Jay Leno Cries - Bids Goodbye | Last Tonight Show Episode - 6th February, 2014

Jay Leno Cries - Bids Goodbye | Last Tonight Show Episode - 6th February, 2014
Jay Leno crying goodbye

[@chuckers40]

It's ironic that 2014 and 2015 would be big transition years for late night television. Jay Leno would step down for the second time, Craig Ferguson would step down the end of 2014, Jimmy Fallon would take over The Tonight Show, Seth Meyers would take over Jimmy Fallon's old gig. James Corden takes over for Craig Ferguson and David Letterman would announce his retirement and Stephen Colbert would take over for Letterman.

[@bernlin2000]

Thanks goodness we had Conan's TBS show staying steady in that time, kept me sane all the way up until the post-COVID times...really going to miss Conan on late night, it's a much weaker affair without him.

[@dennis5806]

why is it ironic ?

[@mr.joshuah1412]

And late night stopped being funny, as a result.

[@zillsburyy1]

yeah and they SUCK!!!!!

[@chuckers40]

@@zillsburyy1 Craig Ferguson was very under appreciated. James Corden really grew on me and he will be stepping down from his late night gig in May 2023.

[@LorittaHipes]

Jay me and my mother use to watch your show every time it came on my mother is gone now but we watch this together our last shoe together God bless you Jay you made us happy many of night ty

[@brennanb01]

In a different timeline this never happened, conan is still host of the tonight show and jimmy fallon is off the air.

[@gmosphere]

In the same timeline, jay never gets the tonight show, instead letterman gets its, then Conan in 2010, maybe 2015

[@edwardcortez656]

@@gmosphere people act like jay took the job from Dave. Jay guest hosted for Johnny numerous times, he was already familiar with that spot

[@TRAVELERinANantiqueLAND]

Based timeline

[@TRAVELERinANantiqueLAND]

@@edwardcortez656 Dave was promised it by Johnny

[@makeupchick9544]

Fallon is one lucky SOB, period.

[@jamirimaj6880]

maybe if there were competent execs at NBC, we would never the mess in 2010 and we'll have Coco replace him right here

[@RonnieR29]

The problem is Conan wasn't gonna wait that long for a prime late night spot. He was ready to take that next step.

[@makeupchick9544]

@@RonnieR29 - It backfired though, and I like Conan.

[@joetran9892]

NBC made the decision to replace Jay with Conan. Then they reversed themselves and begged Jay to stay. They cancelled his show after 3 months. They decided bumping Conan to midnight with a 30 minute Leno show was a good idea. They wouldn't let Jay out of his contract. They wouldn't even let Conan do his string dance at 11:35. Blame NBC.

[@At0m05]

Anybody else remember the quick preview just before the commercial break leading into Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Show, IMMEDIATELY AFTER Jays closing monologue, it cut's too Jimmy.. "Awe Boo Hoo... Stick Around! We got a great show tonight!" LOL

[@tony84.]

Jay Leno did a good job. He never got the credit he deserved. He was always positive and made people laugh too. Good guy.

[@SelfReflective]

He was fired twice for the sin of being the number one late night talk show.

[@kurt7842]

@@SelfReflective Jay leno got ratings sure but it was the old crowd. Not there was anything wrong with that its just that they wanted to gain the younger audience and they certainly did through fallon

[@SelfReflective]

@@kurt7842 I will quote Louis C.K. here: "The first dick move was Conan's...". That's it, Conan wanted Jay fired, and Jay fought back, as was his prerogative. I don't understand all the animus directed against him..Conan can be funny, painfully funny, but he has huge ego/insecurity issues. Nothing to say about Fallon, by then it was time for Jay to retire..

[@kurt7842]

@@SelfReflective it you believe that there's no point in taking this further lol. Do you have any proof that conan wanted Jay fired? Any sources? What i will tell you is Jay wanted david letterman to be fired before he was even hired lol. Jays the one with insecurity issues. Conan has never once claimed or acted like the world owes him a favour and has worked well for what he does so idk what your referring to as ego issues lol

[@mohaimenulislam8782]

@@SelfReflective u r talking out of your ass

[@speagle4]

When he took over the Johnny Carson I was depressed and I stopped watching the show. Then one day I realized I should give him a chance and I started watching again. And I realized that he made me laugh just as much as Johnny Carson did. I was depressed when he left to.

[@1970borntorun]

Well, it's much like when a Rock band switches a key member ( Bon Scott, David Lee Roth, etc ) and you learn to accept and appreciate a different talent or style on their own merit.

