Even Oprah Could Not Convince America to Forgive Jay Leno

Like Jay Leno himself, there was nothing shocking about Oprah's Leno-spectacular yesterday. The denim deity greeted Lady O. ("Hello doll, you look wonderful") with his American flag pin squarely on his lapel, sat down and then devoted forty minutes trying to convince viewers at home that he had no choice but to take back the Tonight Show. The only two surprising moments occurred when Oprah flat-out told Leno that his below-the-belt joke about David Letterman last week ("You know the best way to get Letterman to ignore you? Marry him!") was not funny. And the second was when she revealed that 96 percent of her viewers America were Team Coco. Twenty-four hours later, it appears that America still does not believe, despite Jay's protests, that he really is "just a good guy."

At 3 P.M. EST, Movieline took Oprah.com's post-interview poll and found that most of America still is not ready to forgive Jay Leno.

OprahLenoPoll585.jpg

Maybe Joan Rivers was right.

· The Tonight Show Controversy Poll [Oprah.com]



Comments

  • John Berks says:

    Conan is a weird dude and for much of America that can't relate
    And Jay is becoming an old fart, same as Letterman I wish they would leave showbiz
    We need some new celebrity talk show hosts

  • MCU says:

    Obviously you make a strong argument.

  • bklnman says:

    WHO CARES, BLAH IS FUNNY HE OR SHE SHOULD GET THE SLOT.

  • aunebabe says:

    I enjoyed Carson, and I have enjoyed Jay for years. I was delighted that he decided to come on at 10 because it meant that I didn't have to wait up past 11 to watch the news and THEN see Jay. I am sorry, but some of us have to WORK in the morning...
    Of course, the 11 news was unhappy because I (and others like me) were not staying up after Jay to see what depressing nightmare was going on in the world and therefore not seeing all of the Ads that sponsors were flinging out there during the news.
    I understand the economics of TV and since it is still free as long as you don't mind the commercials, I will try to stay up on Mondays for "Headlines" and then decide if other days are worth the sleep deprivation.
    Thank you Jay.

  • doop says:

    About the "right" number versus the "biggest" numbers: one of the reasons why NBC eventually wanted Leno's show in Conan's time slot with CoCo to follow is because they also found that Conan was drawing a low-income demographic which were less likely to react to advertising, rather than a more middle class.

  • Hollywood Insider says:

    Gideon, Thank you for the concise and intelligent analysis. I have been waiting for someone in the media to say everything you just did. It has been frustrating to see Jay whining and lying. What a contrast to Conan, who took the bullet like a man, and gave us such a gracious and classy farewell show. I am looking forward to Conan's return. He will probably come out with something even better. Can't wait to see what it is... And Gideon, thanks again for the intelligent summation. I enjoyed reading your post.

  • SunnydaZe says:

    YES HE IS SERIOUS AND DON'T CALL HIM SHIRLEY!!

  • Lorena says:

    It amazes how people don't realize the facts. So here it goes:
    1. It took Leno 2 years to get decent ratings. This is when great lead ins, like Mad About You, Frasier, Seinfeld, ER, Friends, Third Rock From The Sun, among others. Conan had 7 months with Leno's crappy lead in.
    2. If supposedly, Conan took Leno's job 5 years ago, Leno should have buckled up and said something just the same way Conan did. Unfortunately, as seen on the Oprah interview, Leno sees the TTS as 'just a show' whereas Conan sees it as an 'institution that should be kept'. Leno is a pushover that wants his cake and eat it too.
    NBC clearly messed this one up. But it should have been Leno that was the better person, comedian, and co-worker in all of this and stepped aside.
    He forgot that the TTS was never his. It is 'institution' that is always passed to the next person when it is #1.

  • Anonymously says:

    Paul, your a flat out idiot. Obviously the Liberals aren't in the minority because our current President is Liberal, 75% of people 30 and under are liberal, its a wide known fact God doesn't exist, all republicans cheat on their wives and are secretly gay, and they spend trillions of dollars they don't have.

  • please do not count the chicks till the eggs hatch!!!

  • Boris Dimitri Jevic says:

    The universe and all that it is has often been the following, will usually be right here, and is the following now. This is some thing I can see, touch, listen to, truly feel, and scent. When I die, I might grow to be earth, then later on a rock, then later on a thing else. But I will constantly are present in one kind or yet another. Life goes on and practically nothing is at any time actually dead.