Sources: NBC Honchos Considering Jimmy Fallon To Take Over Coveted "Tonight Show" Gig after Jay Leno's Contract Expires in 2014
by Don Kaplan - NY Daily News
Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012



Somewhere Conan O’Brien is probably smiling.

There’s word that NBC brass are ruminating over Jay Leno’s future — which would involve finally giving their current late-late guy comic, Jimmy Fallon, the coveted job as the host of "The Tonight Show".



The latest rumblings about Leno come from various talent agents who admit they have quietly been contacted by NBC officials hoping to find a new late-late host who will eventually take over Fallon’s 12:35 a.m. time slot.

Leno’s current $15 million a year deal expires in 2014, and came about after he “volunteered” to take a 50% pay cut earlier this year, a move that helped NBC slash "The Tonight Show’s" $100 million budget by about 20%.



But my money is on how NBC brass are betting it’s high time they cash in on a generational shift toward younger viewers that has been going on in late-night television for some time.

ABC will be the first to capitalize on the shift next month when their own late-late guy, Jimmy Kimmel, moves his show to 11:35 p.m., switching places with “Nightline” in a bid to boost the network’s percentage of viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 — a group prized by advertisers.

It doesn’t hurt at all that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is an entertainment program headed by a star 20 years younger than his new time slot rivals, Letterman and Leno.







Meanwhile, at CBS, Leno’s nemesis, David Letterman, is also under contract until 2014, and there has been a long unsaid understanding throughout the TV industry that Leno won’t step down until Dave does.

Of course, as these rumblings may prove, Jay could always be pushed — but he’s proven over the years that he’s harder to kill than Dracula.



Take the September 2009 fiasco when then-NBC chief Jeff Zucker carved out a 10 p.m. time slot for "The Jay Leno Show” because Jay reportedly insisted that he didn’t want to leave the network.

Up until that moment, there had been a long-planned transition in the works for Leno to step down from “Tonight” and pass the torch to O’Brien.



But Jay didn’t go away.

Instead his prime-time show turned out to be a flop, and worse, it shifted the spotlight away from O’Brien’s debut and cannibalized “Tonight Show" viewers.

By January, Leno was back on "The Tonight Show" and O’Brien was out of a job — although he was paid millions to leave the network — eventually landing another late-night talk show on TBS.



Maybe this time Leno will just quietly go away.

I’m betting he won’t.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/nbc-brass-thinking-jay-leno-replacement-article-1.1220267

"This will work out well," said everyone who remembers 2010.

Leno stepping down? Ha! I'll believe it when I see it. They'll have to pry it from his cold, dead hands.

Leno isn't the worst interviewer, but otherwise, his show has become quite a bore. Fallon is broader than Conan, and I think he'll have a much better shot finding a larger audience at 11:35. I wouldn't mind Leno sticking around elsewhere. Maybe a prime time show on CNN a la Larry King? He'd probably be good at something like that. Even when NBC finally shows him the door, I imagine he'll host another show elsewhere, potentially on cable, or at least be asked to do specials of some sort.

Sources: NBC Discussing Jay Leno Exit Plan
3/1/2013
by Kim Masters


Is NBC preparing to announce Jay Leno's departure from "The Tonight Show"?

The network says categorically no, but two high-level industry sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that NBC is moving toward a May announcement that the 2013-14 television season will be the last for Leno as host of the long-running late-night show.

Sources expect the network to move Jimmy Fallon from his "Late Night" spot into the coveted 11:35 time slot with a soft launch during the summer of 2014 before a formal fall kickoff.





A Leno rep says, "We do not speculate on rumor."

Whether the network finally executes the "Tonight" transition plan remains to be seen. Anyone with even a passing sense of Leno’s personality knows that the hardworking comic would be reluctant to leave his perch, especially before his rival at CBS, David Letterman, announces his retirement.

Leno and Letterman are both signed through 2014.





Sources believe the network will bring in Fallon partly out of concern about the competition on ABC, which moved younger-skewing Jimmy Kimmel to the 11:35 time slot in January.