[@m42037]

No way!! You're the 1st person i ever heard say Leno was as good as the great Carson! Lol!! Carson was the GOAT of The Tonight Show and Nobody can come close! Maybe you need to watch Carson here on KZbin it's been 28 years, refresh your memory!!

[@lawrencegenedavid2288]

Now he knows how Conan felt during his last Tonight Show.

[@fredy8502]

Debra Congram Jay ruined Conan.

[@fitzshawn5268]

Debra Congram “comedian”

[@MARCOLEONELCA]

Fred Y “ruined”

[@captainkev10]

Many don't realize that Conan forced Jay out to begin with. No matter what his ratings were, Jay had to leave the Tonight Show to make way for Conan in 5 years. 5 years later and Leno was still number 1. It made no sense to install Conan at 11:30 when Conan would often lose out to Ferguson at 12:30, hence NBC kept both comedians on. Conan essentially sought a premature promotion, and it blew up in his face.

[@unbrokencircle3294]

No Conan got his dream job ripped from him after 7 months. He was promised the show longer than he actually got it before Leno forced it away.

[@m42037]

No farwell will ever be like the King of Monologue Johnny Carson. The GOAT of the Tonight Show.

[@TheHati59]

Thank you Jay for these videos, my passion for cars and their technology makes me forget the troubles that the modern world and Europe are trying to endure. Hoping for a better tomorrow and especially for you, I am sorry to read about your accident. Hoping for a speedy recovery, Harri Koskinen Finland.

[@DickWigglin]

2:05 I bet he regrets that comment now.

[@kiketve2]

You can see the humility in this man, he is really a sincere person, a rare thing now days. Will always remember you Jay, you made me laugh so many times, God Bless you bro.

[@paparazzi_ddp]

Remember Conan tho

[@calvinsocalesq]

I grew up watching The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from my junior high years into my 30's... As much as I like Jimmy Fallon and his crew, Jay will always be THE only "Tonight Show" I know. Gosh, I miss his monologues, Headlines, Jaywalking, Sold or Not Sold, and the other regular segments and skits of his show... Jay, long-time fans like me all miss you lots, and we hope you will return to TV again soon!

[@africaRBG]

Thats what i used to watch for: the monologues, headlines, and jaywalking. I would usually change the channel after that if there wasnt an interesting guest

[@SelfReflective]

@@africaRBG Ditto! As a kid in Eastern Europe I watched the Tonight Show via satellite, they would air the show a day after the US , the Friday show was shown on Monday etc... . What a time it was. I remember for the first few months Jay was talking too fast for me to understand, but I got used to it. I loved Conan as well, I must say, his was a more absurdist, self-deprecating humor that appealed to me. But Jay was simply the best. Lots of memories of him and Kevin going back and forth, and Headlines, Beyondo, Jay walking, Iron Jay, etc, etc... Good times.

[@patriciaalva1156]

Miss you Jay Leno. Haven't watched late night since you were treated so badly. You didn't deserve it. you had the # 1 ratings in late night.

[@mrneal9079]

his tears rolled down his cheeks on to his chin and back into his eyes again

[@bizarroeddie1]

He didnt help, but nbc luring Conan with his job without asking him if he was ready to move on while keeping him around on a similar show was absurdly stupid.

[@lindanorton131]

goodbye Jay you had a good show love watching it when I could

[@kingsuperbus4617]

Jay Leno is #1

[@penmuni3833]

Is he still waiting in the lobby?

[@greggchaffin1596]

Dude I remember watching this when Hulu was free to watch

[@Lowraptor]

69 yrs old now

[@berryjuice8348]

Nice!

[@delly4541]

I remember watching this as a kid with my grandpa and he was so sad to see him go😢

[@m42037]

Hell you're just a kid, the GOAT of the Tonight Show was/is Carson! NOBODY can come close

[@delly4541]

@@m42037 lmfao stfu🤣

[@AnimalAlmighty]

same i was only 11

[@NotFamousReal]

I just watch the whole first episode on YT and it's so awesome how far he came!

[@TRAVELERinANantiqueLAND]

“Last time I left this show”

[@Consey]

thats not the worst part. HEEREEES CHEVY

[@cheese165]

Legend

[@jonathanruiz866]

He'll na

[@g8way2k1]

The older I become, the more I feel what others do. I felt Jay's heart in this video, and his emotions as well. Now four years later, I pray that his life is going well and he enjoys the fruit of his labor. Isn't that what it's all about?? Good Luck Mr. Leno, may God hold you close.

[@g8way2k1]

Anne Liesveld 62. 😉

[@RandomVids519]

Jay lenon garage my friend woo

[@darealpapajon]

Hes a snake

[@normabatista1472]

@@darealpapajon so is everybody on social media

[@geraldpatterson3903]

His professional choices were pretty dark. But he did make up for it by treating his staff very well.

