I've got, only from memory.

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  27. surfer8:44 AM

    Patty - here's some of what I remember.

    About Joan - yes, she used to sub for Johnny, but then she got her own show (on Fox, I think, but could be wrong). Johnny was furious and felt like she back-stabbed him because he was the one who gave her a platform. He never spoke to her again, even after her husband died. Joan never forgave him for that.

    As for Dave, his show Late Night, aired right after the Tonight Show, and he thought (hoped?) the Tonight Show would be his, but there was a lot of back-door, underhanded shenanigans by Jay. When the show went to Jay, Dave bolted for CBS (and that's where the animosity comes from).

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  28. KendraWM8:50 AM

    I highly recommend two books
    The Late Shift and Late Night Wars

    Written by the same author, I will say in all this mess, there is one constant person and that is Leno.

    Completely different network executives, the network is owned by an entirely different company, different agents involved, yet there is one constant in all the turmoil and that is Leno.

    Pretty much answers it all.



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  29. All about Eve9:13 AM

    Agree with those that have said Jay is not funny at all, he's so vanilla, the first controversial thing he has done recently is those digs he took at NBC. I don't like too offensive but a little envelope pushing is good. Now I don't know anything about what happened with Carson but as Kendra mentioned above, the common denominator in all these situations has been Jay.

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  30. Izzie9:26 AM

    @iknowpeople, I knew it! I knew Smeagol was behind it all!

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  31. ms snarky9:36 AM

    Leno going to Fox? Does anyone really believe anyone will follow him? He's such a self-important hack. Ugh.

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  32. lazyday6039:37 AM

    Fox stations make big money off the post news syndicated programming they run to counter program the big 3 talk shows. They won't give that up without a fight. I doubt he'll be on the air in even half of the local Fox affiliates at first.

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  33. crila1610:04 AM

    I don't understand why they're desperate to get rid of Leno. Can someone please explain, because I really like him. I don't like Jimmy going to the Tonight Show.

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  34. IDoTheRobot10:36 AM

    We love watching Fallon and are even more excited for Seth Myers. I'm glad there's a change coming and I hope it works out this time.

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  35. surfer10:43 AM

    I think a big reason for moving Jimmy Fallon down to 11:35 (and pushing Leno out) has to do with ABC's moving Jimmy Kimmel to 11:35 (and competing with Letterman). They don't want to lose the market. Also, Fallon is the future.

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  36. Anonymous10:52 AM

    Jay Leno is the unfunniest person on TV. He's even less funny than Family Guy and American Dad, and they are double-plus-unfunny. Thinking about how unfunny Leno is, I'm reminded of Nick's quote from "A Thousand Clowns" about Chuckles the Chipmunk: "Funnier than him is even Stuart Schlossman, who is my friend, and is eleven, and puts walnuts in his mouth and makes noises..." My wife was watching Leno a couple of nights ago (waiting for Jimmy Fallon to come on, who is unfunny as well but is at least less unfunny than Leno) and I was listening Leno's monologue (from bed) and I actually started covering my ears and going "lalala." He had some country singer on there as a guest. My GOD. Jokes about bats and oral sex. LENO HAS THE HUBRIS TO THINK THAT HE CAN MAKE BATS HAVING ORAL SEX FUNNY! He (Leno) gets paid MILLIONS of dollars a year to be as comedicly inept and dumb as he is. And his audience! Fuck! Their chairs must be electrified, or their family members kidnapped and being threatened with torture, to make them clap and laugh the way they do at Leno's numbskull har de har har jokes. UnREAL...

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    1. auntliddy5:59 PM

      Anon- wow! You and wife watch alotta unfunny shit! Lol

      Delete
    2. ethorne1:36 PM

      @Anonymous- Love the name BTW, American Dad & Family Guy are hilarious! I'm sorry you are missing out.

      Delete
  37. Amartel10:58 AM

    Wow, Jay is like Satan or something; he's responsible for all evil in the world. Please. This is business. Specifically, it's NBC f*cking things up for the second time, they don't learn, and various vultures and malcontents circling overhead.

    I can't believe the people who just mindlessly echo the Leno hate like it's gospel or something. There's a lot of resentment against Jay Leno in the business because he's successful. Not edgy, not a genius, just successful. He provides what the audience wants at that hour.
    Letterman is funny? Yeah, about 25years ago. Letterman now is a bitter old beast who hasn't been funny in decades. I hope Leno goes over to Fox and beats them all.

