It’s official! Jimmy Fallon takes over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. After months of speculation, NBC has finally confirmed that the rumors are true.
So when will Jimmy Fallon take over? The transition is scheduled for Spring 2014, though I think they may have their seasons mixed up. The switch is set to coincide with NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympic Games from Sochi, Russia, which takes place in February. Get excited to see Fallon play beer pong with Lindsey Vonn.
NBC also confirmed that The Tonight Show is moving to New York and will be recorded at 30 Rock. Lorne Michaels, who was the executive producer of Late Night will now act as the executive producer on The Tonight Show.
It’s easy to say that Jay Leno was fired, but I think we can all agree that’s not the case. Leno still has the highest ratings of all the late night shows. The move is meant keep NBC in their dominant position. NBC further justified replacing Leno while he was #1 by reminding everyone of Johnny Carson, who was #1 when he handed the reins over to a much younger Jay Leno. It seems they take the idea of going out on top quite literally.
The question on everyone’s mind now is, how does Conan feel about this? He just extended his contract until 2015 so he’s stuck with TBS.