Jay Leno's Last Show Announced, Line Up Revealed
Jay Leno's long-running television program is set to go off the air next month, but not without an exciting lineup of guests first.
"The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" first hit NBC in 1992 with a visit from Billy Crystal, and in honor of the 22 years spent on the air, the actor will visit Leno once more for the very last "Leno" show.
Furthermore, the final show on Feb. 6 will see Garth Brooks as the musical guest, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Leno's quasi-rival and successor Jimmy Fallon will also stop by the last "Tonight Show" on Monday, Feb. 3 for a "passing of the baton" episode, according to NBC entertainment chair Bob Greenblatt.
Betty White will also make what will be her 19th appearance on the "Tonight Show" that day.
The full lineup for the final week of Leno's show is as follows:
Monday, Feb. 3: Jimmy Fallon, Betty White
Tuesday, Feb. 4: Matthew McConaughey, Charles Barkley, Lyle Lovett
Wednesday, Feb. 5: Sandra Bullock, Blake Shelton
Thursday, Feb. 6: Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks
Meanwhile, Leno has not disclosed what he will do after his famed late-night show is retired. Regardless of what his plans may include, Greenblatt said he hopes to keep Leno in the family.
"I'm hoping we will enter into a new relationship with him and keep his home on NBC," he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Jimmy Fallon will take over the coveted "Tonight Show" 11:35 p.m. time slot on Feb. 17.
Leno had been battling stiff competition recently, and NBC was reportedly concerned that rival late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel would steal young viewers from the network, according to The Atlantic Wire.
Consequently, the network is replacing Leno with Fallon in order to stay competitive with Kimmel.
"The more time Jimmy Kimmel is in that slot, the more the young audiences goes that way, the harder is is for Jimmy [Fallon] to keep that audience," a source close to the situation told Atlantic Wire.
Kimmel and Leno were previously "neck-and-neck" in ratings on any given night, according to the insider.
Leno had also faced criticism in recent months, including Kimmel declaring the 63-year-old comedian had "sold out."
"As a comedian, you can't not have disdain for what he's done," said Kimmel speaking to Rolling Stone magazine about Leno deciding to stay with NBC instead of pursuing other interests. "He totally sold out."
"[Leno] was a master chef who opened a Burger King," added Kimmel.
