Where Will Jay Go After Tonight?

Comedian may be getting the boot, but tomorrow's looking pretty bright
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2008 6:37 AM CDT
Where Will Jay Go After Tonight ?
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and host Jay Leno chat during the taping of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" at NBC studios in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007.    (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Jay Leno might be losing his beloved "Tonight Show," writes the Hollywood Reporter, but the host still has a ratings punch and an enviable set of options (in decreasing order of probability):

  1. Take ABC’s 11:30pm-12:30am slot, displacing Nightline and Jimmy Kimmel Live and competing with Letterman and O’Brien.
  2. Launch a show on Fox at 11 or 11:30pm—Fox doesn’t currently run late-night shows, but could use Leno’s brand to push into the new territory.
  3. Sony Pictures TV puts Leno’s Tonight Show into syndication, which could eventually lead to another late-night gig.

  1. Stay on NBC, either on a morning or afternoon show: "We've laid out the whole menu of possibilities in different dayparts to him," says an NBC insider.
  2. Take a break and come back on CBS in 2010—when Letterman’s contract expires.
  3. Join Larry King as a CNN host.
  4. Retire to full-time stand-up in 2010.
(More Jay Leno stories.)

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