Jay Leno

Biography: His down-to-earth persona and topical humor have helped make Leno one of the most recognizable personalities in the business. In the '70s, the comic toured as a stand-up — sometimes booking as many as 300 gigs annually — and made multiple appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In the '80s, Leno warmed Carson's seat as the show's regular guest host. When Carson retired in 1992, NBC passed hosting duties for The Tonight Show to Jay Leno, much to the chagrin of competitor David Letterman who had his eye on job. Leno sustained his popularity and approachability well into the '00s. In 2009, Leno reluctantly agreed to step down from The Tonight Show, allowing his chosen successor, Conan O'Brien, to take over. In a surprising move, NBC offered Leno a nightly prime-time program, The Jay Leno Show. When it debuted in 2009, the show failed to gain traction and was subsequently canceled. NBC offered to rearrange both the prime time and late-night schedules to includeHis down-to-earth persona and topical humor have helped make Leno one of the most recognizable personalities in the business. In the '70s, the comic toured as a stand-up — sometimes booking as many as 300 gigs annually — and made multiple appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In the '80s, Leno warmed Carson's seat as the show's regular guest host. When Carson retired in 1992, NBC passed hosting duties for The Tonight Show to Jay Leno, much to the chagrin of competitor David Letterman who had his eye on job. Leno sustained his popularity and approachability well into the '00s. In 2009, Leno reluctantly agreed to step down from The Tonight Show, allowing his chosen successor, Conan O'Brien, to take over. In a surprising move, NBC offered Leno a nightly prime-time program, The Jay Leno Show. When it debuted in 2009, the show failed to gain traction and was subsequently canceled. NBC offered to rearrange both the prime time and late-night schedules to include everyone involved, but the arrangement rattled Conan O'Brien, who eventually refused because altering the schedule would harm The Tonight Show's long-lasting reputation. When the dust finally settled on the late-night conflict, Leno took back The Tonight Show, and Conan O'Brien left NBC. Off-screen, Leno spends his leisure time peacefully with his wife and his collection of classic cars and motorcycles. Expand

Jay Leno's Scores

Average career score: 67
Highest Metascore: 94 Louie: Season 3
Lowest Metascore: 48 The Jay Leno Show : Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Negative: 0 out of 16
16 tv reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
tbd The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Season 3 Sep 5, 2005 Guest tbd
tbd Monster Garage: Season 2 Jul 18, 2005 Guest tbd
tbd Rides: Season 4 Jun 7, 2005 Appearing tbd
58 The Comeback: Season 1 Jun 5, 2005 Himself 7.7
tbd Overhaulin': Season 3 May 31, 2005 Appearing tbd
tbd The Fairly Odd Parents: Season 5 Feb 16, 2005 Crimson Chin 7.3
tbd Rides: Season 3 Nov 30, 2004 Appearing tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 13 Sep 20, 2004 Host / Host tbd
tbd The Fairly Odd Parents: Season 4 Sep 10, 2004 Crimson Chin / Himself 7.9
58 Joey: Season 1 Sep 9, 2004 Himself 6.5
tbd The View: Season 8 Sep 6, 2004 Jay Leno tbd
tbd The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Season 2 Sep 6, 2004 Guest tbd
tbd The View: Season 7 Sep 8, 2003 Jay Leno tbd
tbd The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Season 1 Sep 8, 2003 Guest 7.5
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 12 Sep 2, 2003 Host / Host tbd
tbd Scrubs: Season 2 Sep 26, 2002 Jay Leno 8.8
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 11 Sep 23, 2002 Host / Host tbd
tbd The Bernie Mac Show: Season 2 Sep 18, 2002 Himself tbd
tbd The View: Season 6 Sep 9, 2002 Jay Leno tbd
tbd The Fairly Odd Parents: Season 2 Mar 1, 2002 Crimson Chin / Crimson Chin / Himself 8.5
tbd Just Shoot Me: Season 6 Sep 27, 2001 Himself / Jay Leno tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 10 Sep 24, 2001 Host / Host tbd
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 9 Oct 9, 2000 Host / Host tbd
tbd The Drew Carey Show: Season 6 Oct 4, 2000 Lewis' Boss tbd
tbd Titus: Season 2 Oct 3, 2000 Himself tbd
tbd Dilbert: Season 2 Nov 2, 1999 Voice tbd
79 The West Wing: Season 1 Sep 22, 1999 Himself 8.1
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 8 Sep 20, 1999 Host / Host tbd
tbd V.I.P.: Season 1 Sep 26, 1998 Himself tbd
tbd Home Improvement: Season 8 Sep 22, 1998 Himself 7.5

Related Articles

  1. A Conan and Jay Timeline
    Lenogate: A Conan and Jay Timeline Image
    Published: January 15, 2010