“The more time Jimmy Kimmel is in that slot, the more the young audience goes that way, the harder it is for Jimmy Fallon to keep that audience,” says a source familiar with the network’s thinking.





Leno's "Tonight" still performs well for NBC, regularly besting his late-night rivals. But Kimmel is competitive in the 18-49 demo.

"Kimmel has done extremely well," a network veteran says, adding that he is unaware of any contemplated Leno move. "Jay wins overall, but on any given night, it's neck-and-neck in 18-49. I understand where they might have fear and also feel that they own the solution in Fallon."

Comcast, which owns NBC, in August imposed layoffs at "Tonight". At the time, Leno took a big pay-cut from his reported $30 million salary.





NBC could also be concerned that if Letterman does retire in 2014, CBS would be looking for a replacement, potentially opening the door to a bare-knuckles battle for Fallon that could mirror a previous tussle involving Conan O’Brien.

In 2004, then-NBC head Jeff Zucker promised the then-"Late Night" host he would inherit "The Tonight Show" in 2009 as part of his deal to re-up with the network. But when NBC installed O'Brien at "Tonight" and moved Leno to 10 p.m., the strategy backfired, leading to an embarrassing feud and a costly 2010 settlement with O'Brien, who now hosts a show on TBS.

If NBC elects to announce the Leno-Fallon transition at or before the May upfronts, one observer adds, the network would “get the benefit of selling Jay’s last year -- again.”

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sources-nbc-discussing-jay-leno-425669

Here we go again!!!! :rolleyes:

now is not the time for nbc to screw up again i think jimmy should get the tonight show someday but nbc cant afford to make any changes in late night until prime time is at least stable and showing some signs of life beyond 2 or the marginally rated shows

"This will work out well," said everyone who remembers 2010.
BINGO!!

i ment 2 or 3 marginally rated shows

I totally agree!!!

Sources: NBC Honchos Considering Jimmy Fallon To Take Over Coveted "Tonight Show" Gig after Jay Leno's Contract Expires in 2014
by Don Kaplan - NY Daily News
Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012



Somewhere Conan O’Brien is probably smiling.

There’s word that NBC brass are ruminating over Jay Leno’s future — which would involve finally giving their current late-late guy comic, Jimmy Fallon, the coveted job as the host of "The Tonight Show".



The latest rumblings about Leno come from various talent agents who admit they have quietly been contacted by NBC officials hoping to find a new late-late host who will eventually take over Fallon’s 12:35 a.m. time slot.

Leno’s current $15 million a year deal expires in 2014, and came about after he “volunteered” to take a 50% pay cut earlier this year, a move that helped NBC slash "The Tonight Show’s" $100 million budget by about 20%.



But my money is on how NBC brass are betting it’s high time they cash in on a generational shift toward younger viewers that has been going on in late-night television for some time.

ABC will be the first to capitalize on the shift next month when their own late-late guy, Jimmy Kimmel, moves his show to 11:35 p.m., switching places with “Nightline” in a bid to boost the network’s percentage of viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 — a group prized by advertisers.

It doesn’t hurt at all that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is an entertainment program headed by a star 20 years younger than his new time slot rivals, Letterman and Leno.







Meanwhile, at CBS, Leno’s nemesis, David Letterman, is also under contract until 2014, and there has been a long unsaid understanding throughout the TV industry that Leno won’t step down until Dave does.

Of course, as these rumblings may prove, Jay could always be pushed — but he’s proven over the years that he’s harder to kill than Dracula.



Take the September 2009 fiasco when then-NBC chief Jeff Zucker carved out a 10 p.m. time slot for "The Jay Leno Show” because Jay reportedly insisted that he didn’t want to leave the network.

Up until that moment, there had been a long-planned transition in the works for Leno to step down from “Tonight” and pass the torch to O’Brien.



But Jay didn’t go away.

Instead his prime-time show turned out to be a flop, and worse, it shifted the spotlight away from O’Brien’s debut and cannibalized “Tonight Show" viewers.

