1. He's No Johnny Carson
Carson took over The Tonight Show in 1962 and rode it to glory for thirty years, using that time to turn a niche hit into a broadcast institution. He transformed the show into a nightly ritual, a low-key party where viewers tuned in to watch celebrities hang out and banter, find out which new comedians would receive Johnny's all-important nod of approval, and, with the opening monologue, figure out what was funny about the stuff they'd heard from Walter Cronkite a few hours earlier. Like Cronkite, "the most trusted man in America", Carson's success was only possible in the days when TV consisted of three networks and high ratings really meant that most of the country was watching the same thing.
Leno was pre-selected as Carson's replacement on the basis of a five-year-long string of guest-hosting appearances that amounted to a prolonged public audition. All-too-visibly aware of the size of the shoes he was stepping into, in his first year on the job, he was overly excitable and bathed in flop sweat. How did Carson feel about having this yapping bastard as his heir apparent? Carson never publicly commented on Leno's show, but it's not hard to guess; when Leno's rival, David Letterman, bolted for CBS, Carson told reporters that he'd watched Letterman's debut show and liked what he saw. He never set foot on Leno's stage, but in 1994 he made a surprise cameo on Letterman's Late Show that would be his last TV appearance. Shortly before Carson died in 2005, it came out that he was even writing the occasional topical joke and, having no use for them himself, sending them to Letterman to use in his monologue.
2. Hell, He's Not Even Jay Leno Anymore
You kids are going to think your old man's mixed up his medications again when I tell you this, but there was a time when Jay Leno was funny. I refer to his years as a humble stand-up, many of which overlapped with his glory days as a prize guest on Letterman's old Late Night show. Back then, he cultivated the image of a loud-mouthed regular guy after beef injections, simple but not dumb, and a bit of a gearhead. This is the Leno who, when he heard Nancy Reagan had won some public-service Woman of the Year award, shot back, "I'm so glad she beat out that conniving little bitch Mother Teresa."
Unfortunately, he later said that he regretted that line — after all, Nancy Reagan had done such good work in advising the cast of Diff'rent Strokes to just say no to drugs. There was always a pandering audience whore inside the wild man, and when Leno got the comedian's equivalent of a seat on the Supreme Court, the whore ate the funnyman alive.
3. He Thinks You're Stupid
Picking up the gauntlet where Carson dropped it — firmly in the cable era — Leno could've reinvented The Tonight Show as a smaller but hipper show. It could never be the automatic water-cooler-conversation starter it had been, but it could still attract the kind of demographic that sponsors would be happy to have on tap. Instead, once it became clear that NBC was rethinking its decision to pick him over David Letterman, he rallied by jacking up the volume and dropping what was left of his brains down the toilet.
Adopting the theory that the least objectionable option has an edge over anything some nimrod might find too challenging or exciting, he embraced blandness with the conviction of a lost Jonas brother. And he was embarrassingly open about the calculations that turned him into a human weather vane: a lot of TV comics were unsure how to react after 9/11, but only Leno rushed to assure his audience, "We can't do Bush jokes anymore. He's smart now." This is what we call "kidding on the square." Or maybe "contempt for the audience." If this son of a bitch has contempt for us, why shouldn't we return the favor?
4. He Is Neither David Letterman Nor Conan O'Brien
NBC was apparently afraid to give Letterman The Tonight Show because they didn't think that pitching watermelons off the roof and haranguing Bryant Gumbel with a bullhorn would play at 11:30 at night. But Letterman proved able to upgrade his act. According to Bill Carter's book The Late Shift, Carson himself assured Letterman that hosting The Tonight Show wouldn't mean as much after Leno had damaged the brand, and that if NBC had treated him the way they'd treated Letterman, he'd have shown the network his ass. Thus encouraged, Letterman retained his distinctive acid-reflux personality while cutting it with a new degree of authority, a combination that made him king of late night until Leno sewed up his monopoly of all the TV sets in old folks' homes.
As for O'Brien — who still reads as the youngest of the late-night hosts, but is now older than Carson was when he got called up to the majors — he's been trying to find a way to accommodate his kind of college-humor-magazine silliness to the earlier hour, and the ride has not always been smooth. His premiere in his new slot was overloaded with too many filmed bits, and I suspect that Hooksexup readers lead the league when it comes to demanding the return of the Masturbating Bear. But his past seven months on the job have certainly provided more cause for hope than Leno's, either in the 11:30 slot or in his new role as a five-nights-a-week black hole in prime time.
