Did Lorne Michaels Just Throw Carson Daly Under The Bus?

When it comes to late night television, some NBC executives seem genetically incapable of keeping their mouths shut. From the days of Johnny Carson's exit, every late night move on the network has been leaked way ahead of the official announcement. That incessant leaking was in full play recently in the days leading up to the official announcement that Jimmy Fallon would be the new host of "The Tonight Show."

The next round of leaks began yesterday, with this NY Times piece by Bill Carter breaking the "news" that NBC was considering "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin as a replacement for Carson Daly on "Last Call."

NBC is in the midst of what looks like a complete overhaul of its late-night lineup. Last week, the network confirmed that Jimmy Fallon, now host of NBC’s "Late Night," would be taking over the "Tonight" from Jay Leno when he steps down next February. The show will move from Los Angeles to New York with Mr. Fallon as star.

After that move was announced, speculation immediately began about who might succeed Mr. Fallon at the "Late Night" show. Now the mutual interest between Mr. Baldwin and NBC about opening a late-night spot for the actor could result in three new late-night hosts for NBC.

I had recently wrote a piece about Jay Leno that had apparently been well-received by some of the people I spoke with, since my phone began ringing as soon as the Carter piece was posted. The immediate speculation was this particular leak came from Lorne Michaels or someone close to him and this particular paragraph could lead credence to the theory:

The Emmy-winning actor is in the mix for a spot in NBC’s late-night lineup, one executive involved in the network’s program planning said. The executive asked not to be identified because the talks were still in initial stages.

Note that Carter doesn't say the person is an NBC executive, but is an "executive involved in the network's program planning." A description which fits NBC's budding late night mogul Lorne Michaels pretty well. Michaels currently produces "Saturday Night Live" and will executive produce "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon." He has said to be pushing Seth Meyers for Fallon's replacement on "Late Night" and control of "Last Call" would make him the network's dominant late night figure. Baldwin has hosted "SNL" a number of times and is just coming off of his role on the Lorne Michaels-produced "30 Rock." He also signed an overall two-year deal with the network late last year, so he's still in the NBC family for now.

So why would this be leaked now? One NBC executive I spoke with Wednesday morning speculated that it was an effort to force the network's hand over the future of "Last Call." "Lorne has his thoughts on the show and it's fair to say that not everyone here agrees," added the exec. "Lorne is a genius when it comes to playing the press and if he wasn't the source for this....well, I expect he knows who was." One "Tonight Show" staffer I spoke with seconded the theory, noting that "you never see Michaels talking about his plans for anything. Then these stories break and it's like that old saying about you never see the bullet that kills you? The story pops nationally before you know what's going on and suddenly you're cleaning out your desk."

Obviously this is just speculation and none of the parties involved are willing to talk on the record about the piece. But it's clear that changes are coming to "Last Call" and it's difficult to believe NBC would make a move without Daly's cooperation.