By January, Leno was back on "The Tonight Show" and O’Brien was out of a job — although he was paid millions to leave the network — eventually landing another late-night talk show on TBS.



Maybe this time Leno will just quietly go away.

I’m betting he won’t.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/nbc-brass-thinking-jay-leno-replacement-article-1.1220267



It maybe time for him to go because Jay is just not funny like he was in 2002

Even if Leno does leave, after 2010, who will actually believe it's for real? I sure as hell won't. Maybe after, say 10-15 years go by and he still hasn't forced his way back on. Then I might believe it.

Advice to Jimmy: Watch your back. At. All. Times.

If he does leave, he needs to leave totally NBC. That's where NBC blew it with Conan. You can't replace Leno and then have him on prime-time every night leading into the local news.

put him on the Today Show

This was a clear sign it was time for Jay Leno to go the other day

"Masturbation Jokes"


He said........"If would have been the best student if he had the opportunity to take Masturbation classes???

put him on the Today Showhe actully did host the today show one morining as a sweeps stunt about 10 years ago and he did a better job than i thought he would do so why not?

he actully did host the today show one morining as a sweeps stunt about 10 years ago and he did a better job than i thought he would do so why not?



Yeah I remember that:lol: Seemed odd that he was up that early. And didn't Katie do the Tonight Show?

he actully did host the today show one morining as a sweeps stunt about 10 years ago and he did a better job than i thought he would do so why not?
it couldn't hurt - people seem to like him a lot more than that Matt Lauer jerk that hosts it now, and maybe they could regain some ground from GMA

Yeah I remember that:lol: Seemed odd that he was up that early. And didn't Katie do the Tonight Show?


You are correct!! Jay and Katie switched shows for a day in May 2003. I watched it as well. :lol:

If he does leave, he needs to leave totally NBC. That's where NBC blew it with Conan. You can't replace Leno and then have him on prime-time every night leading into the local news.

I think that marked the beginning of the end of Jeff Zucker's tenure at NBC. If Jay does indeed leave, I see him going back out on the road with his standup, and doing an occasional TV special.

I wonder who would take over Late Night. Any ideas?

Pretty sure I heard they were grooming Chelsea Handler to take over Late Night. :eek:

http://variety.com/2013/tv/columns/jay-leno-for-life-1200002685/

Leno these days is the least of NBC's problems, and there's no guarantee that Jimmy Fallon will be the anti-Conan O'Brien.

Trying to replace Jay Leno = Trouble.

Jay Leno deciding to retire for a certain reason (health complications, etc.) and no good replacement for him is found = Trouble.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/nbc-plan-jay-leno-exit-425968

The Peacock must secure its late-night future before Jimmy Kimmel becomes established at 11:30.

Ready or Not, NBC's "Grooming" Stern to Follow Fallon
by LINDA STASI
March 6, 2013


You probably wake up to Howard Stern — but do you want to go to sleep with him, too?

Over the weekend, word broke that Jay Leno is being pushed out to make room for the younger Jimmy Fallon — but sources close to the radio man tell The Post that Stern, in turn, is being “groomed” by NBC as the new Fallon.

Leno’s contract runs out on the "Tonight Show" in 2014, and he’s on the fast track out, despite his great ratings.





Sure, Stern loves the judging gig on "America’s Got Talent", but even Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne could take just so much of extreme cyclists and dog acts. I never figured it was really about that for Stern — it was about creating a Howard that was palatable for TV.

Howard has been trying to show TV suits for years that he’s the whole package — as opposed to the one he talks about on the radio. He’s shown — on "AGT", one of the most popular family shows on TV — that he can act like a grown-up and play well with others, if the money’s right.

And, according to a source who knows him well, the suits at NBC have gotten the message.





But why, then, would NBC hire a guy — Stern — who is not only just three years younger than Leno but is too old in TV years to even appeal to himself?

Stern’s hot, younger wife (she’s 40, he’s 59), Beth Ostrosky Stern, told The Post’s Sean Daly that, “We were in a hotel and all these little kids recognize him now as the judge from ‘America’s Got Talent.’ Usually it’s their dads. But now it is screaming little kids. People are now seeing him for who he really is.”



