On July 1, 2010, Variety reported that only six months into its second life, Leno's Tonight Show posted its lowest ratings since 1992. By September 2010, Leno's ratings in the adults demographic had fallen below those of O'Brien when he had hosted The Tonight Show. NBC ratings specialist Tom Bierbaum commented that due to the host being out of late night television for a period of time and the subsequent 2010 Tonight Show conflict, Leno's ratings fall was "not a surprise at all". In October 2010, David Letterman beat Leno's program in the ratings, for the first time since Leno returned to hosting The Tonight Show. By May 2011, Leno's Tonight Show regained the lead and has held it since then. However, by August 2012, The Los Angeles Times was reporting that The Tonight Show was in serious trouble for a number of reasons, most notably that NBC has been losing money.
While Leno offered to take a pay cut, at least 24 members of his staff were laid off. On May 13, 2013, during its fall "upfronts" presentation, NBC confirmed Fallon would take over as host of the Tonight Show beginning on February 17, 2014; Seth Meyers, in turn, would leave Saturday Night Live and take over Fallon's time slot. Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show on May 22, 1992, and was replaced by Jay Leno. David Letterman wanted to move into the earlier time slot from his late night spot after The Tonight Show, and he was also considered by many as the natural successor (despite Leno having been Carson's permanent guest host for several years). With his heart set on the earlier time slot, Letterman left NBC in June 1993 and joined CBS that August.
The Late Show with David Letterman, airing in the same slot, competed against The Tonight Show for the remainder of Leno's run. Leno would outdo Letterman in ratings for the majority of the show's run. Conan O'Brien slid into the late night time slot vacated by Letterman in September 1993. Following the September 11 attacks, The Tonight Show was off the air for about a week, as were most similar programs. The first post-9/11 episode began with a still image of an American flag and a subdued opening without the usual opening credits. Leno's monologue paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to firefighters, police and rescue workers across the US.
He also told a story about himself as a 12-year old Boy Scout, which Leno said he was not a very good one because of his dyslexia. His scoutmaster gave him the task of being the "cheermaster" of the troop, in which Leno told jokes to the troop to keep their spirits up. Senator John McCain and the musical group Crosby, Stills, and Nash were featured guests. Leno also organized an auction for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle signed by celebrities (he signed his name on-stage), with the proceeds going to 9/11 support organizations. For an extended period after the attack, a short clip of a large American flag waving was shown in between the announcement of the musical guest and Leno's introduction during the opening montage.
Neither O'Brien's version of the program, which premiered June 1, 2009, nor The Jay Leno Show generated the ratings NBC had expected. The network decided to move a condensed 30-minute version of Leno's show to O'Brien's time slot, and O'Brien's Tonight Show a half-hour later. This decision met with opposition from O'Brien, and his stint on The Tonight Show ended January 22, 2010, after which he began his own talk show on TBS.
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno then began its second incarnation, the sixth of the franchise, on March 1, 2010. Leno left The Tonight Show for good on February 6, 2014 and on February 17, was succeeded by Late Night host Jimmy Fallon, at which time the series returned to New York for the first time since 1972. This decision met with opposition from O'Brien, whose stint on The Tonight Show ended January 22, 2010, after which he began his own talk show, Conan, on TBS. Talk show host Conan O'Brien said goodbye to late night last night , wrapping his final episode ofConanon TBS. On his final episode, the ginger icon welcomed final guest Jack Black, who sent him off with a heavy metal version of Sinatra's "My Way" .
Former late night talk show host Jay Leno has apologized for making jokes about Asians, according to an Asian American advocacy group. By the time he gets behind the desk, it's clear that, even though his name is in the title of the show, he was still trying to live up to the legacy of the man he replaced. Even the appearance of Billy Crystal, a fellow Comedy Store vet and a buddy of Leno's, as the first guest wasn't enough to ease his discomfort. Leno looks physically relieved when the hour comes to a close and he's able to announce his guests for the next show. With that leverage, Leno's notoriously ball-busting manager Helen Kushnick worked the phones and got her client a dream job as one of the substitute hosts for The Tonight Show. Already a favorite of Carson's, it seemed like a natural fit even if he was a little visibly unsure of himself whenever he sat behind that famous desk.
And the network was beyond pleased as he also brought with him a younger demographic of viewers. So with other guest host Garry Shandling bowing out to concentrate his efforts on his Showtime series It's Garry Shandling's Show, NBC gleefully announced at a big network event at Carnegie Hall in 1991 that Leno would have the job permanently. What then head of programming Warren Littlefield didn't anticipate was that shortly afterward, Carson would let the world know that he would be retiring from The Tonight Show next May.
