It was a homespun farewell for Jay Leno’s last show at Tonight. Celebrities were largely absent and the self-effacing comedian said he wanted to be remembered for the children born to his staffers during his 17-year tenure as the show’s second-longest-running host.
He even posed with all 68 of them, from babies to teenagers.
“That’s what I’d like my legacy to be,” Leno said, his voice thickened by emotion. “When these kids grow up and they go, ‘Hey, mom and dad, where did you guys meet?’, they’re going to say they met on the stage of The Tonight Show.” The show also included jabs at favorite targets, including politicians and his own network. He noted proudly that he took over the top-rated late-night show from Johnny Carson and was passing it on with the same No. 1 ranking to Conan O’Brien, who begins as host today.
“Which means I get my security deposit back,” quipped Leno.
Leno received a chilly reception when he beat out Carson favorite David Letterman for the Tonight job in 1992.
Carson, who was host for a record 30 years, taught him that no matter what happens in the world the host has to have a nightly monologue, “because that’s your job,” Leno said.
Giving O’Brien a pre-debut boost, Leno welcomed him as his final guest.
“You were the perfect choice. You’ve been an absolute gentlemen in private and in the press,” Leno told O’Brien, lauding him for his “sharp” material.
“Conan rocks,” a studio audience member shouted. “I agree, Conan rocks,” Leno replied.
A clip was shown from 1993, when the 30-year-old O’Brien, a TV newcomer, appeared on Tonight hours after being signed to host Late Night. Leno, his hair dark then and gray now, was ushered on stage Friday with a Jimi Hendrix-flavored version of The Star-Spangled Banner by bandleader Kevin Eubanks.
“Welcome to the exciting season finale of The Tonight Show,” said Leno, greeted by a standing ovation. “I want to thank all the people who made it possible: Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton.” After noting that former US presidents Clinton and George W. Bush were participating in a joint speaking engagement in Canada, Leno remarked wistfully: “I wish I had one more day.”
Leno also fit in a last shot at O.J. Simpson, another monologue favorite. In cleaning out his office, the comedian said, “I found O.J.’s knife. I had it the whole time.”
After keeping his private life out of the spotlight for years, David Hyde Pierce has announced his marriage to longtime partner Brian Hargrove.
The former Frasier star spoke candidly in an appearance on ABC’s The View. Wearing a wedding band, Hyde Pierce revealed they tied the knot “very quietly” in California on Oct. 24.
The actor and Hargrove, a producer, are still legally wed despite the California Supreme Court’s decision last week to uphold Proposition 8. The gay-marriage ban was approved by voters in November, stopping legal nuptials going forward.
Angered by the ruling, Hyde Pierce said Thursday: “It’s like, ‘Oh great, we made the cut.’” He called it a “very odd thing” that strangers have a vote on his private decision to marry.
A former TMZ photographer is suing Britney Spears over an incident in which his foot was run over. Ricardo Mendoza filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Friday against the singer. The lawsuit claims that Spears negligently operated her car and committed assault and battery when she ran over his foot in Beverly Hills in October 2007. Several media outlets picked up footage of the incident, including celebrity gossip Web site TMZ, where Mendoza worked at the time.
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