So now that he’s acceptable for prime time, is he ready for late night?

“I always say that to him! He is one of the best interviewers out there,” Beth said.

So can she talk him into trying his hand at staying up late? “I am going to!” she said.









Not that it would take much urging since he’s already tried late-night TV several times before — but always with mixed results. In 1987, in an attempt to replace Joan Rivers’ on "The Late Show", he made a bunch of pilots, but his show never made it to air.

From ’90 to ’92, he briefly had "The Howard Stern Show", on Saturday nights on WWOR-TV (Ch. 9), and for 11 years, beginning in 1994, E! ran a half-hour truncated version of his radio show.

In 1998, Stern was back on Saturday nights with "The Howard Stern Radio Show" on CBS TV stations, but the content was so risque that hinterland affiliates began deserting the ship in droves. Still, it lasted four years.





But that was then and this is now, when broadcast TV is testing boundaries and is getting riskier and more risque than it ever was a decade ago.

So it makes sense. NBC could keep a tamed-down but still risky Howard on in late-late night until he’s a dirty old man himself, and he’d still have young guys thinking he’s the God of strippers and freaks.

His agent, Don Buchwald, says he won’t comment on clients, and a high placed source at NBC denied the rumor and said the source was incorrect.

Stay tuned.

http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/stern_for_fallon_4Gzp0igNAdNQ8RvXN2Y6pN

^ Dear lord, no. Please. :eek: :rolleyes: :mad:

Howard Stern Rejects Jimmy Fallon Replacement Rumors: "What An Insult" He'd Be Considered
The Huffington Post | by Ross Luippold
03/14/2013


Howard Stern has rejected the idea that he would take over "Late Night" from current host Jimmy Fallon if Fallon were to vacate the slot in the event of Jay Leno's retirement, a rumor sparked by anonymous sources in The New York Post.

"First of all, what an insult," Stern said on his SiriusXM radio show Monday.

"After all the years of my career. I'm, like, the biggest guy in radio. I've done film. I've done television ... I mean, they act like I'm some kind of ****ing beginner or something. Maybe if I'm really nice to NBC they'll let me take over Carson Daly's show at like 2 o'clock in the morning."





The Post reported that NBC hired Stern as a judge on "America's Got Talent" to test him for a broad audience, and considered installing him as the "Late Night" host after he performed well on that show.

What's unclear is whether or not NBC was actually considering Stern prior to his blunt refusal, or whether Stern was dismissing the rumors as outright hearsay. Of course, Stern's radio persona can never be taken at face value.

The likelihood of Stern becoming the host of "Late Night" was never terribly high. The show has had three hosts: David Letterman, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon, and has always successfully captured a college-aged audience.

At 59, Stern would likely be too old to successfully take over the spot.





Additionally, Stern's demanding schedule includes broadcasting his radio show three days a week, four hours per day, in addition to his "AGT" judging gig when the show is in season. The hosts of "Late Night" are heavily involved with each episode, and Stern would probably be unable to participate in that way.

Perhaps most importantly, Stern claimed that the "Late Night" gig currently pays "about a tenth" what he currently makes doing his SiriusXM show, an estimated $400 million. Stern is actually lowballing his estimation -- Fallon currently makes around $5 million a year.





Of course, NBC is likely putting any option on the table in their desolate ratings position.

Their late night programming -- "The Tonight Show", "Late Night" and "Saturday Night Live" -- is currently the only block that regularly delivers high ratings.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/howard-stern-rejects-jimmy-fallon-replacement-rumors-what-an-insult_n_2877105.html?

I don't know if Howard would ever work for the same company that fired him from their now-defunct New York radio station [WNBC]. Has he ever forgiven them?

I don't know if Howard would ever work for the same company that fired him from their now-defunct New York radio station [WNBC]. Has he ever forgiven them?

I'm guessing so, considering that he was a judge on America's Got Talent last year.