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  38. Anonymous11:11 AM

    @Amartel-

    Leno is DEMONSTRABLY not funny. Accusing people of "mindlessly echo(ing) the Leno hate" is a bit of a misrepresentation of the facts on your part. It is a FACT that Leno is not funny. Provable. Objective. Fact. His audience is typically filled with people who, apparently, will laugh at ANYTHING. I know funny. Leno is NOT funny. Jay Leno is like the Reader's Digest version of funny. You know who reallllly like Leno? Old people. Old white people. They like Jay Leno and Wayne Brady and Jitterbug phones.

    You saying that Leno is "not a genius" is the understatement of the year...

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  39. Unknown11:30 AM

    @Surfer:
    California law prohibits non-compete clauses.

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  40. SusanB11:40 AM

    @Armatel - agree - different things are funny to different people. The hated of Leno smacks of Conan brainwashing. I'm no particular fan of Leno - I'll be much more likely to watch Fallon. But this irrational hatred really baffles me. Unless of course, there's something personal about the hatred (Leno screwed your family's finances, something like that).

    I'm baffled by people who get so into those Real Housewives shows. Seriously baffled. But I'm not going to knock them. It's a matter of taste.

    Irrational hatred makes me assume that person is irrational about a lot of things.

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  41. Sandy11:43 AM

    Good grief. $15M IS chump change to Leno. Something else is going on here.

    It's obvious Leno's demographic has withered to the olds only, and I think that's what's driving this change, but $15M would never pry off his death grip on the Tonight Show. Either they're blackmailing him, there was an airtight clause in his contract that stated he had to deliver certain ratings or be ousted (and he didn't), or there's some huge secret under-the-table payoff in play. Whatever. He can't be gone fast enough to suit me.

    Fox News would be a good place for Leno - lots of addled old viewers who would love his schtick.

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  42. Jazzy11:45 AM

    I may be alone in this, but I think Jimmy doing the Tonight Show right now is a mistake. He and Kimmel are taking the younger demo from Leno, which is why the ratings are worse than ever. If Jimmy goes now he will split the audience. Plus, you know NBC is going to change that show. The Tonight Show needs to appeal to a wider demo to be deemed successful by NBC standards. You think they won't try to change the tone of the show, or get The Roots to be less "urban"? Yeah, right. It will be Conan part 2. Aaaand, does Seth Meyers really need his own show? Really?! *Seth and Amy voice* LOL

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    1. Bluezz 4:07 PM

      @Jazzy I don't think you're alone. I groaned when I first heard the news & said, "Nooooo, don't do it, Jimmy!" But after I thought about it, I'd be hard pressed to think after Conan's debacle, Fallon's people haven't triple checked everything to avoid being set up to fail. At least, I hope so. ;-)

      I may be wrong in my thinking, but the ratings slippage will probably swing over to CBS. Fallon & Kimmel have similar demographics, so it'll be the same battle like Letterman & Leno did for 20 years.

      And while I grew up loving Letterman (both NBC & CBS), I'll turn on Fallon over Letterman to see what he's doing. I do have some fears on what they'll make Fallon change, but I'm hoping for the best.

      I don't know when Letterman's contract runs out, but who's in the wings ready to take his chair? Is Craig Fergusson interested?

      I was always under the impression he preferred to be on later cuz he could get away with more things that would normally be censured. :-D

      I'm not dissing Fergusson. I like him & catch him from time to time.

      But truthfully, I'm rooting for Jimmy Fallon when he makes the switch.

      Delete
  43. Unknown12:24 PM

    Jimmy Fallon is less funny than Leno. Most comendians these days are not that funny. I think Tina Fey may be the least funny person of all. I get that she does a lot of writing and producing but I do not find her stuff even remotely amusing. Amy Poehler either. Both of them do nothing for the stereotype that women aren't funny. People like Ron White are funny. Chris Tucker, Chris Rock-also not funny.

    Anyone who thinks family guy or american dad are not funny is probably too stupid to get 75% of the jokes.

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  44. lazyday6031:51 PM

    We all proved today that funny is in the eyes of the beholder. Because I vehemently disagree with almost every point in the previous post. I think Tina Fey is the funniest person alive. I've never watched Family Guy, but I bought Ted thinking it would be funny like an Apatow produced film. I couldn't have been more wrong. The only thing I laughed at was the boss bragging about being besties with Tom Skerritt. Seth Macfarland is funny the way Don Rickles was funny back in the day. He thinks racism, sexism & homophobia are edgy. Nooooo, not really. But many of people love that stuff. I won't miss Jay Leno. I already miss David Letterman. The Letterman of 1984. The current version can retire and make room for new blood. How about Joel McHale?