In the May 2011 sweeps period, all of NBCs late night programming had increased viewership. The Tonight Show received a 15% increase in viewership compared with the first 36 weeks of last season. In that process, it outlasted rival late night talk shows Jimmy Kimmel Live! Both of Leno's lead-in, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Last Call with Carson Daly, also received increased viewership. For the season, in the 18–49 demographic, The Tonight Show had 4 million viewers, compared with Late Show, which had 3.5 million, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Nightline, though, still beat Leno in the May 2011 sweeps, with 4.4 million viewers.
For at least six weeks following his return to The Tonight Show, Leno's program beat Letterman in the overall ratings each night, though with a reduced lead in comparison to his first tenure. By mid-2010, The Tonight Show was receiving its lowest ratings since 1992, an average of 4 million total viewers, though he remained ahead of Letterman, who experienced a coinciding decline in ratings. In September 2010, The Tonight Show posted its lowest numbers on record, with Leno averaging 3.8 million viewers.
This was a 12% increase in total viewers over O'Brien at the same time the previous year, but still 23% below O'Brien in the coveted 18–49 demographic. For the first time in almost 15 years, the show slipped to second place in its time slot being consistently beaten by Nightline. In October 2010, Letterman beat Leno's program in the ratings, for the first time since Leno returned to hosting The Tonight Show. It was announced on July 21, 2008 that Leno would host his final episode of The Tonight Show on Friday, May 29, 2009 with O'Brien and James Taylor as his guests. O'Brien took over hosting duties commencing the following Monday, on June 1, 2009.
Both Leno's "Tonight Show" and Fallon's "Late Night" are going out on top, with Leno seeing his best overnight ratings since Conan O'Brien's tenure, and Fallon experiencing a 17% ratings increase to date. Leno has been winning the late night ratings battle each night, trumping the "Late Show with David Letterman" on CBS and "Jimmy Kimmel Live! NBC hopes Fallon can keep up the winning streak, attract younger viewers and keep rising star Kimmel at bay.
Leno and Fallon have kept any rumors of a new late night "feud" at bay, speaking graciously about each other to the press. Despite the controversy, Leno soon earned a reputation for his cordial, easygoing manner, strong work ethic, and knack for connecting with his audience. Under Leno's leadership, the program garnered four Emmy Awards (1995–97; 1999), and Leno was awarded numerous accolades, including a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2000. By 2008 the show was attracting more than five million nightly viewers, nearly one and a half times as many as its nearest rival, the Late Show. On November 18, 2010, former President George W. Bush made his first appearance on a late night talk show since leaving office. This marked the first time that a sitting President of the United States appeared on a late night talk show.
President Obama came under fire for a remark made about the Special Olympics, which he made in reference to Leno's congratulations to Obama's low bowling score. Besides its celebrity and musical guests, Leno's show will also include some of the comedian's signature comedy bits, like Jay Walking. He'll save newspaper headlines for the end of the show when he'll tell viewers to stay tuned for their local news. The "we" could be referring to No. 3 ranked NBC, which hasn't had a primetime hit in years.
Rather than try to compete with the usual drama or news magazine show during the 10 to 11 p.m. Leno's comedy-variety show marks a major departure for a broadcast network -- and not everyone thinks it's a good idea. Leno compares the new show to the JayWalking segments from The Tonight Show. He also plans to bring back some other favorites, like Headlines, along with a short monologue of jokes.
Leno also hosts and produces the CNBC series Jay Leno's Garage, which is in its' fifth season exploring the world of automobiles, and hearing stories of the guests behind the wheel. This new opportunity is proof he plans to continue entertaining audiences for years to come. And so began over two decades worth of strained mediocrity with thousands upon thousands of obtuse jokes told and an equal amount of plodding conversations with famous people from around the world. Beyond that, it was a quick slide into a kind of cultural irrelevance that was post-nightly news comfort food for the Baby Boomer generation. Unfortunately, Leno's new show, which aired at 10 p.m., failed to attract much of an audience. The ratings for The Tonight Show also declined after O'Brien took over as host.
NBC planned to move Leno's program to late-night, subsequently pushing O'Brien's Tonight Showto after midnight. When O'Brien refused to accept the scheduling change, the network eventually decided to put Leno back behind the desk at The Tonight Show. Beginning his stand-up career while in college, comedian Jay Leno moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and wrote for television. He became a guest host of The Tonight Show in 1987 and took over as permanent host after Johnny Carson retired in 1992.
Leno stepped down to launch a prime-time show in 2009 but soon returned to The Tonight Show for another four years. After 17 years, Leno was announced to be replaced by his successor Conan O'Brien. The plan was to have O'Brien take over hosting duties a few days after Leno's final episode. Originating from NBC Studios in Burbank, California, the "Tonight Show" aired Monday through Fridays. The series followed the same familiar format, opening with a host monologue. Then, comedy routines, interviews with Hollywood's biggest stars, and musical performances.