[@sudsysutherland359]

Well since Jay Leno brought the crowd down as he said lol😂 … so i guess i’ll get a tad mushy here lol… I live in Windsor,Ontario,Canada which is right across the river from Detroit & i work at the Chrysler Plant in Windsor. So with Jay Leno being a big car buff & liking all kinds of cool automobiles from across the world in which i had a connection with Jay right there because i grew up a die hard “Mopar Fanatic” because of my awesome Mom&Dad 👍 I remember i’d rush home from work when i was on the afternoon shift because we’d get done work at 11pm & it was about a 15-20min drive home so not a far drive home so i’d wheel my Dodge Dakota or Dodge Challenger in my driveway & straight to the shower🚿🧼 & hop out & straight to the fridge for a cold “Labatt Crystal” 🍺 & throw in some popcorn in the microwave & sit down & chillax to some Jay Leno with a grin on my face & all my worries would melt away & for that 1hr of watching Jay Leno i would be so happy 😀 so i want to thank you 🙏 so much Jay Leno & to the whole cast of Jay Leno 👍

[@jrmcdaniel9729]

I hate that the crowd laughed when he said 'I didn't know anyone over there". That was a sincere remark and they thought it was a joke

[@BesikKertmesi]

Miss you Mr. Leno.

[@ayush9791]

Just imagine if Conan was not intelligent and patient. He would have been forgotten till 2014.Jay Leno should apologize to Conan. He did tht guy wrong.

[@brunogiovannisantinijunior4380]

Actually NBC but nice try

[@owenmenning3878]

@John Dinh Nguyen Conan had low ratings in large part to Leno's leading into his show

[@FIXTREME]

@@brunogiovannisantinijunior4380 in addition, Conan's Tonight Show was lousy. If he would have just did the exact same stuff he did during his Late Night days, it could have worked.

[@o.k.therapper141]

Nobody wanted to let jay go, he was leading in the ratings but he was getting older and not up to speed with a new audience, they wanted both Conan and jay and screwed everyone over

[@KH-lw5ze]

@John Dinh Nguyen NBC’s loss. Conan is adored worldwide and got total control over his TBS show, doing some of his most innovative work in years such as the travel specials, clueless gamers and the incredible remotes. NBC tried to control Conan, and they (and Jay) stabbed him in the back, but in the end, he got the last laugh.

[@bannedtalks2030]

RIP Jay

[@ajusino2324]

He is still alive

[@adityamathur6938]

@@ajusino2324 yeah but hopes he weren't.

[@ractsninjas]

Was this the 1st time or the 2nd time he retired?

[@greywolf187]

2nd

[@BlueEyes-WhiteDrag0n]

Sarcasm I like that

[@Lingcome]

Jesus christ

[@Pww642]

My estimation of Jay Leno as a late-night host just fuckin plummeted

[@i8ittoo]

Loved Carson, and Jay grew on me. Jimmy is very funny in many ways . But Carson is the best. And Jay did fricken awesome as well.

[@rattis]

I miss the days when late night TV had Leno, Letterman AND Conan. We we spoiled back then!

[@m42037]

Uhhh Carson the king of monologue? The GOAT of the Tonight Show?? You must be a kid smh

[@rattis]

@@m42037 I'm 34. You however sound like a kid with your "GOAT" and "smh" internet slang.

[@m42037]

@@rattis Nope 55 and was watching the king of monologue when mumma was changing your Pampers, KID

[@rattis]

@@m42037 ... ok boomer

[@jeremyjones1191]

@Ken and you’ll be back in diapers in 10 years, good for you dude

[@TheCoomason5]

You're missed much, Jay! 😢

[@jimdonovan9704]

Jay was and will always be pure class.. Stepping down once again at number one. Passing the torch again to hopefully someone of a younger generation who can keep it there! A fool like Joey Spikes who has apparently never had someone prosper from him as he did from someone else and be proud of it would never understand a humble gracious Icon like Jay Leno. Thanks Jay for the memories ! :')

[@gamerboyss5310]

Just wait he may come back a few months later

[@stephencannon3140]

They are all different styles and JF appears to be fitting in the new role. As they say their is no better or worse just different. Jay did a wonderful almost twenty two years and we went through some difficult times and still are. Jay probably could have stayed and done fine but he turned over to the next generation. Professional, graceful and friendly. I wish JF a lot of luck. Leno only had to fill one set of shoes, Fallon had to fill two sets. If you want to see a good clip of Leno Google the one where he is the mentor for James Corden the first night he took over for Letterman. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and I personally like Fallon. Aside from special events I have been A tonight show fan since around mid 80’s and it was a honor and privilege for my dad to allow me to stay up Friday to watch Carson and if there wasn’t school the next day then watch it then. It was a family event not necessarily a tradition but a fairly common sight to see Carson. When I was getting checked out in the hospital after my Car accident after two weeks of being licensed he talked the nurses into putting Carson on in the ER viewing area. I watched several world events attached with The Tonight Show, some Carson some Leno and some Fallon. May the show continue and we need to support Fallon. He is young but approachable and intelligent. I personally like the Ben Stiller Panda Bear costume guest stars.

