Jay Leno on His Feud with Jimmy Kimmel

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A can’t miss conversation with the great Jay Leno, where Bill Maher and Jay share hilarious stories like Jay’s true feelings about his beef with Jimmy Kimmel, the time Jay took toilet paper as payment for a stand-up gig, why Jay hid in the closet and eavesdropped on NBC execs during the Tonight Show drama, what NBC told Jay when they fired him, what made the blind guy who climbed Mount Everest furious, and Jay’s dinner with Gorbachev.
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[@conor1666]

Craig Ferguson to James Corden has to be the biggest downgrade in the history of mankind 😂

[@slavexcalledxshiver]

FOR REAL🤣

[@paoloh.pabilonia8395]

here here

[@TheSkunkWhisperer]

Falon is the worst

[@TheRealJakeRyanMusic]

They dropped the ball on Craig. Criminally underrated.

[@EclecticBuddha]

I missed that show while it was on unfortunately. But it couldn't last. It was apolitical, unpolished, improvised, and genuinely kind. It was everything Hollywood hates because it doesn't have a specific formula an exec can take credit for and can't be used to sell whatever propaganda is the topic of the day.

[@keithhinchcliffe5629]

Who's 'they'? Ferguson wasn't cancelled, he quit cuz he didn't want to do it anymore. So what r u talking about?

[@justayoutuber1906]

@@EclecticBuddha WTF are you talking about? "Hollywood" loves ratings - Craig had them but was burned out and wanted to leave.

[@justayoutuber1906]

Sadly, Craigs style of comedy was even more sexually charged than even Conan's, so if definitely wouldn't have played at 11:30.

[@billscanlan5639]

Craig I think is one of the best. He is actually on the level of Conan as far as I’m concerned. It would be amazing to see Craig, Conan and Andy have a show together.

[@baitse7676]

Craig Ferguson is my favorite all time late night host

[@raiderjohnthemadbomber8666]

Ferguson was a BEAST. Incredibly funny, innovative and had the power to show the network execs his collection of avians.

[@Kevs442]

Hey, hey, hey...let's not bring the damn birs into this whole thing!

[@sunsetcliffs98]

Need to get Kimmel, Conan, Jay, Dave along with some old TV Execs to hash this out on live TV. Ratings would be bonkers.

[@warptek]

No they wouldn't. Late nite is dead. TV in general is dying. Nobody gives a crap anymore.

[@ghostpiratelechuck2259]

Remember: don’t blame Conan.

[@gallery7596]

@@ghostpiratelechuck2259 But really we can blame Conan.

[@lcflngn]

I would watch that, ‘specially since I had no clue what was going on at the time. But I like history.

[@kalindatchev994]

@@lcflngn Start by watching the movie, I think it was called 'Late Night'. it's about the time when NBC chose Leno over Letterman to be Carson's replacement; Jay is talking about it in the beginning of this video

[@Thurston.Howell.the.3rd]

Leno needs his own denim brand

[@askapk]

I'll be honest... I was a conan guy. Him and Craig were on at the same time and I made my choice. Now that conan is off the air I can go back and watch Craig Ferguson clips. He was great. They both were.

[@Nichole-440HP]

always loved Conan . his Conan needs a friend podcast is great . he's just naturally funny .

[@brendanwilliams8235]

100%

[@UNbowed62]

Yes indeed 😀

[@musicjunkiefl]

I’m Team Conan 100% too

[@MattyMatt80]

Team Conan! 100%

[@Paul-dw2cl]

Conan

[@johnnykarate_SweepLeg]

5:38 Answer: The Tonight Show has a legacy, has a huge audience and is considered the top spot. That's why he didn't go to Fox or anywhere else. It definitely wasn't loyalty.

[@JJ-nu8qi]

You think Dave or Conan would have been as successful as leno at that time?

[@bechtoea]

@@JJ-nu8qi No. They proved that. They both had their shot to be as successful and neither could pull it off. Leno got #1 about a year after taking over for Carson and never surrendered it. Letterman could out pull Leno with a decent guest but that was few and far between.

[@JJ-nu8qi]

@@bechtoea Thats my point he was just more likeable for that time slot and audience.

[@chriskay1449]

@@JJ-nu8qi Jay was a lot more like Carson than the other two ever were. Those two wanted to host their own style of show. Jay ran his show like he was still guest hosting Johnny's show.

[@internetonsetadd]

@@bechtoea Conan didn't get a chance. Leno's 10 pm show rapidly dropped off to become a ratings bomb. Leno took over for Carson, who had the only game in town for decades, and then years of benefiting from scripted dramas with good ratings as the pre-news lead-in. Conan had Leno's unwatched show and seven months. Not a recipe for success. That said I'm honestly not sure if Conan would have ultimately succeeded at 11:35. For most of my life it's been the network time slot where comedy goes to die - played generally safe and extremely repetitive, often with the sensibilities of middle America in mind. Jay's existing audience certainly wasn't tailor-made for Conan. For the show to have found its ratings footing he would have needed time.

[@geezerpidder]

Leno spends the whole interview denying Kimmel’s allegation that Jay was scheming to get his old show back, and then in the next breath he answers “let’s just play this out and see what happens” in regards to why he didn’t go to another network.

[@watchreport]

Yeah and I have seen interviews after this originally happened, I think the 60 minutes interview, where he keeps saying NBC wouldn't let him out of his contract. Now here he says he's loyal and let's see what happens? I am not saying Conan is all righteous and clean either, I know he lobbied for the Tonight Show and wanted Jay out, but you announced you were leaving, then stuck around to wait it out, went wherever they told you, then came back and took the Tonight Show again. Not one person in this whole debacle had any brains. It was a mess and NBC, Jay and Conan are all to blame. Conan less than the others, but still what a shit show.

