Jay Leno And The Ticking Clock

Thursday morning brought another Bill Carter piece in the NY Times outlining NBC's plans to install Jimmy Fallon as the new host of "The Tonight Show" before current host Jay Leno's contract expires next year. It's the latest in a series of stories floated in the past week on the subject and as you read them a couple of things become clear. At least some NBC executives feel some pathological need to talk about their late night plans in public. And it's also clear that they have been joined in the unnamed sources race by some people close to Jimmy Fallon.

Interestingly, there haven't been a lot of comments on or off the record from embattled host Jay Leno and that is typical for the long-time host of "The Tonight Show." Psychologically, he's not the type of personality to play what he thinks of as network politics. Add that to a general gun-shy approach to the press that dates back to his first days on the job and he stated desire to be liked more than being thought of as funny and you have a scenario where Leno is not likely to give an interview skewering NBC or telling his side of the story.

But if Leno isn't ready for the big tell-all interview some of this supporters and staff members are not nearly as reticent. In recent days I've heard from several close associates of the host, wanting to discuss their take on the situation. I've written favorably about Leno in the past and I suppose they felt that they'd get a fair hearing. Based on some of the conversations, it's clear that a general distrust of the entertainment press among Team Leno members runs pretty deep.

According to these sources, NBC executives began seriously discussing a transition late last year and apparently presented it as a done deal to Leno. "I think there's a sense at NBC that he (Leno) doesn't have the options he had a couple of years ago and that he has little interest in anything that isn't 'The Tonight Show,'" said one person close to the discussions between the two sides. "The network has some people who don't appreciate his legacy or what he's done for NBC and the show. And they have trouble hiding that attitude with the staff or with Jay."

Several people told me that Leno feels as if NBC executives don't give the respect that he deserves based on his ratings and his willingness to be a good soldier for the network. "He remembers that even Carson was eventually pushed out, but NBC was respectful of his decision and gave him the type of send-off he deserved," said one former staff member. "Contrast that with the way they're treating him now in the press. He's not a F%^$*#g idiot....He knows that this talk is a way to get him to just walk away gracefully."

No one I spoke with could say with certainty what Leno plans to do about the situation until he leaves the show. "Some of us would like to see him push back publicly and I think part of him finds that an attractive idea. But Jay's a guy who wants to be liked and he's still hurt about the way things played out in the press when he first got the chair (as host of the "Tonight Show)." An NBC executive who has known Leno for a number of years but doesn't have a direct part in this decision told me that the situation is exacerbated by two conflicting narratives for the transition. "I think Jay believes that he should be able to stay on the show as long as he's doing what he's supposed to do and the ratings stay strong," he said. "But there are people at NBC who see him as part of the past and there's this weird irritation that he continues to do so well.... The best case scenario for them would have been for him to fail when he returned to late nights and then they could have replaced him without getting pushback from the affiliates.... Now they have the worst of both worlds and the more complicated this gets, the more it pisses them off and they dig in their heels."

The sense from Leno's supporters is that NBC would like him to exit earlier than the originally planned September 2014 farewell, but that if that happens, it going to cost the network. "For some reason I get the impression that Bob (Greenblatt) and other execs feel as if they move along with their plans, Jay will fall in line," said one "Tonight Show" staffer. "But he feels as if he's been screwed over time and time again and I don't see him going easily and without exacting some pain at their expense."

According to several sources NBC would owe Leno a penalty fee if he's forced to leave early, reportedly "somewhere in the $5 million range."

"Here's a guy who has done everything he's been asked and then every day he sees some other story quoting some network weasel who can't wait for him to leave," said one longtime associate. "I don't care how much you want to be liked. At some point you want to just say 'F&^%D you' to everyone involved."

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