It Happened: NBC Signs Jay Leno to Hourlong Tonight Show
The writing has been on the wall for Conan O'Brien this week, but that won't make this news any sweeter for him to hear: TMZ is reporting that NBC and Jay Leno just signed a deal to give Leno back The Tonight Show. For a full hour.
The news comes just hours after Hollywood buzz had O'Brien booking guests for a farewell tour next week.
So, to recap: Leno's taken back O'Brien's show and timeslot, and there's still no word on where O'Brien will go next -- or whether NBC will keep him on ice as part of what will presumably be a hefty payout.
Developing...
Leno and NBC Strike 1 Hour Tonight Deal [TMZ]
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Apparently Jay Leno doesn't know the meaning of the word "shame".
Good God, PLEASE let this happen after the Olympics. I have tickets to Conan on Tuesday.
Like Letterman said: Law and Order: Leno Victims Unit. May the spirit of the great Johnny Carson haunt him the rest of his tenure. Carson had too much class to do this to Jay but clearly The Chin has NO shame. Watch out Jay...Karma is real.
But... how is Leno supposed to paint himself as yet another victim of NBC's programmers now? It was so working.
#TeamConan (and, while I'm at it... Steve Holt!)
I'm fine just promise more of Jay's COP N'KITTY like the classic
KITTY KITTY BANG BANG (with apologies to Guy Richie)
I hope Jay fails spectacularly. I'm done with NBC. No more Office, Community, or Tonight Show for me. Go Zuck yourself, NBC!
Does anyone, anyone at all, think Leno is Funny??
But, then again I didn't like Carson either. Please
give us funny, humor, laughter till we cry.
Leno.......NOT...Conan was sorry as well.
What's next? Sarah Palin unseats Jay as the new host of The Tonight Show is 6 months? It's not any crazier than this...
Disgraceful on Jay's part. What Jeff Zucker and NBC Brass did to Conan was unprofessional and crude but Jay's actions are like stabbing a friend in the back. May Johnny's ghost haunt him for life!!
You haven't seen the last of Conando!!
stay strong, conanites
we will prevail
Why are people so concerned about who gets the 'TONIGHT' show? Geez! Get a life! I'm more concerned about people who are not working than I am about this.
How does Leno thinks he's going to garner a new audience? Those who liked Conan (Go Team Conan!) will not watch Leno's sorry show. NBC better not screw with Conan's wage earning ability - not in this economy.
How very sad. I used to love Jay but after his zillionth Monica Lewinsky joke YEARS after the whole issue was dead, I signed off the Tonight Show forever - until Conan. I will never watch the Tonight Show again and cannot believe this man could even sleep at night doing this. If he and Conan would present a united face against NBC it would FORCE them to come up with a better solution. But Jay sold out for the almighty dollar and I truly believe he would sell his own grandmother for fifty cents. I hear he's the cheapest skate in show business, and at a time when so many people like myself are struggling to pay the simplest of bills every month, for him to be the personification of greed at the expense of a colleague is sickening.
I hope Conan goes on to bigger and better things, makes ten times the money he would have made, and I hope karma does indeed take care of Mr. Leno. Money can't buy health, and when his day comes maybe he'll look back at this time and wonder if this is where it all went wrong...
Jay Leno is a dick.
I mean, I've heard it before--some people's seething disdain for him--but I thought eh, who cares, he's just some unfunny schmuck. But no, for reals, he's a sleazy fuck.
And I didn't even know about that whole hiding-in-the-closet thing until today. I guess I should have watched/read The Late Shift at some point?
Why are you guys blaming Leno? It's not his fault. If somebody offered you a job, would you turn it down because the guy you're replacing is losing his job? Get real.
Then why are you replying to a post and entertainment news website?
Conan is a big goof...... no mater what time slot he in...... maybe
he appealed more to the young and dumb crowd of late night and thats why the Tonight Show didn't take off while he was at the helm.
Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno are not exactly two poor people where one got laid off and one got promoted like the rest of us. They are both multi-millionaires. But I'd fire O'Brien's agent. Why did he not make a deal where O'Brien gets the full amount for the life of the contract whether he lasts one day or one decade or whatever the length of the contract is? This was stupid on O'Brien agent's part. I found it ironic though that the media keeps writing about Conan riding a wave of popularity. really? Then, why is he being clobbered by David Letterman in the ratings? If, as pundits say, his demographic is young which advertisers want, who is watching Letterman's show? And Leno's? And how many are they and where are they? As for Leno, at 10pm, people are still watching dramas and sitcoms.
I guess I don't understand all you losers talking about what a Jerk Jay is. It isn't Jay or Conan that should be demonized here. It is the jokers that run NBC. They never should have changed the schedule in the first place. Now everyone is understandably jockying for position. I would venture to say that all you idiots on Team Conan would do the same under the same circumstances. I do think that Conan is a victim in all this. However the culprit is not Jay, but NBC. Please place the blame where it belongs.
CONGRATULATION JAY - missed you because I am not able to watch TV at 10pm EST- glad to have you back!
Conan - I look forward to see you around as well - crap happens in life - nothing anyone can do about it. You guys are pros and will not have a problem to take your followers with you wherever you decide to set up house.... See you on TV
I had always heard that Leno was one of the nicest guys in the business, so as tempting as it would be to get the Tonight Show back, I'm surprised he did this. I really liked Conan on the Tonight Show; he had toned down some of his extreme weirdness, and he was both funny and classy. I hope that he gets another show soon -- on another network. NBC is the real villian here.
Mr. Leno's personality is so unattractive; I rarely watched TTS with him, didn't watch TJLS, and won't watch when he's back behind a desk.
I think it's obvious Mr. Zucker & Co. do not welcome character, just revenue.
hey kids -
let's put on a boycott of NBC.
if we're addicted to Heroes, for example, watch on another venue so The Peacock can't charge advertisers big bucks for TV air time.
NBC is correcting the worst mistake it ever made. Jay had ruled the night spot and Conan's fans did not move with him to the earlier slot. Glad to have Jay back where he belongs. I can now ditch Letterman for a better show.
Well, I for one am glad to get Jay back. I'm one of the reasons Conan is getting clobbered by Letterman. I don't like Conan and his wierd humor, and I'm not that fond of Letterman...but he's the lesser of two evils.
It's not really Jay's fault. He didn't want to leave the Tonight show...that was NBC's stupidity so why bash Jay? Jay, I'll look forward to seeing you again.
ZING! Plus, this means over a 100 people WILL be out of work. (Conan and his staff)
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