[@BlueEyes-WhiteDrag0n]

Kiddo you never watched Conan did you? Starts to Fake Laugh like fallon

[@Zetsuke4]

nice

[@Unrelatablegamer]

“ professional, graceful” he’s neither of those, he threw a fit when it was his time to leave the Tonight Show and then stabbed Conan in the back

[@markrossington6884]

Boo hop! You threw Conan under the bus. Stay classy, Jay.

[@Casualplayer]

FUCK conan, im 21 and kimmell fallon and conan are all GARBAGE!!! leno is goat. best car guy ever. fuck conan

[@fardimnazir666]

@@Casualplayer Leno the backstabber, who had to crawl back to steal Conan's show after his primetime talk show failed miserably is the goat? More like, he blew one.

[@Casualplayer]

@fighting28elf Fuck conan HES NOT FUNNY hes an annoying ass ugly ginger fuck and fuck Kimmel hes a pussy foot bitch not funny at all. Johnny carson was funny. Jay leno was funny. You are a fool

[@Casualplayer]

@fighting28elf letterman is good

[@erzug]

NBC threw O'Brien under the bus.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Late Show with David Letterman >>>>>>>>>> Tonight Show with Jay Leno

[@KamikazePhilly]

I loved Leno. It's sad to see him go. I will miss seeing his late night.

[@gregwatson8219]

Conan shamelessly made Jay the villian. Bastard!

[@zacheryjequinto7259]

@@gregwatson8219 Jay got him out of the job. Conan did nothing wrong. Jay got his own show and took the good time slot and good guests. Why would you have a late night talk show lead into another? Then Jay pushed him into a corner where he could ruin his ratings or leave the network. Literally 5 years before Conan started he said, "It's yours" Jay shamelessly took it right back.

[@johnking5174]

When people hit on Jay Leno, call him scum, and mock him, it is very easy to do it, but when you peel back the layers, and see how that within the space of two years, he lost his mother, his father and his brother, and then had no family left apart from his wife, you see a man whose whole life was devoted to that show, and you start to understand how the 2009 forced outing was terrible for him, and yes the 2010 fiasco was appalling, but there is a human underneath that chin, and there is a man who does have feelings, and so don't judge a book by its cover.

[@BlueEyes-WhiteDrag0n]

He's a bitch, no excuses needed

[@nick56677]

Yeah but he didnt have to sabotage Conan purposely. Jay is an unfunny snake who thinks the tonight show was his.

[@keziahmanjuantoney5865]

@@nick56677 he wouldn’t if the ratings didn’t take a deep dive

[@nick56677]

@@keziahmanjuantoney5865 Boomers were the majoriry of ratings then. Luckily today they r dying off in droves

[@cc6887]

R I P Jay

[@lawrencegenedavid2288]

c c he’s still alive

[@shudini985]

@@lawrencegenedavid2288 R I P Jay

[@dracopticon7788]

Gotta love Jay Leno!

[@peanutbutterisfu]