5.) He's Not Andy Richter, Either — and We Like Andy Richter!
While everyone's up in arms about the royal screwing that Conan's is getting from NBC, can we have a thought for Andy Richter? Since leaving his old job as O'Brien's Late Night sidekick-announcer, Richter's jobs have included starring roles in a couple of funny, doomed sitcoms (Fox's Andy Richter Saves the Universe and Andy Barker, P.I., which was tied in a sack and thrown off a bridge by the geniuses at NBC). It must have been with mixed emotions that he agreed to return to Conan's side on The Tonight Show. Richter is a nice guy, and fun to watch. In return for his hard work and act of friendship, he's once again a bit player in a fiasco that is not of his making, but that will ensure his continued appearances in Howard Stern diatribes about show-business losers.
Meanwhile, even as Richter can't catch a break, Leno can't get held accountable for his years of inflicting mediocrity on a defenseless nation. What does it take for some shame to pierce this guy's shell of obliviousness? Leno is now officially the least pleasurable entertainer in the world to watch, because his need to be on-camera just seems like a neurotic itch. He worked out his deal to stink up NBC's prime-time schedule because, once he reached the age at which he'd agreed to retire, he found that the thought of not being on the air was unbearable. Subsequently, he's gone about recapturing his old slot as if he flat-out doesn't get that he's screwing over other people who thought they'd made a bargain in good faith. One might also ask why NBC wants so badly to please him. But to ask the question is to suggest that they have any brains or taste at all, which is to forget that these are the same people who wanted Leno more than they wanted David Letterman or Conan O'Brien in the first place.
Commentarium (69 Comments)
Well said Phil, well said. I am glad someone put into words everything I hate about Big Jaw. Leno sucks!
is that black spot on his hair a sh#t stain from sticking his head up peoples asses? they should call him Jay (the skid mark) Leno
Can't agree with PN about Leno's stand-up days; saw him at the SF Playboy Club in '76 (attendance: <15) and was pretty underwhelmed. Not that he was flat-out bad, but just bland/mediocre -- kind of like he is now. Still baffles me that NBC can't find someone better.
i met jay a few years ago - we picked him up at the airport for a university appearance. i thought he was big phony and it shines through on the show. his stand-up can be very good, but his interviews are shallow b/c he's not really interested in anything but kissing ass so as not to offend middle america.
This is still blowing my mind. Cannnnnnot believe Conan, who had mixed emotions about moving his life, staff, etc to LA in the first place is having this be the end result. He'll do well---I'm not worried about that, but feel for the old guy so much! I hope he's keeping his chin up and letting this traumatic situation get those creative juices flowing.
I agree w/ Sal. Maybe he'll take a year off and hang out w/ Tiger Woods and then do something funny again?
It was 'Andy Richter Controls the Universe'
Agreed on all counts. Though he doesn't seem bright enough to be the devil.
The Hitler clip on the I'mWithCoco channel on You Tube says it all.
I'm no fan of Leno, but totally neglected is that Leno brought eyeballs to the show, more than Letterman, more than Conan.
Remember the writers' strike? Dave had his writers through a side deal and Jay was writing his jokes on his own and Leno still had more people watching. Yes, Americans are what they are, but give Leno his due, he gives the people what they want, and there are worse things than that.
@rm I believe you meant "he gives the SHEEPLE what they want"
I like Jay, he seems real to me and down to earth. This writer was more than likely paid for by Letterman and Conan out of jealousy. Jay has the ratings and Conan sucks like a hoover! Bring back Jay!
"Jay has the ratings and Conan sucks like a hoover." Definitely a Leno fan.
i'm gonna miss conan. i'll always remember during the writer's strike when he had to find ways to kill time on the show, he constructed a maze with a camera above it that his guests had to find their way through in order to get on stage and start the interview. it will be interesting to see what conan does from here. maybe he'll move off network television and do something on cable, have a little more freedom and do something even funnier. could be a blessing in disguise.
Please Leno fans, tell me what's funny about Jay? Personally I hope Conan will go to Fox and woop him late night style!
Jay sucks. Conan rules.
