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Jay Leno Sets Date for His ‘Tonight Show’ Departure — Ahead of Schedule

Aug 12, 2013  •  Post A Comment

The end date has been set for Jay Leno’s run on NBC’s "Tonight Show," with the late-night fixture wrapping it up well before his contract ends. Leno’s final episode will air Feb. 6, 2014, The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports.

That’s earlier than the September 2014 end date for his NBC contract, the report notes. Leno is ending his run just before the Winter Olympics, with NBC expected to use its coverage of the high-profile sports event to help gain attention for new "Tonight" host Jimmy Fallon.

Staff on the show will be paid through the end of Leno’s contract. With Leno’s departure, the show will shift production to NBC’s 30 Rock headquarters in New York City, from its current Burbank location, as Fallon takes over as host.

Leno has been hosting "Tonight" since May 1992, taking over after Johnny Carson’s 30-year run. Leno was off the show for nine months in 2009 and 2010 while NBC experimented — unsucessfully — with Conan O’Brien on "Tonight" and tried out Leno in prime time.

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Jay Leno

One Comment

  1. I thought that this was already a done deal given that Jimmy will take over after the “Olympics.”

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