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It's Official – Jimmy Fallon To Replace Jay Leno

Posted byBy Kim Burnell | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Welp, the ink is probably still drying – Jimmy Fallon just closed a deal with NBC that will have him replace Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. 

While Fallon has a successful late, late night show, he admits, “I’m really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow.” While it’s clear Fallon is eager to take over the 11:30pm spot, he’ll have to wait until spring of 2014. As seen on Deadline.com, the transition will likely occur in conjunction with the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Seth Meyers in talks to take over Fallon’s ‘Late Night’ spot

Leno is retiring after 22-years in the coveted spot. He took over the job in 1992 from legendary host Johnny Carson. Many of you probably remember that Leno attempted retirement once before. Back in 2009, Conan O’Brien briefly took over The Tonight Show. A mere nine months later Leno was back and O’Brien was bumped. Hopefully Fallon has better results than the ill-fated Conan O’Brien experiment.

Well, what’s going to happen to Jimmy’s late night spot? Never fear, NBC has been asking that question too. As of now producer Lorne Michael’s is eyeing another Saturday Night Live star, Seth Meyers, to helm the spot. Meyers is currently starring on the late night sketch show, notably as the host of Weekend Update – a coveted position that was once held by Fallon himself.

In Fallon’s four years as the Late Night host, he’s managed to scoop up armfuls of awards. He’s earned a People’s Choice Award for Best Late Night Host the past two years, the 2012 Critic’s Choice Award for Best Talk Show, and a 2013 Grammy for best Comedy Album, Blow Your Pants Off, which featured parodies from his Late Night show. It’s safe to say that Fallon’s impressive resume certainly qualifies him for the promotion.

Speaking of musical parodies, Fallon is the king of them. He’s collaborated musically with nearly everyone, from Justin Timberlake to The Roots and Mariah Carey to Jay Leno himself, the host knows how to carry a tune and get the laughs. Don’t believe me? Watch one of his latest videos with Blake Shelton and Nick Offerman then decide for yourself…

 

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