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    1. Bluezz 3:22 PM

      @lazyday603 +1 on everything except I haven't seen Ted to make an informed opinion. :-)

      Delete
  45. rexruther1:54 PM

    I swear, everytime we get a Late Night host topic here people take it up a few notches...and it's always the same!

    There's like over a dozen of these late night shows, more than one for everyone.

    I am so down with a Seth Meyers talk show.

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    1. Bluezz 3:19 PM

      @rexruther Sorry. I should have refreshed the page before posting my diatribe. ;-) I let some comments get under my skin.

      I'm so with you on a Seth Meyers talk show. :-)

      I'm also on record of being a fan of Jimmy Fallon, so I'm really pulling for him. Plus, I love The Roots! Woot!

      Delete
  46. Bluezz 3:09 PM

    I do realize that what's transpired in late night, over the last 20 years, has been based on business decisions by network executives. But also, across the table from the suits are hard core managers & lawyers who are fighting for their clients to get the best deal. It might sound crazy to some that others think Leno had all this massive power to pull off certain events. Leno might not be sitting at the table, but his pitbulls are. Even all the way back to 1992.

    When Leno took over from Carson in 1992, there was a lot of underhanded stuff going on. Helen Kushnick was Jay's manager.

    Kushnick was *extremely* powerful & was responsible for some of the early behind-the-scenes issues that Leno WAS aware of, but feigned innocence. I can't remember exactly, but I believe Kushnick was involved in some shady stuff regarding booking certain guests. (Obviously, that's just 1 example.) She eventually fell on the sword to keep Leno's nice guy image pristine.

    David Letterman may have been pissed & moved to CBS, but he WAS Carson's choice for his replacement. That's where Kushnick came into play & battled for Leno to get The Tonight Show. Carson was on record saying he wanted Letterman. After Carson retired, he only made appearances on Letterman & sent jokes to Dave for monologue.

    When Leno agreed to retire the first time, the deal was struck 5 years prior to the actual changeover to Conan. About 18 months before Leno was to retire, he wasn't so keen on the agreement & things got difficult. So NBC came up with the inane ideal to cancel prime time dramas at 10pm & put Leno there instead.

    Conan never had a chance.

    Even if Conan wasn't/isn't your cup of tea, there were many comics who were Conan's peers & very happy he got The Tonight Show. They were excited for their first "Tonight Show" appearance to be with "their guy." Conan was gone before some of them could appear (they were booked).

    Please note: these same comics have been on Letterman & Kimmel before Conan took over. There was refusal to go on Leno before the mess & they weren't going on his 10pm show nor his return to the 11:30 slot.

    I can only speculate when Leno became the most hated guy in late night. Most comics who had admired Carson, also looked up to Letterman when he was still with NBC & continue to do so today. I don't hear a lot of compliments in the comedy family re Leno.

    Just because Leno brought Conan on, shook his hand, & gave his blessing didn't mean Leno was not holding a knife in the other hand ready to stab Conan in the back.

    Once upon a time, Leno was liked by his peers...

    "The First Comedy Strike"

    http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1708834,00.html

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    1. auntliddy6:12 PM

      Oh god, its like the snooty clique in high school!! Lets all hate Jay!! Dont go on his show!! He's bad and mean!! So jerky. Go home, all of you, and count your millions.

      Delete
  47. Lisa3:33 PM

    Another issue is Jimmy Fallon SUCKS at interviewing and that is going to be a big problem for him with The Tonight Show.

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    1. auntliddy6:03 PM

      Please, there us no art to interviewing on these shows. Mr or mrs actir/writer/celeb comes out, smiles, plugs their lame-o priject and leaves. They are so busy and in denand they cant even stay for whole show!! They have to go!!! Remember the old carsons? You had dino, deluise and art carney sitting and laughing on that couch. That was fun.

      Delete
  48. Agent**It4:46 PM

    How has Leno managed to keep the Tonight Show at the top for so long if he's so bad? His wife was working on behalf of females in Afghanistan from the get go and she has donated substantial monies . I have no dog in this race, btw.

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  49. Agent**It4:49 PM

    I take that back, I love Graham Norton's show:)

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  50. __-__=__6:21 PM

    Agree funny is in the eye of the beholder. I don't know actors or folks in that business.

    I do know car people all across the country. Many have done business with or know Leno. I've never heard anyone say antthing good about him. That's a really big statement based on how many people I know. They all say he's an ass.

    If NBC gets rid of Leno and Lauer ratings can only go up. Good for all.