"Tonight" Show Expected To Return to New York, with Fallon
by BILL CARTER
Published: March 20, 2013


A plan is in the works to bring NBC’s "Tonight" show back to New York.

While the network has yet to complete a deal, it has made a commitment to Jimmy Fallon, the current host of its "Late Night" program, to have him succeed Jay Leno as the next host of "Tonight", according to several senior television executives involved in the decision. The show would move from Burbank, Calif., back to New York, where it first started in 1954 with Steve Allen as host.

Some details remain to be worked out, including an exact timetable for the switch, though it is expected to take place by the fall of 2014 at the latest, the executives said in interviews this week.





NBC has quietly begun work on a new studio in its headquarters building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza as the home for the new "Tonight" show. The studio is part of a general reconstruction of the building being undertaken by Comcast, which this week completed a full takeover of NBC Universal.

An NBC spokeswoman declined to comment on the move, other than to say the network was building a new state-of-the-art studio for Mr. Fallon.





A move to New York would return "Tonight" to its roots, after an absence of more than four decades. Beginning in 1954 the show was taped every evening at 30 Rock, first with Mr. Allen as host, followed by Jack Paar and Johnny Carson. But Mr. Carson, looking for easier access to Hollywood guests, as well as a different lifestyle, moved the show permanently to Burbank in 1972.

Mr. Fallon, who made his reputation at 30 Rock as a star on "Saturday Night Live", now occupies the studio where Mr. Carson was working in the 1960s and early ‘70s. His "Late Night" show is broadcast at 12:35 a.m. Eastern time, following Mr. Leno on "Tonight".









The changing of the guard on "Tonight" is one of the biggest personnel decisions in television, and has always been fraught with intrigue and backroom maneuvering. Three years ago, an effort to replace Mr. Leno with Conan O’Brien ended in recriminations and an ultimate reversal; Mr. Leno was reinstated as host after only seven months. NBC endured weeks of negative press coverage. In the early 1990s, Mr. Leno and David Letterman engaged in a heated and often acrimonious competition to replace Mr. Carson.

But NBC became concerned when ABC moved its own late-night star, Jimmy Kimmel, to go head-to-head with Mr. Leno and Mr. Letterman. Mr. Kimmel had been building his reputation as a host, generating well-received new ideas for the late-night format. He is also a generation younger than Mr. Leno and Mr. Letterman.

Many executives in the television business speculated that NBC could not afford to wait too long to promote Mr. Fallon, or it might risk having Mr. Kimmel lock up the younger-adult viewers that are the economic lifeblood of late-night television.





A New York "Tonight" show will join a metropolitan landscape already filled with late-night comedy shows, including "Late Show With David Letterman" on CBS and shows featuring Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central. One lingering question is what NBC will do with its "Late Night" franchise, which has always been a New York-based show.

Mr. O’Brien hosted that program before Mr. Fallon and it was speculated before his ascension to the "Tonight" show that he might try to keep working in New York, where he had thrived. But at the time NBC insisted "Tonight" had become a Hollywood-centric show and needed to move to California.

Mr. Fallon quickly impressed NBC’s new management under Comcast, and his succession has been widely expected for at least a year. The only question has been when.









The potential timetable for the change — sometime within the next 18 months — has been tied to Mr. Leno’s current contract, which ends in the fall of 2014, as well as the need to sign Mr. Fallon to a new deal.

But one executive said NBC did not want Mr. Fallon to appear on the open market, where another network could try to woo him away — perhaps CBS, as a replacement for Mr. Letterman when he retired.



Given the past turbulence involved in changing hosts, NBC wants to make the transition to Mr. Fallon as smooth as possible. But the issue became both complicated and fractious in recent months.

The relationship between Mr. Leno and NBC became strained recently when the host told some jokes on his show about NBC’s poor performance in prime time, initiating a hostile e-mail exchange with Robert Greenblatt, the chairman of NBC Entertainment.

On Wednesday NBC said the conflict with Mr. Leno was being smoothed over.





Another complicating factor has been Mr. Leno’s continued success in the ratings.