What a beautiful man! A lot of people don’t know Jay took a 50% pay cut in the mid 2000’s he went from 30 million per year to 15 million per year so nobody on his crew would get laid off. All the people other comics that talked crap about him would never do that. It was really pathetic when other comics said Jay stole the show from Conan well obviously he wasn’t right for the show the ratings went WAY down so they cancelled Conan’s show and got Jay back and why wouldn’t they they whole purpose of tv is ratings the networks don’t give a flying fuck who hosts the show, what show is playing they could care less if they played cartoons all they care about is having the highest ratings possible so they can sell commercial slots for the most amount of money that’s how tv works in a nutshell and if they let Conan keep going with 1/4 the ratings then their commercial/advertising clientele will go to a different network or pay less money. The network paid out tens of millions to end Conan’s show that just goes to show how bad the ratings work and how bad it was for the network for them to pay so much. Not for nothing Conan got like 40 million bucks for his show getting cancelled 99.9% of people in the world would be more then happy to get 40 million to get fired. Nothing against Conan but I personally can’t believe they gave the show to Conan in the first place I mean he’s funny but just not the type of guy for that show the best way I can describe him is like an actor that plays in the lower budget movies that make fun of big block buster movies like his show is “not another teen movie” and Jay Leno is “American Pie” sure you will watch not another teen movie but if American pie is on ur gonna watch American Pie over Not another teen movie so what do you do in that situation you play the second best movie after the first. Another way to think about it is Jay Leno is like Metallica and Conan is like Megadeth if Metallica and Megadeth are playing a show in the same town 90% of people will go to the Metallica show. I’m not trying to make Conan sound like he’s terrible because he’s not he’s just not at the level of Leno and there is nothing wrong with that just like there is nothing wrong with Megadeth not being as big of a band as Metallica they were all still successful. IMO it was a mistake giving the show to Conan but he still got the show and it wasn’t Leno’s fault it didn’t work people didn’t like the show they liked letterman better. Conan needed to be at a later time when other networks had a host that was equal to him but for some reason people blame Leno like come on the public spoke they didn’t watch the show which is too bad I wish it worked out for him I want everyone to be successful but it is what it is and no reason to blame Leno. The funniest part about all of this is Conan is the one that muscled his way into the tonight show when his contract was up he said he needed the tonight show or he’s not signing another contract.

[@Enoughsenoughnomas]

He hated watching Conan take comedy to new levels; fallon is basically a game show host; He makes Leno feel less insecure because he doesn't do anything that great

[@wolfchrt]

Shut the hell up. The guy's giving his heart out with an emotional story and you bring up the red headed sorry excuse.😂 Thats a joke, i like Conan. But Jay was better

[@KJ-je9pm]

@@wolfchrt Doesn't matter if you think Jay is better but still what he did is classless and disrespectful. Fuck him and his fake tears. He already did it when he originally left Tonight Show.

[@Ethan-dn1wc]

@@KJ-je9pm NBC were the ones who promised Conan the Tonight Show to keep him from going to another network. Jay did lie(which he even admitted to) when he said he would be happy to pass the torch to Conan, cause at that point what else was he suppose to say "I want to keep doing my job longer but NBC used it as a bargaining chip to keep someone else from leaving". I'll also add that if the Tonight Show meant that much to Conan, he could have stayed, all he had to do was start 30 minutes later, but he wasn't willing to do so. I can also appreciate the fact that Conan isn't host anymore, the guys comedy isn't funny and he just takes petty shots at other people.

[@twalker191]

Conan was perfect for Late Night, but he kinda peaked. Craig Ferguson innovated comedy shows in my opinion.

[@MT-tu8dt]

Haven’t watched Late Night since Jay Leno retired.

[@m42037]

Carson was the GOAT yes but Jay was ok.. Fallon is about as funny as a train wreck

[@FIXTREME]

👏👏👏🙌

[@4timesnow318]

Wait, which one is this?

[@thomasfaucette1660]

jay is a legend

[@ehealthy222]

How come Jay Leno's first goodbye from the Tonight Show (May 29, 2009) isn't anywhere on KZbin???

[@thematt523]

Because everyone knew he was going to a another show on the same network, so nobody felt a sense of finality. This was a TRUE, unambiguous retirement.

[@medilyesoudhini7411]

Why does this video look and sound from 1985 when it's from 2014

[@spring983]

They pre-record these shows 3 decades in advance in case there's a long union strike.

[@shohel77]

i miss your show.......... you are great comedian......good luck J i'll always miss your Show.

[@EnglishLawyer]

Jay you are a bloody legend. Much love.

[@Shibansh]

Yep, and people always remember " Don't blame Conan. "

[@viciousvomit4816]

He was good...his replacement makes me cry...wow what a shame. Letterman is all thats left.

[@MattDav]

I'm actually surprised that he didn't come 7 months later and take the Tonight Show away from Jimmy Fallon...

[@TheBobbyMcHenryShow]

😂

[@mikestevenson576]

Because you didn't understand the facts of the situation. Those who did are not surprised.

[@chadgross7114]

On tv to

[@rangers3696]

To think that in 2010 if they would have been a little bit more patient with conan late night wouldn't be dead since all of lenos fans are old and couldn't care less about the likes of kimmel or fallon or conan and the fact that conan was attracting a high number of the key demographic to view his show but at the end nbc screwed up and now the legacy of the tonight show and late night is up in flames

[@FIXTREME]

Conan's Tonight Show plain sucked! It was half assed at being a Conan show, while trying to be like Leno in some regards and failing at both. NBC may have given anyone else more time, but Late Night with Conan O'Brien was one of *the* best secondary late night shows... Therefore, expectations were 5X higher than normal. Conan did himself no favours by putting on a half-assed show opposite the tried-&-true Leno format.