[@gallery7596]

@@watchreport RE: "but you announced you were leaving," But let's remember this wasn't his idea. *NBC* wanted Jay to publicly congratulate Conan. RE: "...then stuck around to wait it out," Even when this plan was revealed in 2004, Jay couldn't just walk away. He was only half way through his then current contract. Now Conan could've left early in 2006 and had a show at *FOX,* but he chose to green light *NBC's* weird 5 year plan (something Jay was not even informed of until after the decision was made). RE: "...then came back and took the Tonight Show again." Conan chose to resign. Why should Jay not accept an offer to return to the show that Conan's deal originally took away from him? Though this was primarily *NBC's* fault, Conan's at least as responsible for that debacle as Jay was.

[@AllGrainHomeBrewing]

@@gallery7596 Sure Conan chose to leave. NBC stabbed him in the back with Jay's help. He was promised The Tonight Show...not the Tomorrow Show. And having a 10PM talk show lead-in undermined Conan on The Tonight Show at 11:35. I am fairly certain the NBC execs were expecting this outcome from the beginning. I blame NBC for cooking up this scheme and also blame Jay for being a willing part of it. I find nothing that Jay has said here persuasive. And I don't see how you blame Conan...at all. He wanted The Tonight Show and made it known to NBC. NBC could have refused and told Conan he had a job on Late Night for as long as he wanted, but they wanted to keep Jay on the Tonight Show. Conan would have probably left NBC. That isn't his fault. Instead, NBC hatched this scheme to try to have it both ways. They knew Jay at 10:00PM wasn't going to work and it would only serve to tank Conan's ratings on The Tonight Show at 11:35. Jay knew it too. Either way it would give NBC what it wanted...Jay back on the air at 11:35. And they wanted Jay on at 11:35 more than they wanted Conan at NBC. What stinks here is the way NBC handled it. Jay knew what was going on and went along with it.

[@Axs_Nice_Hair]

@@watchreport Chris Rock said the smartest thing about it in regrads to Conan. He said Conan had lousy lawyers because any smart lawyer would have made sure the contract was very clear and iron clad. Instead he had a contract that didn't specify time slots which created a loophole for NBC to get around.

[@JK-nq1dl]

@@AllGrainHomeBrewingJay owes him nothing. Conan schemes to get Lenos #1 rates show and gets paid millions to go away after failing but Lenos the bad guy? Also, Leno could mean see what happens as far as maybe the prime time show would succeed.

[@jonhall9476]

Part of the story I think get's overlooked in the Johnny-Dave-Jay saga that Jay mentions here, is that Johnny was frequently gone in the last years. Jay was the "permanent" guest host and did over 300 episodes in the final years of Johnny's tenure. Some folks like to say it was always Dave's, but if you're a "permanent" guest host of a show for 300 episodes, why can't you make a run for it too?

[@GDuncan8002]

It was never Dave's. He just thought it should be for some reason.

[@Askadena213]

Johnny disliked Leno and was not HIS choice to take over the show.

[@jameseff5499]

I’ve always liked Leno. He seems like a stand up guy

[@DedicatedSpirit8]

Dadum- tiss 2 shaves and a haircut.

[@luckyDancer100]

Conan might not agree

[@lorcansavage1550]

@@DedicatedSpirit8 shave and a haircut, two bits 🤡 2 shave and a haircut would be four bits and that’s not funny

[@DedicatedSpirit8]

@@lorcansavage1550 what about 6 shaves and no haircut?

[@lorcansavage1550]

@@DedicatedSpirit8 That’s just barberism. datum-tiss!

[@oatley5239]

Saw Leno do a two hour standup in a small theatre and had the place rocking. Never used one swear word…not one. Class act.

[@jesseycutter371]

He does 2 hours every Sunday in Hermosa Beach CA. It is so bad. I mean I guess it's ok for people 70 and up but that's about it. I took my mom and she had fun.

[@keithnorris8982]

Yes, I believe he just started hosting the tonight show when he rolled thru Dayton for a Saturday night personal appearance. Clean and very funny. I'm old enough to remember Jack Parr and Johnny Carson. Johnny was amazing. But yes, Jay was a class act as well!

[@22lyric]

@@jesseycutter371 maybe you didn't UNDERSTAND the jokes!

[@ge2623]

Seinfeld said that swearing was a crutch (i'm paraphrasing)

[@bencarlson4300]

It can be, but so can being “clean”

[@bobsagett]

Hope Jay Leno is recovering fast after that car fire prayers for him

[@fedfreds832]

Yeah he didn’t learn huh. Motorcycles are a lot more dangerous. He isn’t 20 anymore

[@2fast2nick]

@@fedfreds832 He seems to be doing alright

[@anothergamingchannel2656]

Bob Saget? Are you commenting from heaven?

[@GwPoKo]

fire prayers usually do the trick

[@thegiftedone]

Holy shit! Finally someone with credentials gave Craig Ferguson his over due props ! That dude was fascinating! A lady killler……chicks went lo lo over him and he was sharp funny and kick back……

[@carlodave9]

That dude had a mind that worked even faster than Letterman. Which is incredible. I didn't want to like him, but damn! Watching him doing shit gameshows is too depressing. What a waste.

[@kendallandrews8691]

And he was Scottish.

[@polygaryd]

The lady's flirted with him something fierce. It was awesome.

[@porscheoscar]

Feud with Kimmel, Feud with Conan, Feud with Stern, Feud with Letterman. Arsenio Hall and Carson never spoke his name once they went off air.

[@stretch54]

Leno didn't have a feud with any of those guys. It takes two parties to have a feud.

[@porscheoscar]

@@stretch54 okay yes you're correct...Leno was too busy counting his $450 million

[@wagyubeef6808]

the common lenominator

[@finalsecretofchrono1339]

Watch Jay's interview with Howie Mandel. Howie is basically livid with Jay on why Jay never explained the real truth about all the Tonight Show drama. The real story with Dave and especially Conan is completely backwards from the narrative accepted by the public. Apparently Jay never wanted to pour gas on the fire, so he never publicly defended himself.

[@polygaryd]

Jay can't help it that these guys never stacked up to what the broadcasting company wanted. Jay gets blamed because the brass wanted Jay and or other people for the 12:30 slot. And stern was an ahole till his new style of interviews after seeking theropy, he was funny but in a total douche kinda way.