I'm glad you pointed out that Leno did used to be funny. The college I was attending in the fall of '88 hired him to come in and do a show for "Parents Weekend." I don't remember another time I've laughed as hard. Makes what's happened since so sad.
Those Doritos commercials from the 80s should have been included in the list. They represent another way that he has inflicted suffering on humanity.
Here's a bonus 6th reason: how he got Carson's gig.
In Bill Carter"s "Late Shift," its documented that Leno's manager Helen Kushnick leaked fake rumors of Carson's retirement before he and NBC actually began to discuss it, citing information like Caron's ratings were declining and competing networks were looking to sign Leno to start a rival show. Carson was essentially strong-armed into abruptly announcing his retirement early in case NBC panicked and replaced him; he wanted to leave on his own terms rather than get dumped for older. Leno denies that ever had any knowledge of his agent's actions and was an unwilling pawn. A few months into Leno's "Tonight Show" promotion, Kushnick was fired. She died of cancer around the same time as the development of the "Late Shift" book - which was the same time Leno came out to criticize her for her actions in his controversial "Tonight Show" acquisition.
"Remember the writers’ strike? Dave had his writers through a side deal and Jay was writing his jokes on his own and Leno still had more people watching. Yes, Americans are what they are, but give Leno his due, he gives the people what they want, and there are worse things than that."
Worse things like violate the strike rules of a union you belong to?
Letterman outright owned his show and very willingly agreed to the new terms of his writers. Its understandable why Conan and Leno returned to TV - to ensure that the hundreds of employed crew members could still earn a salary, during a production strike. However, Conan actively refused to write and used his show to demonstrate how necessary writers were to the success of "Late Night" (as well as adhering to the WGA's strike rules). Leno went ahead and wrote material, breaking the union's strike rules and claimed he had the WGA's approval, which they later denied.
I still remember from Howard Stern's TV show from the early 90s, when he had Zsa Zsa Gabor as a guest. She had recently gotten a lot of mockery for her run-in with a traffic cop. She referred to Leno as "that son-of-a-bitch with the chin."
I think Leno is funny. Both Letterman and O'brien have their flaws. I think Letterman is almost as bland and middle of the road. Obrien comes off as immature at times. I think they are all very funny at their best. This article is way over the top, I guess it's supposed to be. We are talking about a comedian/entertainer, not the President. Why so harsh?
Because Leno is a snake. Nugent did a great job at putting it into perspective. There was a time when Leno was funny. And I am sure he still is. But what he puts out onto the airwaves is homogenized, watered down crap. And Letterman bland? No way, the guy has been consistently on fire for over a year now.
OMG people doing things that are in their own best interests. It's like the world has been turned upside down by all of this. Next you'll tell me Jesus was big phony too!
OK, let an old man make a few comments.
First, lets remember we are talking about the Tonight Show. Its required that the host be a bit bland, the show wants as many eye balls as possible and the true art is in showcasing the guests. Its never going to be about cutting edge comedy. It is and should be comedy that appeals to everyone because that is what it was designed to be and truly used to be in the old days, a show that literally almost everyone watched. Johnny Carson is considered a genius but it was all a subtle genius. I watched him while growing up and was usually bored by him, I appreciate him more now that I m older but I am guessing most Hooksexup readers would not like him that much.
Two, like it or not, Conan is an acquired taste and the ratings prove it. I like his quirkiness in skits and the monologue but he is a horrible distraction when interviewing guests. That turns a lot of people off who watch talk shows for the guests, not the host. I often sense the guests are politely laughing at his antics while their body language seems to be saying, “shut the fuck up Conan and let me finish my story”.
Three, Letterman is a perfect example of the point I am making. Again, most Hooksexup readers did not see him in the early years but Letterman was crazy and his base was younger people, especially high school and college kids. He was the Conan of that generation. I loved him but he was an acquired taste for the main stream. As he got older, he and his show mellowed and has now become pretty main stream and his ratings are probably the best in his career.
Personally, I think Jay is the best comedian, Conan is the guy I would most want to hang out with and Letterman is probably the only genius of anyone doing Late Night, way past his prime but once a genius, always a genius.
The bottom line, Jay should have the Tonight Show, Letterman gives the mainstream an option in that time slot and Conan should look for a show at 12 or later after the parents or kids have gone to bed and its time to light one up.
Well said!
