Why Former Jay Leno Fans Turned Their Back on 'The Tonight Show'
Jay Leno has had a few weeks to settle back into his old 'Tonight Show' digs and the ratings show that he's already beaten David Letterman in overall viewership and the prized 18-34 demo. But we wondered whether any old fans decided not to go along for the ride. Were there any former Leno fans who were so turned off by January's late night drama that they suddenly found Jay hard to take? We asked readers to join our Pop Chorus. Here are two of their stories.
A Late-Night Letdown by Richard Todd Aguayo
Jay Leno made a career for himself as a safe, make-no-waves, blue-collar comedian and as such, he tickled the funny bone of most of America for over sixteen years as 'The Tonight Show' host. But there's one thing Americans, especially in Jay's demographic, demand: courage and honor.
It was bad enough that NBC seemed to cave in to their affiliates by pulling the plug on Conan after only eight months, but what made matters worse was that Jay was seen as an accessory for going along with the whole thing.
What would have happened had Jay done the honorable thing, i.e. standing up for a fellow comedian, and refusing to return to 'The Tonight Show' if NBC pulled Conan off the air? NBC would have been forced to show some courage and keep Conan on the air just as it did with Jay when he started, until the ratings improved. However, NBC had no such courage, because Jay had no such honor.
It's not like Jay Leno needed the money -- the man has more cars than most people have socks. With all of that drama, I was still ready to give this re-engagement a chance. >>>
Give Jay His Walking Papers by Dominique Lewis
As a teenager, there was something I did not like about Jay Leno, but I could never put my finger on it. Maybe it was his chin; I don't know. But in my twenties, I had a baby, and as I stayed up most nights trying to rock him to sleep, I was forced to watch 'The Tonight Show' and, surprisingly, I enjoyed it. Soon, I was trying to watch 'Tonight' as much as possible. I liked Jay Leno's monologues and I absolutely loved 'Jaywalking.' When I learned that NBC executives were planning to give Conan O'Brien the show, I thought it was a bad idea because both of their shows were doing extremely well. Why make such a drastic change? Why fix what isn't broken?
I accepted the new change. I figured I would be able to stay up and watch both Jay and Conan. But when they aired in their new time slots, I thought they were terrible compared to the shows I was used to. Once Letterman was the new late night leader, I knew NBC executives were going to try to bring Jay Leno back to 11:35. It didn't make a difference to me, because I wanted the shows to be exactly like they were. I should have known Conan would not go for such a cruel demotion. >>>
I fired up the TV and prepared to be wowed. I felt comforted because I knew there were others just like me who were watching to see how this whole thing would turn out. The show began and I sat there waiting, although I'm not sure what I was waiting for. Something spectacular? Groundbreaking? I knew there would be some skit to introduce the show. Sure enough, a "no place like home" ode to 'The Wizard of Oz' welcomed Jay and his crew back to late-night, and that's when my heart began to sour.
Home? That's what Jay called it. Home. He even said it in his monologue, "It's great to be back home." As if 'The Tonight Show' was "his." Perhaps if he had said, "It's great to be back" or something to that effect. But he acted as though the last eight months were just a detour to an inevitable return. No mention of Conan. No nod for the courage and honor Conan displayed in maintaining the integrity of the 'Tonight' franchise when he refused to take a later time slot. Jay plowed through his first show back as if returning from a vacation in which a guest host filled in. In fact, if that were the case, Jay probably would have thanked that guest host, or at least mentioned them. But no, it was business as usual: all for Jay and Jay for Jay.
Conan lost 'The Tonight Show,' but he hasn't lost late-night. He's probably mustering his forces, preparing for a return on a rival network in the fall. This is when the late night war will really be fought. Yet, I fear as this war continues, I may be in for another late-night letdown. Some wars are just and some are necessary, but none are good for making people laugh.
I visited my mother-in-law, and she was sitting on her couch watching Oprah.
Oprah's guest was Jay Leno, so I sat down and watched the interview.
This particular interview made me disgusted with him. He was such a liar; he made it seem like he was the puppet and the NBC executives were pulling the strings. He said okay to every idea that involved keeping him on television. He told the truth about wondering why he was being asked to step down after having the number one show for twenty years. However, he lied about agreeing with the executives' plan only because he was still under a contract. He could not admit that he did not want anyone else to host 'The Tonight Show.' He has made millions of dollars, and he could have stepped down from television altogether. Other people deserve the chance to shine.