Former late-night talk show host Jay Leno made his debut on May 25, 1992. A fourth incarnation of the "Tonight Show", he started three days after Johnny Carson retired. Unlike his predecessors, Leno always looked to host in-person and had a guest host only one time.
After three decades with the hugely successful Tonight Show, Carson decided to retire. Carson, who was married four times, stayed largely out of the public spotlight after retiring. On January 23, 2005, the late-night TV legend died at the age of 79 of complications from emphysema. John William Carson was born on October 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa. By the early 1950s, he was living in California and working in radio and the emerging medium of television. He later moved to New York City and in 1957 became the host of the popular game show Who Do You Trust?
In 1958, Carson appeared on The Tonight Show as a substitute for host Jack Paar. The Tonight Show had originated in 1951 in Los Angeles as a radio program hosted by Steve Allen. In 1954, the program moved to TV and in 1956, Jack Parr replaced Allen as the host.
Carson took over permanent hosting duties from Parr on October 1, 1962. He hosted the show from New York City until 1972, when it relocated to Burbank, California. Comedian Jay Leno said an emotional goodbye to the "Tonight Show" on Thursday with a star-studded farewell led by actor Billy Crystal, after hosting the NBC late night program for more than 20 years and handing the reins over to Jimmy Fallon.
In Portugal, the show was first shown on SIC Comedia until the channel was off the air by the end of 2006. The show was switched to SIC Mulher until Leno moved to prime-time. Sic Radical used to broadcast The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien following the demand from their target audience to O'Brien's humor, after Jimmy Fallon took over Late Night. The contract that both NBC and SIC had was not expired by the time The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien got cancelled, so the network received the rights to exhibit The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
On January 24, 2005, Leno had a special episode that paid tribute to Tonight Show predecessor Johnny Carson, who had died the day before. During the opening credits, the guests of that show were simply announced using pictures from when they were on Carson's Tonight Show, and the monologue simply gave condolence to Carson. There were no segments used; however, Leno played clips from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson before commercials. All the guests were people who had worked with Carson, and had been on his show, including Ed McMahon, Drew Carey, Don Rickles, and Bob Newhart.
Jay Leno, host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" from 1992 to 2014 , will host his final show Thursday night. The celebrated comedian is handing over the reins to Jimmy Fallon, who has been hosting NBC's "Late Night" since 2009. There's no word on who will guest on the May 29 series finale or, if there will even be any. Leno's predecessor, Johnny Carson, preferred to end his legendary 30 year run rather simply in June 1992, by showing various clips and chatting with Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen, and the studio audience.
Reportedly 55 million people tuned in to say goodbye on that special night. The former host of "The Tonight Show" and his longtime bandleader will co-host a reboot of the classic comedy show "You Bet Your Life". They are guests on the "1on1 with Jon Evans" podcast talking about what viewers can expect to see when the show debuts in September.
By one exhaustive count, the outgoing Tonight show host made 4,607 jokes at the former president's expense during his time on the program. The voices of late-night shows developed into a beacon of hope and solace. They cackle jokes about the news of the day like we've grown accustomed to seeing, but also wax poetic when tragedy befalls the nation, from mass shootings to the coronavirus. He reportedly decided to reduce his salary in an effort to save the jobs of some of his Tonight Show staffers.
Around the same time, rival network ABC announced that it would move Jimmy Kimmel Live! In 2003, Leno announced that he planned to leave NBC by 2010.Conan O'Brien of Late Night with Conan O'Brien was soon named Leno's heir apparent on The Tonight Show. In December 2008, shortly before Leno's contract was set to expire, the network announced that his upcoming show would air in a prime-time slot. In 1992, Johnny Carson surprised many by retiring from his long-standing role as America's beloved and premier talk show host. There had been speculation that Letterman, whose Late Night show followed Carson's, would take over hosting duties, a position he had publicly coveted.
However, NBC instead picked the clean-cut Leno, considered a safer, more middle-America-friendly choice. Leno made his first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1977 and became a regular on the variety show The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. In the mid-1980s, Leno hosted his first comedy special on TV,Jay Leno and the American Dream. Around this same period, he made numerous successful appearances on late-night TV, particularly onLate Night with David Letterman. In 1987, he signed a deal with NBC that made him one of two permanent guest hosts of The Tonight Show, a position he soon claimed solely for himself.
Each edition of The Tonight Show began with Carson's sidekick Ed McMahon announcing "Heeere's Johnny! " Carson, who became known for his relaxed, affable stage presence and dapper appearance, performed an opening monologue of jokes, punctuated by his trademark golf swing. Following the monologue, he would banter with McMahon and the show's bandleader Doc Severinsen and sometimes perform skits and play characters such as Carnac the Magnificent, an "all-knowing seer," and the elderly Aunt Blabby. The Tonight Show featured sit-downs with the day's biggest movie and TV stars, as well as athletes, politicians, singers, comedians and animal acts.