[@VinnyVaro]

Larry Sanders hands down best late night show host ever. 😊

[@stormbringercoming8105]

Hey now!

[@jamestepera3356]

​@@stormbringercoming8105lol. You stole my comment!!!!

[@russsnyder2026]

Jay was the last of a dying breed. He made fun of both sides, it wasn’t vitriolic.

[@Skankhunt42....]

Uh, almost everyone on late night makes fun of both sides when they deserve it, actually. The left gets flack for their over wokeness (rightly). The right just gets far more ridicule because they are OBJECTIVELY more ridiculous. This is the party that nominated Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger for high level government positions all while “hating Hollywood elites” 🤣

[@russsnyder2026]

@@Skankhunt42.... you’re an insane person if you think the late night shows today are anything more than propaganda and one sided. It is what it is, I don’t watch. But it’s nothing like it was when it was Leno, Letterman, and Carson

[@russsnyder2026]

@@captdaddy lol. I’m a sucker for a giant chin, what can I say

[@highdough2712]

I notice a lot of talk show hosts aren’t big fans off Leno. Maybe there’s a reason for that.

[@douglasknoll3500]

YES !......they are ALL Leftists back added jackasses tho Conie Baloney, Mr "Leano AND Fallon are ALL reasonable along w/the Scotsman

[@polygaryd]

Cuz leno was and still is better than them. Except Ferguson.

[@er2206]

@@andrew66862 yep true

[@highdough2712]

@@polygaryd that’s not remotely true. Leno was bland and his middle-of-the-road humour didn’t offend, so old people liked him.

[@susanlandsman9572]

Yes. Could be a little jealousy.

[@mohammadhasan5255]

Craig Ferguson for me was the funniest guy ever! say for example Craig Ferguson was not a comedian or in showbiz, the man would still be super funny. Thanks a lot to youtube that I am able to view all of Craig’s late late show episodes whenever I want. No one else even comes close.

[@RoamingHeathen]

This is such an odd take. It’s like saying if Lebron didn’t play basketball, he’d still be an amazing ball player 🤔

[@mohammadhasan5255]

@@RoamingHeathen well being funny isn’t activity like playing basketball per say. Craig is naturally a funny guy. I am sure there are people who might be as good or better than Jordan in real life who never made it pro

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

I have no problem with Jay looking out for himself first. Who wouldn't, that's business. Look out for #1.

[@mrb4749]

Never got Jay or Bills humor, no disrespect to either. No one in my opinion could ever replace Carson. Actually I couldn't care less about all these multimillionaires

[@Cured_Ham]

Is it just me or has Leno not really aged in about 20 years?

[@thaatsriight]

It’s because he has Benjamin Button Chin Disease

[@VAFlores635]

Yes, he turned 70 at 50

[@davidmoser3535]

he has aged like crazy

[@shawn2469]

He doesn't drink or smoke weed or anything

[@z.t.8950]

Poor lighting.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

I hate when people make Leno seem like he was evil for doing what he did. Like Kimmel or Colbert wouldn’t have said yes on the spot if they were offered The Tonight Show at that moment either.

[@buckchile614]

I think it goes beyond that and enters into his undercutting Conan the, 'Red-headed Barbarian'

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

@@buckchile614 It was an ugly thing, no question about it. But when Comcast offers you a dump truck of money….. I don’t think anyone would say no.

[@kev3d]

@@buckchile614 "Undercutting" Conan? Conan, for whatever reason, wasn't getting the expected ratings with the Tonight show. They screwed with the time slot a bit, which was NBC's idea, not Jay's, but it still didn't work. Maybe it was the shift in the market, maybe the writing, my own personal view is that Conan is best when he is being zany. I think his bits and sketches are fondly remembered far more often than his interviews. The tonight show is different. But whatever, it happened, nobody was happy with it, and rather than bet on a new horse they brought back Leno for a little while. If you were offered a gazillion dollars to do something you already know how to do well, are you going to turn it down? And what if Leno had turned it down, then what? There was already too much blood in the water, Conan was out. NBC simply would have gotten a new host, perhaps Fallon earlier, perhaps someone else, instead of Conan. And for all of Conan's tears, he was paid out an enormous sum for himself and his crew. Reportedly $33 million for Conan, and $12 million to his staff of about 200 people (roughly $65,000 each averaged out...not bad considering a lot of those staffers would go on to work for Conan on TBS.) But somehow Leno is the bad guy who just refused to give up the Tonight Show...which is an odd assertion given that he would end up giving up the Tonight Show anyway in 2014.

[@douglasknoll3500]

Buckwheat Breath Conie Baloney IS hilarious imo BUT he was a whiney red headed freak on these issues

[@gallery7596]

@@kev3d That money breakdown of what went to Conan and what he paid his staff is really fascinating to read. Where did you come by it?

[@SilentKnight43]

I was always a devoted fan of The Tonight Show when Carson hosted, but strayed when Jay took over. I only tuned in when he had a guest I wanted to see. Jay was never my cup of tea...a little too corporate, slick, over-polished and safe. He wasn't edgy. When he retired I started watching his Jay Leno's Garage online and absolutely loved it - and came to admire the guy for being a real genuine person - not the network TV show host he formerly was.

[@damienlobb85]

That's fair enough. To this day its sad Conan wasn't really given a decent chance on Late Night as he's been the only host, along with Dave and Craig, who have been able to truly make me laugh out loud and watch their stuff again and again on KZbin.

[@Pewling]

Craig has always been my fav. Nice to see him being mentioned again.

[@TheAbbott34]

I always watched Letterman over Leno but the whole thing is a bit silly. They are all really good. It took me 10 years to even think about watching Jimmy Fallon over Jimmy Kimmel but I've done it a few times lately. The only ones I couldn't really get into was Craig Ferguson and Colbert but I respect all of them. It can't be easy to entertain 5 days a week

[@joelstice2673]

I gave up on late night TV after Conan called it quits. Kimmel and Colbert hardly do jokes, it's just a hard lefty monologue every night. Fallon is annoying and Seth Myers is a bad interviewer.