When he was replaced by Mr. O’Brien, Mr. Leno was a dominant No. 1 in the late-night competition, and was unhappy to be asked to try to initiate a prime-time hour. When that show failed, and Mr. Leno was reinstated on "Tonight", he eventually was able to regain his leadership in the ratings.



Indeed, Mr. Leno, as he often has in his career, has proved unexpectedly resilient in the ratings. In recent weeks, he has continued to finish first — always in the category of total viewers and usually among viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, the most sought-after age group for late-night advertisers.

As one of the executives involved in the planning of the shift to Mr. Fallon put it: “And then Jay manages to stay ahead of Kimmel. How often has that guy been underestimated?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/media/tonight-show-expected-to-return-to-new-york-with-fallon.html?

NBC needs to leave Leno alone. This is twice now that he's been in first place and forced out. :rolleyes:

Maybe NBC should instead focus its attention on its sorry primetime lineup, which is why they are in last place.

NBC would be crazy to repeat Leno debacle, so why not put Fallon on at 10? (http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/nbc-should-not-move-jay-leno-jimmy-fallon.html)

Jay Leno and "The Tonight Show" should be the least of NBC's concerns, says Josef Adalian, especially since replacing him with Jimmy Fallon will likely lead to lower "Tonight Show" ratings. But perhaps the Peacock should revive its 10 o'clock Jay Leno experiment with Fallon. It could get big ratings seeing as "The Jay Leno Show" actually got better ratings than many of NBC's current crop of primetime shows.

Will there be a Letterman vs. Fallon booking war? (http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/03/21/tonight-show-new-york-jimmy-fallon)

Why Fallon could succeed: "He's utterly unlike that weirdo Conan" (http://www.salon.com/2013/03/21/is_jimmy_fallon_nbcs_last_best_hope/)

Why pushing out Leno would be a big mistake (http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/why-nbc-should-move-slowly-in-replacing-jay-leno-with-jimmy-fallon-on-the/2110376)

Is NBC afraid Fallon will replace Letterman? (http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/tv-zone-1.811968/why-is-nbc-messing-with-jay-leno-theory-2-david-letterman-1.4855891)

Music business will be impacted, too, with Kimmel as only 11:35 L.A. option (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/fallon-leno-late-night-what-430301)

Why Jimmy Fallon isn't ready for "The Tonight Show" (http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/71603/three-insta-reactions-to-nbcs-plan-to-give-the-tonight-show-to-jimmy-fallon-and-move-it-to-new-york)

The "Late Night" star still needs time to develop before ascending to the 11:35 timeslot.

"Lenophobia," explained (http://www.buzzfeed.com/richardrushfield/why-the-world-hates-jay-leno)

Why Jay Leno is so passionately hated, despite his No. 1 late-night dominance.

http://tvhowl.com/2013/03/22/move-the-tonight-show-to-nyc-fuhgettaboutit

About 90% of the stars in music, movies and TV live in the Los Angeles area, according to Adam Buckman. Sure, they fly out to New York, but they do so by appearing on multiple shows in a week. And Jimmy Fallon would have to compete with Letterman for guests, when he would be top of the heap in L.A.

Jay's a snake who is now reaping what he has sowed. With the events of 1992 and 2010 in mind, I don't feel the least bit sorry for him, and neither should you. He has an obscene amount of unspent money he can use to dry his tears.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9097994/assessing-state-late-night-television-shows-turbulent-week

There are differences, of course. Fallon is fresher than Leno. But as Ken Tucker — in an essay on the new late-night wars — notes: "Fallon is like Leno in these respects: He is an anodyne jokester, one whose most ardent desire is to avoid alienating anyone who's watching or sitting across from him. He's also, like Leno, a gleefully dreadful interviewer. Not only has Fallon never shed the habit of laughing at a guest's mildest sally with a lurching, hold-my-stomach hysteria — he's turned it into a trademark, guffawing at everyone from Nicolas Cage to Selena Gomez as though he were a constant, grateful witness to the resurrection of Richard Pryor circa 1982."

http://www.salon.com/2013/03/31/jimmy_vs_jimmy_the_late_night_battle_to_come/

Jimmy Kimmel is the late-night veteran whose act has been field-tested, but will Jimmy Fallon's goofball enthusiasm act wear thin as he ages?