Bill Hicks was right... Again! He predicted this Leno shit, when he said that the day Leno finally commits suicide live on his own show, his brains will spatter on the wall leaving an NBC peacock behind "because he's a company man until the bitter end". Leno sucked Satan's cock long ago, and keeps hitting it back up like a rat at a feeder bar... Seriously, how much more money does that whore need! Let the dream die, Jay, let it die.
Leno is boring. Conan will come back somewhere else and kick butt. Hopefully America will wake up and grow up.
why do all these writers and actors go on and on and Leno being bland and Letterman being cutting edge. Maybe that is the case but as the ratings proved, not everyone likes cutting edge out there humor. Most of america is not 'hip' ...we just like inoffensive mild humor at 11:35...
It's true the Tonight Show is targeted at the most sedated and drab vegetables of mainstream America because that's just their demographic. They watch en mass and give NBC its good ratings. It's nothing new. CBS has been touting the "Most Watched Network" sticker for ages, but I, being a 22 year-old male, do not know anyone who watches CBS other than for Letterman and sports. That's because senile dinosaurs are CBS's demographic. So in that sense you can't blame NBC for calling back their number-one honey, Jay. I just won't watch him like before. Hopefully Conan can pull a Letterman and find different network that won't bitch slap him.
So...just because I like Jay Leno that makes me a sedated and drab vegetable?
P.S. I'm younger than you are.
"Most of america is not ‘hip’ …we just like inoffensive mild humor at 11:35…"
Even if that's not your point, it just sounds like you're saying "Most of American doesn't want to have to think. We just want to settle."
f-ing hate Andy Richter. Love the coco, didn't hate Jay. I don't blame either of them tho. It's the network's fault for giving Conan the contract years ago and for then trying to keep them both. That's what created this situation. I don't blame Jay for trying to keep a job.
Also, I love how all I ever hear how "Jay is lame" and Dave ROCKS! However, have you ever though that maybe considering Dave was regularly getting SPANKED in the ratings (except when he's talking about little girls) YOU'RE the one who "doesn't get it?"
jay leno, tops them all , "THATS A FACT "
Kenneth/Justin: If you paid any attention at all, the point being made was that Leno won in ratings so consistently because he went from being a funny, edgy, decent comedian to a sad, mediocre excuse for a late-night host. His success comes from pandering to the retards (not all that much unlike yourselves)and old people across the nation. An audience that he clearly has nothing but contempt for, yet cannot bear the thought of relinquishing.
You can tell how good something is by how popular it is. You have no right to criticize or dislike very popular things. I am right because I like what the most people like, and you are a loser because you don't. Case closed, freak.
"One might also ask why NBC wants so badly to please (Leno)." How about 80 million reasons? Nikki Finke wrote that NBC would have to pay Leno $80 mil if they canceled his show vs "re-sched" it to 11:30. And they faced a $60 mil penalty if they removed Conan from the Tonight Show but no penalty if they re-sched it to midnight.
NBC's management has constantly made deals where the net looses money (programming, scheduling, w/affiliates, the Olympics). Great job folks.
Popularity is the hallmark of mediocrity
Leno is much better than Conan; that's why nbc wants conan out. Duh! it's about money Jay brings the network more money because he is funnier. how do we know????? more people watch him.
I think he's incredible, every night he goes out there and he's funny. It's hard to do that. I change the channel when conan is on, he tries too hard.
Hello hyperbolic headline!
Someone did a joke a while ago. “You now you’re in trouble when the funniest thing about your show are newspaper typos.”
Nice jab, Keith Whitenererer. Jay really was truly funny back in the day, but having staff find newspaper typos to keep the sheeple laughing isn't exactly honoring your craft.
People, keep in mind relatively few peeps turn on the tube @ 11:30 to watch Jay. Those watching Jay are those watching the local snooze....zzzz. If signing a deal with the devil includes entertaining mediocre America, let Jay have it.
I think Conan didn't realize he was better off by this happening until this past week when he finally let the hair grow back on his balls.
I don't care about any of these people. Jimmy Fallon wins.
Fallon? Oof.
NBC might not have handled this as well as they could have, but the fact remains -- We like Jay Leno and just don't like to watch Conan. We can't stand to watch Conan O'Brien, so we'll be extremely happy when Jay returns.