[@frankwitmer1443]

Fallon and Kimmel are horrible

[@abelgonzales3695]

Letterman was my guy too. Craig Ferguson was a breath of fresh air imo. Can't say anything good about late night today. They're all too political now. You got Gutfield for the right, and the rest for the left. They're all awful by my standards.

[@monabouknight5134]

Kimmel is horrible. At least Fallon is a decent human being.

[@westvirginiaglutenfreepepp7006]

I miss Craig. I still enjoy clips of the show but I understand why he left the business almost entirely at this point

[@manueljohn456]

It must be extremely exhausting to talk to Bill when he is that baked :D

[@JJSS-vg1qs]

Leno doesn't owe anyone an apology

[@kingoftheseamusic]

Thing is Jays shows aren’t something you want to rewatch. Unlike the others.

[@gallery7596]

I think that's open to debate. *House Carpenter:* "I’m sure it is" Then House Carpenter probably shouldn't be saying Jay's shows aren't something you want to rewatch. Makes House Carpenter sound like he/she is speaking for everybody.

[@kingoftheseamusic]

@@gallery7596 I’m sure it is

[@BigstickNick]

That Czar line cracked me up.

[@jeffisaacson3804]

Leno mentions Dick Cavett. I've seen his show on reruns and he puts me to sleep. I'm glad that Leno mentioned Ferguson because he was truly one of the most underrated talk shows ever.

[@B-ch6uk]

There's something really authentic about Jay. I could listen to him all day.

[@Farkmaster]

Is it the part of him that hides in closets listening to execs so he can fuck others out of a job? He's as fake as they come. No responsibility for anything he's done, wants to be liked but also steps over people.

[@idontlikebeinghandled]

Holy balls. I never realized Bills head made up 75% of his entire body.

[@dbreiden83080]

Jay is misrepresenting how big a fight that was over Jay/Dave and who got the Tonight Show.. Jay got it, but NBC did NOT want to lose Dave and damn near gave Dave the job at the last minute to avoid Dave going to CBS.. This was all well documented.

[@gallery7596]

Yes, Dave can't really say "I lost The Tonight Show!" when the fact is *NBC* offered it to him (at Jay's expense) and he turned it down. It was a wise decision on his part, too because *CBS* was a good home for him.

[@ridgerunner5772]

Kimmel is a pain beyond measure.....

[@redrocker1055]

The only people who talk trash about Leno are the competition he beat and the fans of the competition he beat.

[@pdeforest]

Craig Ferguson vs. Conan O’Brien at 11:30 would have been something to see.

[@jjwallnutts]

Any long pause is when he’s trying to get his facts straight lol

[@sab3295]

As someone from MA I appreciate the way he said Peabody:)

[@geoffkarcher2795]

Craig Ferguson was great. He grew up in the same city as mom did

[@MightyMarven]

Bill is doing his best to drag a very interesting conversation off topic. If what Leno is saying is true he was unfairly labelled a backstabber by Kimmel, Letterman and Conan.

[@gallery7596]

Maher's always been in Jay's corner concerning the Conan debacle. When both Conan and Letterman were speaking out against him, Bill said: "You're not a kid who got his ice cream knocked to the ground by Jay Leno. He beat you for something."

[@sjh60633]

What got me is that years, decades passed, and Letterman was still complaining about not getting the Tonight Show. He's a bitter, angry old man.

[@gallery7596]

And he's a bad influence on Kimmel and Conan who grew up revering the guy.

[@therealjcon]

Letterman was so much better than Leno and it's not even close

[@pjj9491]

Most news is at 10...back when news was reallllly news...hahahaha

[@demonicsweaters]

Bill hit the nail at 5:36

[@markdavies9117]

"Then you have your old team shooting at you as well.". A very good insight to his mind.

[@MrSlowestD16]

Yea, the reality of it was people who watched the tonight show for Leno started watching at 10 and Ferguson was doing amazing and pulling audiences away from Conan, and audiences weren't as interested for whatever reason at Jay at 10, so you had Jay's ratings not doing so hot at 10, and then you had Conan's ratings REALLY not doing well at 11:30. Why the fuck would NBC NOT want to move back to the way things were? It's the best financial decision given the situation. Conan loyalists like to pretend it was personal and Jay was out to get Conan, but in reality it's simply a matter of corporations liking money.

[@charleschenhua]

Loved Jay. Not sure why he gets so much hate before

[@emu314159]

Overblown bullshit, really. And now they realize that it was Carson and his ability to reign in a time when that was still possible that they wanted to be, that just being host of the Tonight Show doesn't give you that. No one has his quiet effortless mastery of the form. People have their own thing, but he WAS the tonight show for 30 years.

[@Dannys-mb5xy]

Maher is clever and funny and intelligent on his HBO show. Here, he seems half asleep, interrupts and argues with pointless asides for no apparent reason, and even argues with Jay about Jay's OWN anecdote, which (although Maher misremembers it) feels the need to argue with Jay about it. What's with this?

[@Dannys-mb5xy]

And the pot certainly does nothing for his interviewing skills. :-) His lighter BTW is almost a flamethrower, and he relights the joint constantly. so EVERYONE will notice.

[@STONESGAM]

Maher is just doing this pretty much for fun as a side gig and he wanted to do something that was mostly non political. It's called Club Random for a reason. It's supposed to have a loose after hours feel to it like two people just having a drink and conversation. It wasnt meant to be a serious or professional interview show.

[@montelou42]

He’s smoking the doobie during these interviews…

[@MrGigaHurtz]

He's smoking pot and drinking alcohol, he says it later in the podcast that he's kinda drunk lol

[@86ortega]

His show is scripted and hes reading off the teleprompter

[@mendesnelson]

No one tells stories like Jay Leno - could listen to him for hours about the "old days." Close second place on story telling would be Jaime Foxx

[@gmancolo]

Jimmy Kimmel is a tvrd. So is Maher. And Dave too.