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/nbcs-leno-fallon-video-how-432257

The late-night video is not believable at all, says Tim Goodman. Plus, he says, "it makes Fallon look like simpering suck-up who sold out because he was probably told to."

Jimmy Fallon To Take Over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno in Spring 2014
The Huffington Post | by Ross Luippold
4/3/2013


NBC has officially announced that Jimmy Fallon will take over "The Tonight Show" in 2014, and Jay Leno will end his run as the host of the show. Bill Carter of The New York Times reports that Fallon, currently the host of "Late Night", will begin hosting the show in February.

Fallon has hosted "Late Night" since 2009, and along with his house band The Roots, has developed a variety show that blends music, celebrity impressions and an enthusiastic approach to the talk show format to make it one of the most unique late night programs on the air.

Lorne Michaels executive produces Fallon's current show, and will produce "The Tonight Show" in addition to his "Saturday Night Live" duties.





The news follows months of rumors that Fallon would take over the show when Leno's contract expires next year. The show will be taped at 30 Rock in New York, the first time the show has been taped there since Johnny Carson left in 1972.

In a statement, departing host Leno said, "Congratulations Jimmy. I hope you’re as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you’re the old guy. If you need me, I’ll be at the garage."





NBC has attempted a "Tonight Show" host transition once before. In 2004, they announced that Conan O'Brien, then the host of "Late Night", would take over "The Tonight Show" in 2009.

By the time the transition occurred, Leno was still on top of the ratings, and NBC gave Leno a primetime show to prevent him from going to another network. However, faltering ratings of both programs led to NBC installing Leno as the host once again.

The network did not mention O'Brien's stint as the "Tonight Show" host in its press release about the Fallon transition, instead claiming that Leno has hosted "The Tonight Show" since 1992.





This transition was largely initiated by the threat posed by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", which moved from midnight to 11:35 earlier this year. Although Leno's program continues to be number one in both overall ratings and the 18-49 demographic, Kimmel's show has proven to be competitive.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/03/jimmy-fallon-to-take-over-tonight-show-official_n_3007684.html?

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/04/tonight-show-jimmy-fallon/63845/

Jay Leno's jokes perfectly embodied the standup-hungry times when he took over "The Tonight Show" in 1992, as Richard Lawson points out. Conan O'Brien's oddball shtick, however, was out of place when his turn came in 2009. But, adds Lawson, "as far as 'Tonight' is concerned, Fallon feels like the guy for today. So what if he's a terrible interviewer? Jay wasn't much of one either."

Jimmy Fallon?????

While I think Jay Leno is beyond stale, he's still pulling in decent ratings, so I don't quite get the switch. Nevertheless, I'm happy for Jimmy. His Late Night has turned into something pretty special so I hope it can transfer to the Tonight show.

http://tvhowl.com/2013/04/04/nbcs-bold-move-fix-a-show-that-wasnt-broken/

Despite his younger age, there's no guarantee Jimmy Fallon will maintain Jay Leno's No. 1 status.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/73081/lets-help-nbc-pick-a-new-host-to-replace-jimmy-fallon-on-late-nightex_cid=grantland33

Bill Simmons and his Grantland staff offer some suggestions for "Late Night" host — as long as it's not Seth Meyers. Says Simmons: "Don't pick someone who might be better at hosting a late-night show than your 11:30 guy (and Seth might be better); don't pick someone who would potentially threaten your 11:30 guy (and Seth might); don't pick someone who overlaps with your 11:30 guy (and Seth comes from the Lorne Michaels/SNL machine, has many of the same talent/celebrity connections, and trusts all of the same people); don't pick someone who's the same age as your 11:30 guy (and Seth is one year older than Jimmy); and for a second time, DON’T PICK SOMEONE FOR 12:30 WHO MIGHT BE BETTER THAN YOUR 11:30 GUY. Because that could potentially be awkward."

