Buzz is fresh in L.A. right now that Jay Leno is reclaiming his title as the king of late night as he and NBC have reportedly come to a deal for Leno to take back hosting reins on The Tonight Show.
The Peacock confirmed it put the offer out to Leno after O’Brien rejected moving the show to 12:05 p.m., a move that Coco said would “deconstruct” the talk show. So now it looks as though Leno is the big winner in all of this, getting the 11:35 p.m. series for the full hour and O’Brien is out on his rump, probably a little richer for the wear.
It is widely thought that Jan. 22 will be O’Brien’s last night as host of the series he’s dreamed of helming since he was a little boy, and that his people are working hard behind the scenes to find super guest-stars for the home stretch. The week after that, the show had already scheduled a hiatus before these shenanigans commenced.
The only way Leno would not take back The Tonight Show is if O’Brien changes his mind and agrees to do the show at 12:05 a.m. For now, NBC and O’Brien need to figure out the legalities of their contract and whether or not NBC owes the host money.
So, what’s next for the gangly redhead? A move to Fox?
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