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  51. Robert8:05 PM

    I would've gone away for a lot less than that.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Anonymous10:11 PM

    auntliddy, please feel free to go piss up a rope. Everyone here has seen you get on your soapbox and pontificate on numerous subjects and no one to my knowledge has every accused YOU of being like an immature catty highschooler because of it. I don't like Leno because he's not funny. I have no axe to grind. If you disagree, so be it, but don't come off so dismissive and snidely "above it all" in this conversation. Someone above asked "If Leno is so bad, why has he stayed on top for so long?" That's a GREAT question. I honestly don't have an answer to it, aside from the fact that there are a lot of stupid, non-discerning, lowest-common-denominator-type people in this country who like their humor in the "har har that's a knee-slapper" doofus-y vein. Leno's audiences, oftentimes, in my opinion, are a) giving him "sympathy claps" (so as not to be dragged down into his horrid flop-sweaty comedic miasma along with him), b) they're just thrilled to death to be in a Tonight Show audience and don't wanna rock the boat. His audiences are almost LITERALLY captive ones. Or c) they're just idiots. I would love to see Jay get heckled one of these days: I wish someone would do it, on his Tonight Show home turf, and have someone catch it with a phone cam. What passes for Leno humor are slow-pitch underhand throws: the weakest and most harebrained of jokes, observations and "c'mon, laugh with me" dorkisms. Pretty much the only thing funny about him is how he looks. And that's unintentional on his part. He looks like Mac Tonight. I have no ax to grind here. I'm not a fan of Conan or Craig Kilborne or that british guy or the ex-SNL doofus. And I know that hosting any late-night talk show is incredibly hard. But there's intelligent comedy and there's mean comedy and there's dumbfuck comedy, and I prefer the intelligent kind. What blows my mind is that Leno has a writing staff that gets PAID for these dumb monologue jokes of his. I mean, I guess he (Leno) has final say-so in which ones he uses. Maybe he just picks the dumb ones, and the better stuff winds up on the bullpen floor. Who knows? And for the chick who made the jibe about some people just not being smart enough to get the jokes on Family Guy / American Dad, there's usually nothing to "get" other than stupid sight gags, tedious pop-culture references and scatological humor. People who like Family Guy are the kind of people on Idiocracy who were fans of "Ow! My balls!" And "Ass."

    ReplyDelete
  53. Sherry11:40 PM

    Wow late night polarizes a lot of people. Since you brought it up Equation were you all Aware that a year ago NBC was #1in the industry. Now, it's #5 with even Univision beating them. They need to change more than Leno and Lauer.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Marie6:29 AM

    I wish someone would pay me $15million to go away!

    We don't get all the late night shows here so I can't comment on all of them, but it does surprise me that shows that are on SO late are popular enough to spark the kind of disagreements on this thread.

    Sleep is important people, you need to go to bed earlier!

    ReplyDelete
  55. poovey-tunt12:16 PM

    How much sleep we're getting has zip to do with it. Even the mildest, most trivial matters on earth, there still are going to be at least a few people around who care enough to get het up arguing over them.

    I never could stand Leno and the stories about what went on when he first got the job just made me think he was a complete weasel and nothing that's happened since has changed my mind about that. But tastes differ and all that, maybe most of all when it comes to what's funny and what isn't. I got over being shocked that people like things that I don't about thirty years ago, honestly.

    But I do understand why NBC wants to get rid of Leno. The Tonight Show is a franchise. All the networks are in trouble, but NBC most of all, so what franchises they have left, they are going to be desperate to keep them alive. If Leno keeps doing the show as long as he wants to - which could be easily a decade, maybe even years longer than that - the chances that the franchise will actually still be vital enough to survive being handed off to someone else will be much poorer than they are now.

    Whatever you may think of Leno, he's no Johnny Carson. Habit and fond memories of Jay Leno's tenure as host will never be enough to keep an audience tuning in after he's gone. NBC today isn't the NBC of 1992, and television has changed so much it's in some ways unrecognizable. The longer Jay Leno stays, the worse NBC's chances are of keeping The Tonight Show going BEYOND the Leno era. That's why they need him gone.

    ReplyDelete
  56. Lelaina Pierce5:25 PM

    @Anonymous - I agree w/ everything you said, except the Family Guy stuff, since I do find it funny.

    I had no idea Seth Meyers was in the works to replace Jimmy. So when he was co-hosting with Kelly Ripa was this already in the works, so that's why he turned that down?

    I love both Jimmy and Seth, but I'm curious to see how this shakes out. And who is going to take over as head writer for SNL??

    ReplyDelete

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