[@davecassens250]

Always thought Jay was total class act and had a good show I still watch most of his appearances and Jay's Garage. Also loved waching Craig Fergusen. I liked watching Conan as well.

[@allendracabal0819]

The main criticism against Jay in the original Late Night wars is that Dave was very instrumental in giving him exposure and helping him get on as the Carson sub, and therefore Jay should have been more considerate toward Dave when Carson was retiring and his spot became available. That doesn't mean he had to turn down the job, necessarily, but simply should have been more yielding and less competitive. Dave didn't help himself at that time, because he didn't feel comfortable lobbying for the job.

[@mikebassham4183]

Kimmel has lost all of his credibility and is now unrecognizable from any other Democratic Press Secretary.

[@pablocruise9514]

I liked Dave at 12:30. It was zanier and funnier. Some of the funniest shows I ever saw. When he went to CBS he was boring

[@rodbutler4054]

Jimmy Kimmel is quick witted with an excellent writing staff and attracts guest who are willing to go along which they also benefit from. Jay played the regular guy who was willing to listen to the guest without much confrontation. The audience loved them both.

[@smaganas]

Leno is so talented that he was impossible to retire. Leno and Letterman were on their own level. No one else has matched them since.

[@stacymcmullensr9631]

Go to McPherson Kansas College To See How Jay Is Loved!

[@EmraldoDaSilva]

Craig should've been the Tonight Show host after Leno. He's the only one that could've kept the show true to its original essence and all of the hosts today proves the point.

[@rokkimason4199]

Talk shows only work at 10 pm when you're Greg Gutfeld!

[@oufukubinta]

I totally agree with all of this

[@builderman912]

Since the invention of the internet, big TV companies no longer get to pick the stars. Same thing is happening in politics, hence DJT.

[@tennissir1986]

I like Conan - but he doesn’t get that people don’t care about these inside things - they just want to be entertained. All the people against Leno were those who had previous issues with him. Almost all say that he is a very nice guy.

[@zapfanzapfan]

Ironically The Tonight Show was on in Europe at 10 pm, Conan at 11 pm and Greg Kinnear at midnight. What working person is even up at 11.35 pm to watch the start, let alone the whole show? Is it meant to fall asleep to?

[@BlueBabyBlue7077]

Bills Friday show on HBO he was lecturing on staying healthy😂😂 and here he is smoking pot and drinking smh

[@jakemf1]

Not the same

[@ald.3387]

But smoking pot isn't bad for you. I don't GAF if you smoke pot, but quit trying to pass it off as healthy and ineffective to "pros". Because if had no effect on you, you wouldn't fuc*ing smoke it now, would you.LOL

[@gallery7596]

Yes, he rants a lot about how bad it is to be overweight, but from these podcasts it sure looks like somebody needs to inform Bill how bad it is for your liver to drink too much.

[@mikeh6286]

Nice cut there at the end of the vid😂

[@jameslutian1977]

It's nice people finally giving Jay the credit he deserves. Letterman built up a phony feud for decades despite Jay doing nothing to him. Then it took on a life of its own and people started believing Jay wronged him...Jay is correct, everyone who remembers that time never thought Letterman was going to be host. And for good reason seeing as his ratings never hit Jays...Also good to see Jay give props to Ferguson who's prob the most talented among all 3.

[@gallery7596]

Even people Dave knew and worked with at NBC have said that one of the reasons he wasn't offered "The Tonight Show" was because he didn't maintain a more cordial relationship with the network. He made it easy for them to choose Jay.

[@stacyparenteau4390]

Giving Jay credit??? Are you reading some of these comments???

[@stacyparenteau4390]

@@gallery7596 If it was so easy to choose Leno over Letterman, why did Leno have to resort to underhanded tactics to get and retain The Tonight Show?

[@SuperWhofan1]

You screwed over Conan pure and simple. Leno could have just accepted he was being pushed out and started another show somewhere else but no. He had to slither his way back into the Tonight Show

[@victorblock3421]

Who TF cares???? Conan didn't have ratings. Screw Kimmel & his but buddy stern. Jay Leno RULES!!!!!!!!

[@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920]

Conan had an opportunity to get the ratings and he simply didn’t, he failed and couldn’t accept it. This is the reality no one seems to want to face. They offered the show back to Leno, and it wasn’t his job to coddle Conan like a two year old after he failed, took it since he didn’t want to be forced out in the first place. That is completely reasonable.

[@chriskay1449]

Wrong. Conan screwed him over by getting him fired. Conan should have accepted that Jay was #1 and started another show elsewhere instead of demanding NBC fire Jay and give the job to him. You need to stop blindly kissing Conan's ass, plain and simple. Conan was a pure scumbag. Period.

[@chriskay1449]

@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 Exactly. IN fact, Conan should have accepted the fact that Jay was #1 and instead of demanding his job, leave NBC and start a new show elsewhere. Conan is the one who is the scumbag for getting Jay fired.

[@victorblock3421]

@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 Exactly & I never understand why this is an issue. Conan didn't have it. And he still walked away with at least $20 million. I should be treated so badly.

[@randomrud]

Get well soon Jay

[@captainsmirk6901]

Craig Ferguson should do a podcast or something. He would bag a huge audience.

[@mattkess3156]

Not the biggest fan of Jay, he did fuck over Conan in front of the whole country & Conan still was classy about it, but Kimmel is such as groveling hack at this point, so I guess I’d still take Leno over Kimmel, but Conan & Ferguson over all. Always loved how Norm wanted to save his most master crafted nonsense for Conan, probably just to try & make Conan break his straight man role, which he played brilliantly

[@bcdrummer1962]

Key takeaway from your comment: Kimmel is a groveling hack. Well said💪🫵

[@Kevs442]

I kinda miss those days. It was usually who was going to have the most interesting guests that night. Then there was the old flipperoo between channels.

[@Toxic0788]

Craig was the GOAT.