[@lixiang7349]

No Jay you are the best to do this show

[@johnrose357]

Why must people be so quick to compare? Jay was great in his own way, and wanted to leave his own legacy.

[@BlueEyes-WhiteDrag0n]

But why screw conan over that Shit legacy

[@GLBizzie]

@@BlueEyes-WhiteDrag0n Bruh look at Ratings. Conan didn’t got the numbers Jay did. That should proof who the audience wants. Lmao

[@TotallyOKAYProductions]

@@GLBizzie wrong bro he had a terrible lead in

[@MrRustyBob]

The Tonight Show is officially dead.

[@Laveiathan]

That happened when conan was fired

[@MrRustyBob]

@@Laveiathan Actually, it happened when Jimmy Fallon was hired.

[@Laveiathan]

@@MrRustyBob nah, i'd say when conan left, everything went downwards.

[@seanwebb605]

That happened when Carson retired and Letterman didn't get the gig.

[@nickrigdon8883]

It died that day Carson left

[@jamisoncarlson6003]

This is was the first time Jay Leno ever showed emotion. Jay's best years were 1995-2009. I didn't like the 2010-2014 Tonight Show run with Leno and made me realize that David Letterman is a way better host and interviewer. Jay could only do well with the script and when he was off script he couldn't improvise, like Carson, Letterman or Conan. I'm a fan of Conan and I think he's an extremely gifted comedian and writer. Jimmy Fallon is a brilliant impressionist but has no reason to host the Tonight Show, he is horrible! I feel like this final segment should have been in 2009 and Jay should have tired to kick everybody's ass at FOX!! Nonetheless, Jay Leno was a great host, way better than Fallon, but no Johnny Carson!!

[@fantinuum1040]

This was probably the third time he showed emotion in public. You should watch his Michael Clarke Duncan eulogy (kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmSTdZ-brracaqc ) and his tribute to his father (kzbin.info/www/bejne/baOkc5eonMqVqs0).

[@m42037]

Carson was the GOAT!!!

[@nathankrush3289]

Didn't you see the episode where he talked about losing his father? How about the one with the little girl who was made fun of at school because of HER big chin? Have you ever seen an interview with Jay? I've never seen a celebrity so humble and down to earth, and what a kind person. He was the biggest clean stand up comedian of the 80s, and because of him " The Tonight Show " remained number one for 22 YEARS. Haven't you ever seen how much Johnny Carson and David Letterman loved him before he was asked to host?

[@DanSurgeYT]

I wish he would come back 😔

[@gary_michael_flanagan_wildlife]

Jay Leno is my favorite comedian. He is more than just a comedian. Just a solid man, and a good role model. He got a lot of undeserved hate from Conan but he is the better man by not getting involved in the mess. Thank you Jay. And I’m a car guy so thanks for all the great content too

[@Ausiedundan]

I totally agree!

[@joetran9892]

For those wondering about the whole Conan thing, here's what happened: In 2004, Conan was getting offers from other networks to do a show at an earlier hour. NBC (at that time) feared losing him, so they offered to drop Jay at the end of his contract if Conan would stay and take over "The Tonight Show", but in 2009. Conan agreed. Jay couldn't change it, so he didn't complain. But by 2009, Jay's ratings were still strong, and ABC wanted to hire him. NBC panicked and offered Jay a prime time show at 10:00pm. So Conan takes over "The Tonight Show" and almost immediately he starts losing to Letterman. Then, Jay's new prime time show premieres 3 months later and soon he is tanking in the ratings as well. NBC decides to put Jay back at 11:35pm, but just for half an hour, and Conan's "Tonight Show" would begin at midnight. Jay asked if he could be let out of his contract, but the network said no. Conan didn't get along with NBC and HATED the idea of "TTS" starting at midnight. So, he took a buy out and left. Jay returned to "TTS" and after a rocky start, the show went back to #1. While many of Conan's fans continued to blame Jay for what happened, it was really NBC that sent everything into a tailspin in late night. Jeff Zucker, who was the President & CEO of NBC Universal at that time, was the one who made the whole mess. Zucker was fired by Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts over the mess not too long after Comcast acquired NBC Universal from General Electric. 'The Tonight Show' is owned by NBC, not Jay or Conan.

[@nathanforester5993]

Thank you for educating everyone about this. And yeees...I knew my explanation as to Conan leaving was 100% correct, I remember him saying that he didn't want his version of the show to be at midnight since midnight isn't technically 'tonight' anymore.

