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NBC Will Announce Jimmy Fallon As Tonight Show Host, Starting February 2014
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 3, 2013
Modified Apr 3, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 3, 2013
Modified Apr 3, 2013
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After weeks of basically confirmed rumors, NBC is set to reveal its latest worst-kept secret: Jimmy Fallon will take over the Tonight Show and the show will move to New York from Los Angeles. The NY Times reports, "NBC plans to announce on Wednesday its plan to install Mr. Fallon as the show’s sixth host at the conclusion of the network’s coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi, Russia."
While the whole Jay Leno-in-primetime and Conan O'Brien debacle is fresh in everyone's memory, the NY Times reports that Jay Leno is cool about all this. Leno said in an interview, "The main difference between this and the other time is I’m part of the process. The last time the decision was made without me. I came into work one day and — you’re out.” This time around “there really aren’t any complications like there were the last time... This time it feels right."
Um, in 2004, after Conan O'Brien was announced as Leno's successor in 2009, Leno said, "When I signed my new contract, I felt that the timing was right to plan for my successor, and there is no one more qualified than Conan. Plus, I promised my wife Mavis I would take her out for dinner before I turned 60." But Leno never sang a duet with Conan!
Anyway, according to the Times, NBCUniversal President Steve Burke reached out to Leno to make sure he felt okay with everything. Burke said, “Clearly our goal has been to make this a smooth transition. Jay deserves to be treated like someone who has done a wonderful thing for our company for two decades." And Leno says he suggested that Fallon's first Tonight Show be after the Winter Olympics, "If we really want to give him a good send-off, how about after the Olympics?... I’ve kept it No. 1 one for about 90 percent of my term here, and I would like to see Jimmy keep it at No. 1, which I’m sure he will."
Fallon insisted he wasn't involved in the transition plan, "I just kind of wanted to keep doing my job well," and added that he has "nothing but respect for Jay. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have a show to be taking over."
Leno claims he'll just be on the road for stand-up comedy and not back on television, "I’ve done this job for a long time and I really enjoy it. Would I do it again? Believe me, the phone’s not ringing off the hook. It will be nice if people seem interested. But I’ll let it sit where it is."
Tagged
jay leno
jimmy fallon
late night drama
nbc
tonight show
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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