[@jameshershberger8085]

something never spoken of when Jay Leno has to rehash this story is the Writer's Strike of 2009. Letterman had an independent deal with the WGA so he was allowed to keep his writers, Leno was not. And Leno still came out #1: no sketches, all monologue jokes written by himself, much lower caliber of guests bc actors wouldn't cross the line. All when he was set to retire and hand the reigns over to Conan. So I believe thats part of what reinvigorated him and made him not want to step away.

[@gallery7596]

He never wanted to step away. His leaving "The Tonight Show" was a consequence of Conan's deal with *NBC.* It was the network that (in 2009) changed their minds when they saw Jay was still #1 while Conan was losing ground to Ferguson.

[@donniemoder1466]

I think the NBC execs did not think Dave would change the 11:30 show to fit the audience. Dave had been doing his 12:30 show and transferring it to 11:30 would mean needing to change content, maybe change his attitude and personality and some of his staff. NBC probably thought, why risk it, why bother. Plug Jay in at 11:30, Jay will attract more middle america which it needed to win the ratings war. And keep Dave at 12:30 for as long as possible (did Dave have a long term contract at 12:30?).

[@Dazlidorne]

It's interesting to hear another side of the story. I really felt bad for both Letterman and Conan and I held it against Jay for years and years. I even managed to compartmentalize Jay. I would watch his car shows, but not anything else. I think it's time to forgive, but not forget.

[@QuakerDragon]

Bill is so baked here.

[@Reverenddelzao]

"Sometimes the Czar you have is better than the one you get"- (Mic drop)

[@RC_Colorado]

TEAM CoCo!

[@EvanFowler]

Finally, one of these guys gives Ferguson the credit he deserves. He was the true inheritor to Letterman, in terms of creativity, uniqueness, and risk-taking. To this day, he's the only other one of them who even tried to do something truly different. I still miss watching Craig and Geoff every night.

[@arun279]

Craig Ferguson is still my favorite late night show. So underrated

[@paulyoung181]

Furguson was the only comedian that got a real laugh out if Williams.

[@jefflandreneau7027]

I've always wondered why Letterman didn't get any shit for why Ferguson didn't get his show. If Letterman supposedly was Carson's heir apparent why wasn't Ferguson considered Letterman's? And btw Conan SUCKS. He never should've gotten the tonight show at all.

[@josephpeeler5434]

Yes, Ferguson actually had real conversations with his guests.

[@JoeWayne84]

@@jefflandreneau7027 when letterman left they killed the show

[@Jamietheroadrunner]

The NBC executives hated Letterman because since he started at NBC in the 1970s, he relentlessly made fun of them, live on air 😆

[@gallery7596]

And when they asked him to host an event for the network, or tickets for an executive's son to come to a taping of his show, Letterman would turn them down. And yet he was shocked when *NBC* chose Jay as Carson's successor. Amazing how a guy that talented and smart could be so dense.

[@PoiluCul]

​@@gallery7596NBC is corrupt you mean

[@jacobblunk5645]

and that why letterman went to cbs to host the late show

[@meiray]

He made fun of CBS all the time too. But they happily paid him more than Leno ever got from NBC.

[@rickshark3783]

No way. There are stories of letterman behind the scenes. He is a nasty person.

[@thethe-nt1tb]

I liked Craig, because he came off as actually trying to talk to the guest, rather than just ask the same questions. I loved that he just ripped up the blue card full of notes.

[@jasonporter5912]

I feel like half the time I saw Craig with guests they didn't even talk about what they were there to promote, and that's great! Made me actually like the guest which in turn made me care about the thing being promoted.

[@chrissantos5580]

Yeah before they talked he would rip up the notes

[@quiksix25]

I was a Conan fan and the first time I came across Craig was when he was interviewing Kristin Davis and it was so light, funny and interesting- I immediately started watching Ferguson after that

[@kingy002]

Talk? He talked all over them, and just wouldn't shut the fuck up!

[@SergioLeRoux]

He would have someone in his show trying to promote their thing and ask them if they wanted to talk about that, some got confused, since that was probably the whole point, he said "we don't have to do that, unless you want to, or we can talk about anything you want", and often they did exactly that and you could see the genuine joy in their faces as they chatted about horses or pie or whatever.

[@makatron]

Craig Ferguson was the one host that made me laugh, and by far the only one that didn't feel stale. He engaged with the guest and you could see him making them either weird them out or almost pass out by laughter.

[@jayg339]

Craig was amazing and I was super bummed when he ended up parting ways with the Late Late Show. He's just a very funny off the cuff comedian and perfect for those late show formats. It's kind of a crime that he was followed up with James Corden. Personally, I think Craig shouldve gotten a shot at the big job. Or just stayed with his old show. Either way, I miss seeing Craig every night.

[@makatron]

@@jayg339 James Corden killed the show, he's just not funny at all. Craig could interview anyone without any writing or PR team telling him what to ask. Yeah he's missed.

[@marcusaurelius8717]

There's no longer any tonight shows, just political mouthpieces.

[@jstnsmutek]

Very under rated. I put him right behind Carson, O'Brien, and Letterman

[@psychochicken9535]

Ferguson reinvented what it meant to be a late night host. I'm glad Jay said what he said because he did not get the recognition he deserved. A truly phenomenal show.

[@balto20002]

I've been rewatching Ferguson on youtube a lot lately. God I loved that show. Deconstructed the whole late night thing, just brilliant.

[@johnrcornell]

I always thought all these late night hosts were funny except him. He’s the only one I watched where I couldn’t even crack a smile.

[@balto20002]

@@johnrcornell It sounds like you like the normal stuff - nothing wrong with that.

[@aleksisuuronen5969]

I get why people like Ferguson but in no way at the time it would have made sense to put him over Conan. Conan is still thriving like crazy in podcasting but I don't hear much about Ferguson. Like Conan in his early career reinvented the talk-show, so did Ferguson but Conan is solid and earned it with it thru years. It's just crazy to watch a spike in Ferguson and cause all that commosion. The way people rallied for Conan to be swindled just proves that it should have been his as promised.

