The big news last night was Jimmy Fallon’s first show behind the legendary Tonight Show desk. Fallon has been waiting in the wings for years, and as Jay Leno finally retired after 22 years, 39 year old Fallon steps into the spotlight.
Jay Leno recently did an interview with 60 minutes regarding his impending retirement. You can find video of the entire interview here. Leno, a seasoned veteran, eloquently addresses many reasons behind his departure. Some involve network politics. But more interestingly, Leno acknowledges the generational issues that accompany his retirement.
Excerpts from the interview transcript below:
Leno on passing the torch to a talented younger host:
Steve Kroft: You would have liked to have stayed?
Jay Leno: It’s not my decision. And I think I probably would have stayed if we didn’t have– an extremely qualified, young guy ready to jump in. If they said, “Look, you’re fired. We don’t know who we’re gonna get. We don’t know what we’re gonna put in there. But anybody but you, we just want you out of–” I would be l– hurt and offended. But this makes perfect sense to me. I understand this.
And addressing technical difficulties:
Steve Kroft narrates: This time Leno says he sees the handwriting on the wall. There is a generational and technological shift afoot with Twitter and social media that he is finding harder to relate to.
Jay Leno: I get it, you know? Johnny was 66 when he left. I would be 64 when I leave. And that’s about right, you know? I really like Jimmy Fallon. I think he’s terrific. You know, when I see him do a dance number with, you know, Justin Timberlake or somebody, I go, “I can’t do that.”
Jay Leno: I think after a while, you know, I’m not gonna be that up on the latest Justin Bieber record when you’re 64. You know, whatever it might be, so–
Steve Kroft: Do you know what Justin Bieber’s latest song is?
Jay Leno: No, I know you do, but I– no, I don’t.
And what he thinks might be a good fit for his next move:
Jay Leno: I don’t know what I’ll do. Will I do another late night show to go against any of these people? No. No, that– no. You can’t recreate what we had at “The Tonight Show.” That was a 22-year moment in time. It was fantastic. And I loved it. Would I like to do things with– oh, I don’t know, History Channel? Yeah, I think that would be fun to do.
I’ve written much on the subject of Baby Boomers retiring in mass. Jay Leno is just another talented Baby Boomer retiring and making way for a Gen Xer to move up in the ranks. It is astute of Leno to notice the Generational shift in entertainment trends and respond accordingly. He recognizes that such shifts affect his industry as well as any other. He knows that he isn’t up to speed with NBC’s target audience for the Tonight Show, and it’s time to pass the torch to Xer Jimmy Fallon.