You ask why NBC chose between Jay and Conan...Because among other things Jay is a really good businessman. If NBC sent him packing they would have to pay him $150 million...Conan can be stabbed in the back for a quarter of that...its always about the money.
I guess I'm one of those sheeple because I like and appreciate Jay's humor. People have different personalities and enjoy different things...we'd all be "sheeple" if we all liked the same exact thing. No need to hate or call names because of it. I told my husband when the change was made that even though I love Conan, I didn't think a majority of people would "get" his humor. It's not that he is superior or inferior to anyone else. He is an acquired taste, and not everyone was ready for him, and it was reflected in the ratings. I appreciate all late night hosts for different things they bring to the table. Oh wait, I guess that makes me tolerant of others...what a novel idea.
Leno fans should be forced to watch the Jimmy Kimmel show when he dressed and acted like Jay. The bits and jokes were spot on to Jay's idiotic simplistic "humor". "Headlines" was classic when Jimmy talked about "flully". Jay's audience is the very heart on America; brainless, stupid worker bees and elderly morons.
I like Jay and Conan. They are really different. Jay has a soothing, easy way about him. Conan is on the edge of his seat - high energy, surprising. I don't think there is a reason to insult either comedian or their audience.
Something not mentioned here - a lot of late night success is due to lead-in from earlier programming - to a lot of people, the 11pm news is the same on all major networks, so if they were watching NBC at 10:45, and are up until 11:30, they'd watch leno - if they were watching CBS, they'd watch letterman (not everyone, but I'd guess 50-60%). NBC has seen it's primetime dominance diminish - CBS is now the "most-watched" network, which gives Dave a great lead-in.
I don't think that's true anymore. People have remotes and can flip that thing any time they want to. Lead-ins ain't what they used to be.
Great article.
As to the "sheeple" who think Jay's funny, there is no humor in a whiny, high-pitched voiced joker who shakes his head all the time. You might as well be watching a bobblehead tell "jokes". You all probably just didn't "get" the bit about quantum physics that Conan and Jim Carrey did. You all probably also prefer the post-Conan Simpsons to Futurama.
It's now been proven fact: The Middle Americans who have Nielsen boxes "like" mediocrity and bland "wind down" comedies. However...if you look at the movies and how well THEY do--and these people DON'T have Nielsen boxes--people on the whole DO love the kind of humor (base, sometimes) that Conan supplies. Look how well The Hangover did. Middle Americans with Nielsen boxes/notebooks DO NOT speak for the whole of America, and Nielsen ratings are WAY off (and given this, chances are, Leno's ratings for his 10 o'clock show were realistically probably even WORSE than reported, since millions of people without those stupid boxes are watching hundreds of other channels on cable at 10.
It could be a lot worse, people. In some parallel universe, the reigning king of late night is Arsenio.
LOL
In my opinion, Craig Ferguson is the funniest guy on TV. If I had to choose I would most certainly choose Letterman. There was a time Leno could make me laugh but it's been years. Craig is the only guy worth staying up late for. He is indeed the "Cinderella of Late Night!"
Craig is hilarious. I love Conan, but I agree that Craig is the best. Fortunately, I don't have to choose between the two of them!
This Conan/Leno issue needs to be examined at a "meta" level. The real story here is that boomers are refusing to "go quietly into that good night." They can't acknowledge they are getting old. Plastic surgery is another example of not letting go. Leno represents boomers, while Conan represents Gen-X. He just couldn't step aside gracefully (and thereby acknowledge his own aging). Obviously he is a hard worker who would probably be very board as a retired person. But, even he needed two years and the "Hugh Grant blow job incident" to finally get ratings. They didn't give Conan a chance and couldn't step aside for Gen-X.
Personally, I prefer Jimmy Kimmel to Leno, but I've never liked Conan. Even late night when almost nothing else is on (I don't have cable), I couldn't take Conan. He's so NOT funny and has a face for radio. I wish him luck, admire his class and grace, but knew 5 years ago it wouldn't work unless every viewer had a sense of humor transplant. I know die hard Conan fans are angry and want to blame it on Leno, the lead in shows, etc. but bottom line is the viewers didn't like Conan. Most people I know turn to the news they like once the current news show takes a break. Assuming they are 'sheeple' and are remote control challenged, Conan couldn't even keep the 5M viewers Jay brought it. Of course you can ignore that fact, but it doesn't make you right.