I once thought Jay Leno was very funny and down-to-earth. Now it is obvious -- Jay Leno is a selfish man who only has two obsessions: his cars and 'The Tonight Show.' It's a show he wants to hog until the day he dies. Therefore, I will not be watching the new and "improved" version.
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CoCo is gone -- Leno is back -- Fallon is in. it is what it is: Life.
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You are right. Fallon isn,t the best in the world yet but he is learning and is SOOOOOOOOOOO much better than that conan guy. Really glad he is gone. I would rather watch inframercials. They are much funier than him.
Did not like Leno; So-so @ Coco; definitely not Fallon; absolutely love Craig Ferguson; move him to an earlier time slot, than the late late late night time show and up his budget.
nice job spelling infomercial it really shows how intelligent you are go back to school and learn to spell before busting on someones late night show their certainly smarter and funnier than you
jake you not any smarter either haha. "their certainly smarter than you". try they are. people like you make my day.
they're**^^^
As far as I am concerned this whole mess in NBC's fault. They messed up a good thing and then really messed up trying to fix it. Jay Leno is one of the best late night host and I will watch him as always. Conan took a chance and it didn't work, he got a very good settlement and a lot of sentiment so he will be ok, move on. People are too hard on Jay Leno.
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Yvonne
I agree with you 100%!!!!!!!
I totally agree with Yvonne. People and Media are too hard on Jay Leno. I'll keep watching the JL Tonight show
Jay is getting a very bad rap...Letterman has always been so jealous of him so took advantage of the situation to bash Leno. Can't wait for Jay to show everyone that he is the one that should have stayed in the late night spot. Conan was terrible and the rating showed how the fans felt. Of course he had a few fans that have been very vocal about how he got a bad rap...but the ratings showed how most of the people felt. Glad he is gone and Jay is back.
Absolutely Agree!!! IT WAS AKK NBC'S PROBLEM. I SAID FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THAT THAT WOULD NEVER WORK. I AM GLAD CONAN IS GONE. I COULD NOT STAND TO WATCH HIM. HE IS A MORON. JAY LENO IS THE BEST LATE NIGHT HOST & NBC SHOULD NEVER HAVE TAKEN HIM OUT OF THAT TIME SLOT. I DO NOT SEE HOW ANYONE COULD THINK CONAN IS SO GREAT. I AM GETTING TIRED OF ALL OF THIS. THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH JAY WANTING HIS SHOW BACK, YES I SAID HIS SHOW!!
I totally agree with you. What is so sad about this mess is this happens everyday in corportate America but this time it got played out in the media.
Jay is the best of the bunch! I watched him before and will watch him now. The timing wasn't right for me at 10 pm but I recorded him. The entertainment media is going after him like they did Tom Cruise. Why?
Conan took a chance and lost. Leno did only as he was told. He is the best!!! He is a good human!!!
So far, of all the posts, Yvonne, you have gotten to the real crux of the issue. Leno and "CoCo" are merely pawns on board at NBC.
Yvonne,
There's nothing more to add to what you've said! AOL should just stop this stupid polling and leave Jay alone since he did nothing wrong here.
Too hard on Leno?? PLEASE! The guy gets the bad rap he deserves. His act is stale and the jokes are the same old lame rehash he's been putting out there for years. There's nothing fresh going on there. I'm embarrassed for a man his age spouting off high school humor the way he does.
I agree with you 100%. This is not Jay Leno's fault in any way. Where was the sympathy when he was pushed out of his slot so they could put Conan there? He accepted their decisionnot sgracefully and professionally. I cannot say the same for Conan. Hang in there, Jay, they will get over it!
AOL is picking on Jay because he is not the nasty liberal that letterman is and I am getting sick of AOL and their liberal leaning crap.How can they still like a guy that has been sexually abusing his women coworkers all these years?
funny or not , why is everyone busting Conans chops? it wasnt his fault ! like you said it was NBC's fault! Conan has nothing to do with it, they made him the sacrificial lamb NBC wants to wash their hands on this period. Conan did not force Jay out NBC did! If something was done forcibly it was Jay Leno who was forced out. They saw something in his show that was funny , and NBC thought maybe if they give him a show with his own name it,it might click but naah .. it got low ratings, Jerry Seinfeld said it at best when he was the guest. ha ha.