The Jay Leno Show Leaving Primetime on February 12

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Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Late Night, Prime Time, Talk Shows, NBC, News, Rumors

Although the drama surrounding NBC’s late-night schedule is still ongoing, two things were finally made clear by NBC Universal TV chairman Jeff Gaspin today:

1. The Jay Leno Show will air its final 10:00 broadcast on February 12.
2. The network has asked Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon to adjust their start times by 30 minutes.

The decision, which was revealed at the Television Critics Assn. Press Tour, was reportedly a result of increased pressure by the local affiliates. It wasn’t a reaction to Jay Leno’s actual work.

Read More | Entertainment Weekly

“While [Leno] was performing at acceptable levels for the network, it did not meet our affiliates’ needs, and we realized we had to make a change,” Gaspin claimed. “My goal right now is to keep Jay, Conan [O’Brien], and Jimmy [Fallon] as part of our late-night lineup. I have spoken to all of them and proposed that The Jay Leno Show move to 11:35, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien to 12:05, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon would then start at 1:05.”

Of course, it’s still unclear whether at this point whether O’Brien or Fallon would be willing to play along with this new scenario. (I haven’t even started to think about Carson Daly.) Rumor has it that Conan could even be fielding other offers, like maybe even a move to FOX.

In the meantime, NBC has not decided what it will air at 10:00 once Jay Leno finally vacates that slot. “We’re not going to do five new dramas at 10 p.m.,” Gaspin stated.