[@acegambit777]

@@johnrcornell sounds like you dont have a sense of humor ....d0uche

[@BT-xv8xh]

Craig Ferguson was the best late night host...his show made me laugh way harder than any other show

[@randompit]

In the battle of the douches, he was the biggest douche

[@maxsavage3998]

Why you tslking about craig who cares

[@marknasuta1775]

Still watch Craig's clips on KZbin. Loved that show!!!

[@itsa-itsagames]

............huh? Lol

[@maxsavage3998]

Carson and Leno were the best the rest were just wannabes who thought they were funny including that poc stern

[@karencooper334]

Craig Ferguson was absolutely, hands down the funniest of them all.

[@davidmeichner8346]

Came across to me as a puppet show host.

[@BakingBadOBX]

i tried watching him many times. never found it funny. but, to each their own, I wasnt going to bash him for it.

[@johnmavroudis2054]

Well... I don't know about "hands down"... Letterman, Ferguson, and Conan are all brilliant in their own ways. They all pushed the boundaries. Today? I think Kimmel tries to... and has grown to be a relaxed, excellent talk show host. He's not afraid to speak out and that lack of fear makes him pretty great, too.

[@karencooper334]

I think maybe because I’m English/ Aussie I found Craig’s humour more relatable. He’s slightly insane and had such great interaction with his guests especially other comedians, it comes across as natural and unrehearsed, and makes me laugh uncontrollably. It’s a personal opinion and living in Oz we didn’t get a lot of Conan though I’ve seen snippets on the internet and he seems to have the spontaneity that is a little lacking in some of the other more scripted late night shows.

[@ephimp3189]

I still like to watch Crag Ferguson interviews, he's just so good at talking to people and making it funny for the audience

[@NekoBoyOfficial]

Craig was the only host I watched as a teen. Easily the funniest and most outrageous.

[@oui2611]

i watched this guy called conan i think? maybe youve heard of him

[@justayoutuber1906]

that style wouldn't work at 11:30

[@TIOLIOfficial]

Holy f, this is first time IN MY LIFE I've seen someone actually acknowledge Craig. That dude is seriously the greatest talk show host there ever was and in my opinion, probably will be. So natural, smooth and funny.

[@maxsavage3998]

Hes no talk show host and makes the viewer and guests feel so uncomfy.

[@redmint4894]

Agreed, Craig Ferguson is easily my favorite talk show host of all time after Johnny Carson and no one else is even close. Nothing touches his interviews with Robin Williams, Russell Brand, etc. He had the talk show thing figured out and threw out the rules and just had conversations with his guests. GOAT.

[@redmint4894]

@@maxsavage3998 Nonsense.

[@Cenot4ph]

@@maxsavage3998 you obviously never seen much, it's the complete opposite

[@theimp5901]

@@redmint4894 Carson #1 -- Ferguson # 2 Conan # 3 Leno # 4 Letterman # 5

[@praneetsinghbutran6925]

Still perhaps the only one constantly giving credit to Ferguson and recognising that he actually had become a real threat to the other hosts becuz he was simply so damn goood!!

[@johnmavroudis2054]

A lot of people give credit to Ferguson. I think Letterman thought a lot of him.

[@terrye6853]

I agree, Ferguson was a breath of fresh air in late night. Scratching my head as to why they didn’t move him into a Letterman’s slot, but I heard it was in his contract that when Letterman retired he took over or they would pay him a huge buyout, so good for Craig.

[@monotech20.14]

Funny how Leno forgets that he wasn't number one for years when he first got the Tonight Show. It wasn't till the Hugh Grant interview did Leno become number one. Conan had six months.

[@gallery7596]

@@monotech20.14 The tv scene in 2008 was very different compared to 1992 when Jay took over.

[@ToneTraveler]

Only one…huh? 😂

[@Sam_T2000]

I always wanted a late night show hosted by Conan, where Norm Macdonald was always the first guest, and then there’d be another guest after that, I suppose…

[@iggyg1370]

Compared to those two Kimmel sucks

[@daveysprocket001]

Yeah, Norm and Conan was peak late night talk show.

[@dustinweber1945]

Jay Leno should have a been a bit more honest and basically say that he is a businessman first and he made a business decision. Case closed

[@buckchile614]

In other words, it sounds like if he were a golfer, he'd be playing on the, 'Liv and Let Die,' tour

[@muximus2771]

@@buckchile614 You wouldnt?

[@boat1280]

it's not show friends, it's show business 100%

[@nickgreen2905]

He fought for the tonight show and won. Letterman also fought for it but was seen as a worse choice. He never wanted to leave the tonight show and filled in when Conan's run ended. I don't know why he is considered some villain. The only sketchy thing was hiding in closers and spying on meetings.

[@buckchile614]

@@muximus2771 In my present situation, probably. But, I'm not well off enough, like those that chose to go. Greed is a sin too, although Fox only recognizes envy. Again, w/ only half the story

[@leninswalrus]

"There were a lot of executives that did not like Letterman" thats a true mark of distinction. This just makes me miss Dave even more

[@drinksnapple8997]

Letterman went from a good host, to just an annoying old fart with a chip on his shoulder because he got caught cheating on his wife.

[@BakingBadOBX]

yep. often when people are really good at what they do, or at the very least are very true to themselves, others wont like them. because they are "difficult"

[@patricklemire9278]

Yet. Jay year after year beat Letterman in the ratings. What idiots those execs were.

[@gallery7596]

Not staying for "The Tonight Show" was the best decision Dave ever made. He wasn't going to have an easy time of it at *NBC.*

[@gwarfanatik]

@@patricklemire9278 Woah he beat him in cable ratings? Cable which is now dead? Cable which is now looked at as irrelevant slop for low brow goons who shouldn't have freedom of choice beyond their pre-approved channels? Yeah, shut up. David Letterman is and always will be an original and a legend. Jay Leno is a hack

[@milltonfreedman8674]

I watched them all, Jay, Dave, Conan, Craig. I took them for granted. I didn't realize how lucky we were to have them.

