Jay Leno's last "Tonight" show set for May 29, 2009
 

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Conan O'Brien will take over the "Tonight Show" next June and what happens to deposed host Jay Leno after that is anybody's guess.

Leno's last show will be Friday, May 29, and O'Brien will start the following Monday, June 1, NBC executives told a Television Critics Association meeting Monday.

NBC is angling to keep Leno with the network but the late-night king has indicated he's ready to jump ship. NBC competitors, including other networks and syndicators, are eager to help him make the leap.

Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, NBC Entertainment co-chairmen, were asked about the specter of Leno being hired by ABC and overpowering O'Brien in the ratings.

"We really believe in the decisions we've made with our partners, including Jay" and are standing by them, Silverman replied.

Jimmy Fallon is poised to take over O'Brien's "Late Night" in March or April of 2009, after honing his approach in brief Internet shows, Silverman and Graboff said.

O'Brien will wrap his "Late Night" run sometime in the first quarter of the year, with exact dates to be determined, the executives said. O'Brien reruns will fill the gap until Fallon takes over.

Ive been wondering if fallon will do well and i also wonder if, like Leno, moving to head spot will make conan simmer down his antics...

I love conan as is... i just wonder...

Conan is such a poor choice for the crowd who watches The Tonight Show. A lot of people who watch are the same ones who watched when it was The Johnny Carson show. Conan can't compare to Carson or Leno. He's not even in the same league.

watch some old leno...

he was nearly as wacky as conan is now...

this goes with my question in my previous post

I read somewhere that Leno said he hasn't spent 1 dime from all his years of salary from the Tonight Show. If that's the case, he's got quite the nest egg!

Glad the king of all brown nosers will be off the tonight show.

The question I've been asking is what will happen to the bands & other crew? I don't want Conesy to change! Can't imagine what will happen to jar barf . . .

Leno is doing to this so he can leave NBC and do work elsewhere?

WOW that's a HUGE slap in the face to NBC and the Tonight Show..

That's amazing.

How is it a slap in the face to quit something when you have more fucking money than you know what to do with? He's said before he wants to go back to doing stand-up and didn't want to do tv until he croaked.

we'll see how much ABC offers him 1st. :winkwink:

No great loss - I can barely tolerate watchin' Leno anyways.

Carson set the benchmark.

Thank god. Jay Leno is one of the un-funniest people on TV.

Yah your right I did some reading just now and learned a lot I didnt know about the tonight show, nbc and jay leno...

Has nothing to do with jay leno leaving to persue another tv project..

The late night TV shit storm is a comin! All of these personalities are quite different so it'll be interesting to see how things pan out come May 29, 2009.