While I think Jay Leno is beyond stale, he's still pulling in decent ratings, so I don't quite get the switch. Nevertheless, I'm happy for Jimmy. His Late Night has turned into something pretty special so I hope it can transfer to the Tonight show.

http://tvhowl.com/2013/04/04/nbcs-bold-move-fix-a-show-that-wasnt-broken/

Despite his younger age, there's no guarantee Jimmy Fallon will maintain Jay Leno's No. 1 status.

Jimmy Fallon is another clown who will fail at 11:35pm

http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/03/22/late-night-tv-needs-a-makeover/

Amid signs that NBC may be looking to replace one-time network favorite Jay Leno on The Tonight Show with rising star Jimmy Fallon, at least one thing is clear: Late-night television is in need of a serious overhaul.

....that Jay Leno's audience share is slowly decreasing since Jimmy Kimmel began appearing directly opposite "THE TONIGHT SHOW" last January. As of now, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE" {he's not!} has about 100,000 viewers less than Jay...and he may very well become the most-watched late night host on the networks [in terms of audience and the 18-49 year old advertising demographic]. That might put more pressure on the network to replace Jay with Jimmy Fallon sooner than announced....

:tv:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-nbc-518867

Instead, Fallon's current studio will be renovated at a cost of $5 million that will expand its capacity from 189 seats to 240. NBC previously planned to build a 400-seat megastudio for Fallon.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tvtattle#3WW5t0dk8mDJdu4O.99

They need to scrap the talk show altogether

Jay Leno still has great ratings, the idiots at NBC would still rather have Fallon. :rolleyes:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/jay-leno-ratings-strong-tonight-show/

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-very-likeable-fall-and-rise-of-jimmy-fallon,67743/

Jimmy Fallon was destined to fail as a late-night host. So what happened?

Trying to replace Jay Leno = Trouble.

Jay Leno deciding to retire for a certain reason (health complications, etc.) and no good replacement for him is found = Trouble.

Jay is DA MAN! DA KING of late night!

NBC are delusional fools to fire Leno! He's the #1 talent on their network! Look at all the people older than Leno who work or worked on TV everyday like Letterman, Larry King, Chris Matthews, Barbara Walters, and although not everyday Betty White is 30 years older than Jay and has an NBC contract!

Fallon is NOT funny! He does these stupid impressions but isn't funny! This move will BOMB big time!

Jay Leno still has great ratings, the idiots at NBC would still rather have Fallon. :rolleyes:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/jay-leno-ratings-strong-tonight-show/

I KNOW! :mad:

Like I said above NBC is totally insane! Leno could host till he's 70 EASILY!

Amy Ozols Named Producer of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
by NELLIE ANDREEVA
Tuesday June 11, 2013


A woman will continue to call the shots on "The Tonight Show". Veteran "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" writer Amy Ozols has been named producer of the upcoming "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", which will premiere in February.

"The Tonight Show" is reverting to its former title, used for "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" before “starring” was replaced by “with” for hosts Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.

Ozols will produce the show, which will originate from NBC‘s 30 Rock in New York, while Lorne Michaels serves as executive producer.





“Amy Ozols has been with Jimmy since the very beginning of Late Night,” Michaels said. “She is brilliant. I think she is the right choice to lead The Tonight Show into the future.”

Added Fallon, “It’s been so fun working with Amy these past four years — she’s been a standout writer and producer since we started Late Night.”





"Tonight Show" has a tradition of female producers at the helm — Debbie Vickers has been the longtime executive producer on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".

Ozols, a Harvard/Harvard Law School graduate and Harvard Lampoon alum, has been a writer for "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" since the show’s premiere in 2009. She has written and produced some of the most popular "Late Night" parodies — including those on the "Real Housewives" franchise, "Glee" (“6-bee”) and "Game of Thrones" (“Game of Desks”) — as well as numerous other pieces including Fallon’s well-received opening to the 2010 Emmy Awards.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/amy-ozols-named-producer-of-the-tonight-show-starring-jimmy-fallon/