[@joetran9892]

@@nathanforester5993 "For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05am simply isn't the Tonight Show." - Conan O'Brien

[@Rahat-cg8rv]

@@joetran9892 jay leno has to take the blame for staying at NBC. They gave jay a good time slot before Conan's tonight show and took all the good guests as well. It was a low blow for conan and the ratings never improve. Jay could've left but he was like "I'll be there in the corridor if you need me" and NBC eventually gave his show back. You guys blame conan as if he forced leno out where in the reality NBC and leno both screwed conan over...

[@joetran9892]

@@Rahat-cg8rv "The Tonight Show" belongs to NBC. Outgoing hosts do not get to choose their replacements. The network decides who gets to host it. NBC wanted to keep both Jay and Conan, but Conan chose to resign from "The Tonight Show." And why should Jay turn down coming back to "The Tonight Show" after Conan's departure? It was because of Conan's deal with NBC that he was forced to give it up in the first place.

[@joetran9892]

@@Rahat-cg8rv NBC made the decision to replace Jay with Conan. Then they reversed themselves and begged Jay to stay. They cancelled his show after 3 months. They decided bumping Conan to midnight with a 30 minute Leno show was a good idea. They wouldn't let Jay out of his contract. They wouldn't even let Conan do his string dance at 11:35. Blame NBC.

[@musicman76enator]

God Bless Jay Leno. ☺

[@carloslozada470]

HI

[@US-Warrior]

Jay Leno #Boss

[@darkcarnival1805]

I remember how excited I was to have Jimmy Fallon Gabe over. Now I miss Jay Leno; I look back and realize he was way funnier and tried not to get too swept up into hateful politics unlike most late show hosts now. It’s all ‘orange man bad’ and some, like Seth Myers, are so obsessed with this that it’s disturbing.

[@humdrum229]

Johnny Carson was unequivocally the best Late Night host ever full stop. Now we can move on to the rest. Jack Paar was very good, but was bi-polar and could not handle the workload. Carson came in and made it look easy. Carson's decisions to work only four days a week (Letterman did the same but taped a second show on Monday's) opened the door for Leno. Rather then run repeats, they chose to let Leno guest host and the rest they say is history. NBC went with Leno partly because he knew the staff and partly because he was willing to do what he was asked. Letterman was a recluse and chose to do his own thing which at times made him very brilliant but at other times very difficult to work with. Leno would keep the core audience and NBC execs knew this. They were willing to let Letterman walk to CBS and roll the dice. At first it looked like a bad decision and the ratings showed it, but Letterman could not hold the lead and quickly puttered out. Letterman went on to lose the ratings war to Leno every single year until Leno gave up the chair to Conan in 2009 who subsequently lost the ratings to Dave (including those young kids that Conan was supposed to bring in) and NBC had to do something or their affiliates and sponsors were going to revolt. NBC was left with no choice but to dump Conan, pay him handsomely, let him walk to TBS, and bring Leno back who ironically quickly won back the viewers and beat Letterman head to head until he retired in 2014. Say what you like about Leno, I personally never found him to be a great talk show host but he delivered what his bosses wanted...ratings. Leno built the Tonight show into a cash cow that was printing money every single year. His second stint was good but no where near what he did from 1994-2009. Letterman was naturally talented but was self conscientious and could not seem to ever get past Leno which bothered for a very long time. Not until after Leno left in 2009 did Letterman appreciate the decision that NBC had made in regards to who would replace Carson. Conan is at time hysterical and at other times just way off. He was never able to hit a home run in late night not even during his run at Late Night. NBC was afraid he would leave though and the president at the time Jeff Zucker thought he had a master plan by moving Conan to the Tonight show and Leno to primetime which proved to be too much comedy talk shows for anyone and was a mega disaster. The giants are all gone now and replaced by a plethora of decent hosts but none that can conquer like Carson, Leno or Letterman. The rating prove it. The financials prove it. Late night talks shows are dying a slow death.

[@daleravic]

It's simple Conan didn't get the numbers. Love Conan but at least admit he didn't have the audience for the Tonight Show.

[@timkasansky2528]

then leno came back and didn't got the numbers either. so? conan isn't leno, he was bviously going to appeal for a different public and wasn't given time to find it. it took years for leno, but conan was barely given half a year.

[@MontgomeryMall]

He didn't hold a candle to his predecessor, Johnny Carson, but he did his best in his own way.

[@i8ittoo]

Carson is the best everyone knows it, but Jay did a great job , and those who blame him for the red head exit, well its because the people watching were no longer happy and watching , so they brought back the guy they liked . Any way miss him, and carson.