I'm shocked that TwL doesn't know anyone who watches the CSIs, NCISs, big brother, amazing race and Survivor on CBS. I think NBC is the least watched network so it says a lot that Jay beat Letterman consistently.
wait a minute... i thought the reason leno stepped down was because no one wanted to watch him in his new timeslot, so he tried to get up in conan's slot and move conan back to his late show, but conan was too much of a gentleman to make jimmy fallon move too. that's what i've heard... that's partially why i hate leno. what a jerk.
anyways i love conan and have been a fan of him since before he actually got the big show. i really hope he does something worthwhile to prove to everyone that leno is indeed a big pile of poo.
also dee: what are you talking about!? so many people i know watch nbc, at least for 30 rock, the office, and parks and recreation. let's not forget chuck and heroes, although personally i don't like them too much.
Leno is Israel.
Think about it.
I just think that Leno is more cutthroat than he lets on, his who me act is tiring! His comic bits all seem stolen and he just is sooooo bland, but a lot of America enjoys bland :(
The proper title of the show was Andy Rictor Controls the Universe ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Richter_Controls_the_Universe ) and thanks for bringing it up... I just added it to my netflix queue.
I think NBC looked at it this way... pay jay 100mil or whatever crazy stupid thing they agreed to pay him if they fired him from the 9pm show... or conan his 40mil. plus the ratings... when I heard Conan was going to tonight show I gave it 7 months.
I like Conan as a writer... and I know what america has become used to (your right in many ways about jay, especially on tonight show-first time) in that time slot and I suspected that Conan would isolate about 70% of them the first night with his humor :D
I think the real genius in the whole thing is whoever fangled the original deal with Leno for the 9pm show... if it was Jay himself then there ya go... more proof of his evilness.
Jay's so gay he's sure to spoil your day. From his lantern-jawed grin that's as ugly as sin, to his cretinous jokes that'll make your head spin. Jay, oh, Jay... what must I say? Five nights a week you babble like a conceded geek; your ratings plunged, your future bleak, soon you'll be lucky if you're on TV just once a week. So many despise you, more than you can imagine; a short, fat, old man with the intelligence of a beer can; Jay you've proven yourself a loser, perhaps you're even a recreational boozer? You're past your prime, but since you're still on TV, now that's a despicable crime. Give it up Jay; you've never made my day!
I MISS JOHNNY CARSON Nobody has even touched him in all of this mess!
You can't replace an ICON..... no other Herman Munster, Uncle Jed...... or Johnny Carson.... but Andy Richter is a funny guy who deserves a break!
If you've been working all day, taking care of household stuff, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, and preparing for tomorrow's daily grind, everybody's (Leno, Coco, Letterman, Kimmel, Maher, Ferguson, local news, Fox News, my dog) a little bit funny. It (usually) takes more than one person to force a network to make a decision.
Lighten up everybody...it's supposed to be comedy.
Let's face it: In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, there was only one King and his name was Johnny. Sure there were pretenders to his throne, think Joan Rivers, Rick Dees, Pat Sajak, Keenan Ivory Wayans, even Chevy Chase, but they all crashed and burned. Only Arsenio Hall came kind of close.
Then he left and that set up an epic battle for his throne: Dave Letterman the heir apparent who worked Late Night or the upstart Jay Leno who was substitute host for 5 years.
Leno won, through chicanery and deceit. Letterman went to CBS. In the meantime, the world changed. TV was no longer just 3 or 4 networks, there are now hundreds of options.
Guys like Connan, Jimmy Kimmell, Craig Ferguson et all understand that the world moved on since Carson. Their is too much competition out there among them. So they carve out their own niche, usually among a younger, hipper, edgy demographic.
Of all the hosts, Leno is the one who least gets it and never will. In his mind and heart, he is doing the best Johnny Carson impression he can and catering to all the sheeple and morons that make up bland middle America. Yeah, his ratings are big, but his show lacks originality, freshness and seems phoney and contrived. Hence, he'll never win any Emmys.
Bill Hicks, that great comedian who died in 1993 called it on Leno years ago. He said he thought that it would be a Joey Lawrence interview that would drive Leno over the edge and make him blow his brains out on national tv. But Leno had actually already performed a self-lobotomy, making him acceptable for the tv audience and rendering that unnecessary