[@qcrew2938]

Letterman and Conan are the two best in my opinion

[@drinkingpoolwater]

i like jay the best, conan second. dave was annoying and turned into a curmudgeon by the end.

[@chadcollier1070]

I'm still wondering why Jon Stewart didn't take over for Tom Snyder, because he was very well suited for that job the few times he was the guest host. Jon understood that show very well, and he was one of the few who could've taken over that show and kept Tom's version of it alive for awhile longer.

[@plertisdibble1504]

Kimmel has1 fan, and his name is Jimmy kimmel.

[@jamestepera3356]

Yeah he's the worst ....down there with Chevy Chase and Magic Johnson. Even Fallon is way better....pretty low bar

[@MarkR-zb1cv]

I can't stand Kimmel.

[@seventyeight4237]

That's a shame, he's a big fan of you.

[@KelticTim]

For my money, Craig Ferguson is the best late night host we’ve had since Johnny. Craig is even over Sullivan.

[@johnmavroudis2054]

1. Letterman. (He paved the way. He was the master). 2. tie between Ferguson and Conan. (Conan took some time to get there... but when he's on, he's top shelf). 3. Kimmel (went from Man Show flunky to actually being an unafraid, impactful presence.) .... I do not include Jon Stewart and his disciples in this list... they were different and BRILLIANT. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report were legendary shows.

[@KelticTim]

@@johnmavroudis2054 I gotta disagree on a few points. I couldn’t stand Letterman, I just never found him really funny except for the interviews he did with Harmony, the director of Kids, those were hysterical. Jay wasn’t really my cuppa tea either. For my money it’s Carson, Ferguson, Norm, Leno, Conan, Letterman. I could watch Carson interviews all day long on here. Conan just gets way too annoying for me at times with the voices and stuff, but when he would interact with his staff, that was always good stuff. Ferguson was just brilliant imo, from Geoff to his flirting his way thru interviewing unrealistically gorgeous women to the way you could tell when the guest was a dud, but Craig turned it into a funny as hell talk. The original original Daily Show was ok, once it got overtly one sided politically, I lost interest real quick. Colbert is just awful, his Neo con character was pretty good, but he would take it too far, and now it’s just sad. Kimmel is a bigger joke than Fallon. Talk about overtly political with Kimmel and Colbert now, it’s like they are funded by the DNC and the DNC gets script approval. Going after politicians is good, it’s what they should do, but they treat the Ds like angels who do no wrong while the GOP are all racist scumbags. Then there’s the chunky Brit. Why he’s on TV I’ll never understand.

[@LucasPenido]

Letterman >>>>>>>

[@johnmavroudis2054]

@@KelticTim If you didn’t find Letterman funny, that disqualifies you from voting.

[@da324]

@@johnmavroudis2054 Good for him, it's meaningless!

[@MrRsrafferty]

Can we get conan and letterman on now to tell their side of the story?

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

What’s been keeping THEM quiet? 😄 If they had a more interesting version they’d have told it by now.

[@ocan1033]

Letterman has told his side many times, despite trying to act like he's too cool to do such things. And he did it publicly on the Late Show, for everybody to see. He's sh*t on Leno repeatedly and with great enthusiasm.

[@_C.J.]

@@JustSomeCanadianGuy and Conan literally made a documentary about it.

[@MrRsrafferty]

@@JustSomeCanadianGuy I meant on the show with Bill just like Jimmy Kimmel told his side.

[@er2206]

Yes please

[@oldmanfigs]

Craig Ferguson was the greatest of all of them.

[@johnking5174]

The best 12.35 talk show host around. Period. Perfect for that time, and Letterman knew it. Letterman whose production company made The Late Late Show knew how brilliant Craig was and that is why even though Craig complained a lot about the lack of budget for the show, Craig was actually paid a huge salary, more than Seth Meyers got for Late Night on NBC come 2012, around $13 million a year under his last two year deal, because he was that good.

[@andyshepard4309]

Craig had a bent like all the others, but made it so much fun to watch. Leno wished he had that talent

[@robertpolanco1973]

@@andyshepard4309 Look, Andy, Jay Leno is just as his own person with a talent of his own! Like what was your excuse?

[@dmusiclife5727]

Used to Like Kimmel but his monologues/show went from a comedy show to CNN News

[@radar0412]

Jay was honest and had an interesting story. Bill Maher just likes listening to the sound of his own voice.

[@jackmorrison7379]

Ageist, much? He's a Boomer and you do not like it?? More importantly he's smoking weed and drinking besides. It's his show, his basement and he's high and chatty. Does his hatred of the Orange one bum you out or is it his newer hostility to woke and the Politically correct crowd?

[@cloutclaudiuscharles2597]

Get Conan and letterman on to tell their side, Kimmel’s dislike for Jay is deeper than just being a “letterman guy”

[@STONESGAM]

Kimmel just hates Leno because his best buddy Howard Stern hates Leno too.

[@kristopherryanwatson]

no one cares anymore. all of that squabble and bs happened too many years ago for the majority of people to gve a shit about.

[@JDela10]

In fairness, they have been telling their side of the story for many years. Jay has stayed largely quiet as he usually does. At the end of the day, it was NBC making stupid decisions at the top and then trying to reverse them. A lot of people were mad at Jay because he took back the role of tonight show host for a few years after Conan was let go. However, I've not seen many claim Conan did well on the tonight show. He didn't. There was something off, like they couldn't get going and the writing was on the wall fast. There was a reason NBC let Conan go in the end that can't be blamed on Jay. In hindsight, it worked out because Conan on TBS was fantastic!!! He was so comfortable there and produced some of the best skits and interviews in the past decade+ of late night TV. He bounced back hard, while Jay retired from hosting and spends his time doing stand up and working on his cars. It worked out lol.

[@gallery7596]

@C L What did Kimmel help Jay with?

[@PauloTheGeek]

It's arrogance. He's one of many comedians who look down at Jay, they think he sucks but can't comprehend that he always was no.1 in ratings.