[@shaunclifton5281]

@@i8ittoo And he very much DID hold a candle to Johnny. Some of us truly admire and appreciate Jay. Great Great guy.

[@retrosynthdid4476]

Can anyone tell me the history of the tonight show? With the hosts and stuff

[@captainbraviary9017]

lo c Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon

[@retrosynthdid4476]

@@captainbraviary9017 ty, good stuff

[@keziahmanjuantoney5865]

@@retrosynthdid4476 it’s the longest running late night show in the world

[@Aditya-tw4mz]

Love Leno Forever...

[@zuffer1675]

I've jus heard and studied bout this guy from jay lenos garage....defs my fav white comedian....its like every time i see him on stage.hes on a movie to me ..pure nature.......

[@waynedoyle5584]

talk about taking the blows and keep going ....miss ya jay

[@markg999]

Leno wasn't as good as Letterman when it came to Late Night tv....but as a person Leno seemed like a great man.....just very grounded and friendly. Late night tv went to crap after those two left.

[@ab-hk2ld]

just binge watched the dissapointment with conan, cant take him serious.... your wife must be proud „i‘m out of family“ .... no comment, never come back

[@mattcanfield6384]

Jay Leno and Johnny Carson my two favorite late night hosts I hated to see Jay go but I'm a car guy so I follow all his car stuff so it works out

[@wolfchrt]

Leno always did a fantastic show. Wish he wad still doing the Tonight Show!

[@SahlEbrahim]

im surprised people still like this guy after what he did to conan

[@UncleEbenezer77]

I was surprised they liked him after what he did to Carson and Letterman, but ppl see what they want to. Many believe him to be a "nice guy", but if ya read The Late Shift &/or The War for Late Night by Bill Carter, you'll know Jay Leno is a complete dirtbag.

[@mikestevenson576]

@@UncleEbenezer77 I read them. Jay did nothing wrong.

[@mikestevenson576]

Jay didn't do anything to Conan that Conan didn't do to Jay.

[@UncleEbenezer77]

@@mikestevenson576 If you honestly believe that, than you have questionable morals.

[@mikestevenson576]

@@UncleEbenezer77 And you have questionable reading skills. Hey, insulting people is as easy as you made it look.

[@10joJoe]

Joey sparks you heard everything wrong

[@ItsStanleyZ]

Just leaving my respects for this legend and the death of the entire late-night TV genre as a whole. :( R.I.P.

[@karateswe]

Agree with you

[@AndrewsOpinion15]

HAPPY 65TH BIRTHDAY JAMES DOUGLAS MUIR JAY LENO !!!

[@BlueEyes-WhiteDrag0n]

1:28 yeah these people you know and used to sabotage conan's career

[@chadgross7114]

I whiching,s him now

[@naqaychaayal302]

Fallon show is absolute trash. Insane random laughter at any and everything with random carnival games in between.

[@m42037]

Agree!! I miss Carson the king, the GOAT and when i see this clown Fallon it's a embarrassment compared to Carson. Thsnk goodness for tape and KZbin

[@leftfieldelvis]

Dude, Leno was hack bullshit. No comic ever respected Leno after what he did to Conan. If he had any credibility at all after the Letterman fiasco, he lost all of it after Conan.

[@naqaychaayal302]

@@leftfieldelvis I don’t disagree. Leno is trash also.

[@m42037]

@@leftfieldelvis Watch the1st show of The Tonght show when Leno started. During the whole show he don't even mention Johnny Carson! He owes his whole carrier to him. Not intil he died did Leno do a show dedicated to him. Probably the big wigs told him it was necessary

[@ajk]

@@m42037 He did allude to him once.....making a joke about seeing if the audience viewed him the same way in 30 years, but fair point overall I suppose.

[@eloymartinez7695]

Damn that so sad poor Jay Leno.

[@dannyyoder6034]

Obama finally gotcha.

[@fedepaz11]

snake leno

[@theconcubin3]

#teamcoco

[@nathanforester5993]

Would you look at how stupid the comments section is. Aaaw come on people, there's nothing wrong with sharing your emotions, it's okay to cry. It's okay to be upset, heck..I was crying when I saw this.

[@10joJoe]

Spikes* whatever the hell ur name is

[@unicornmadness6286]

I never understood why the audience kept laughing like he was cracking jokes or something. 7 year's later, I'm going to say it was because they maybe didn't want to cry. Sad farewell, and yes Johnny Carson was the greatest to ever do that show but da*n it Jay Leno is holding his hand, they were both equally great. Very intelligent, funny, down to earth human being. ❤

[@tedharrell299]

Your are class act Mr. Leno.

[@vinrod4]

He was no Letterman, but gave me a few chuckles...