Even on the best night "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno doesn't have many supporters in the press. There are a lot of reasons for that and frankly, most of them are pretty self-evident. If you have followed Leno's career, you know what the standard complaints are about the guy.
Over the years I've probably been one of the strongest supporters in the press of Leno and that's been a bit of a surprise to me. I've certainly had my problems with his monologues and even in the early years of "The Tonight Show" I wanted him to show some of that fire and sarcasm he illustrated during the many segments he used to do on Letterman's NBC show. There is a guy there with an edge, and I think the fact that he seems to try and push down that side of his personality has done his career a bit of a disservice.
That's one of the reasons that Leno may have been his funniest during the period when he was hosting his primetime talker. Once it was clear the show was doomed he seemed to care a lot less about being liked and the result was some really stellar monologues. He had a fire that is missing on most nights at the "Tonight Show" desk and it's probably the main reason I don't watch him more often than I do.
Over the past couple of weeks Leno has been the recipient of a few well-placed stories that speculated NBC was ready to announce in May that Jimmy Fallon would be taking over the "Tonight Show" when Leno's contract expires late this year. The stories quoted unnamed NBC executives complaining that Leno's audience was too old and the network needed to shake up the show. Then there was last week's round of stories revealing that Leno was in hot water with NBC head Bob Greenblatt over some monologue jokes concerning the network's ratings woes.
Given those stories I was curious whether Leno would take any additional shots at the network during Monday night's monologue.
His first joke was a throwaway joke about overflowing toilets on Carnival Cruise Line ships, but joke number two jumped right into the heart of the dispute:
"Well, you know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right? St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland and then they came here to the United States and became NBC executives."
The line got a big laugh and I was hoping that he would do some follow-ups, but Leno quickly transitioned into his standard mix of Lindsay Lohan jokes and mild punchlines drawn from generally already tired pop culture headlines. There was a brief glimmer of life in Leno, but it was quickly snuffed out by his conflicting desire to be loved and his very noticeable inability to embrace the moment.
At this point in his career why even worry about what the NBC executives think? Like him or not, he's going to be pushed out of that "Tonight Show" chair again because the network simply can't conceive of any other option. He's said before that he's tried to be amiable with the execs because he wants to protect the jobs of his staff. But given he'll be gone within a year anyway, how much job protection can he really give them?
I met Leno a few times back when I was doing stand-up and he seemed like a decent enough guy. I know he's got a fierce work ethic when he's properly inspired and I want him to find that inspiration now. Jay Leno needs to grow a pair and take on the network suits every night. Better yet, take shots at all the people who have dismissed him over the years. What the hell, go out with a bang. Remind America why you got the job all those years ago and vow to yourself that you won't be creatively limping off the stage when you go the same way Carson was when he wrapped up his talk show career. Decide that you're not going to give a crap about who you offend or what bridges you burn. You don't go to Hollywood parties, so what does it matter if a few celebrities are offended. You're not a mean guy, but there was a time when you as good onstage as any comedian in America.
Leno underplays his competitive nature, but flashes of it still surface from time to time. He needs a few new joke writers, a couple of new balls and he could crank out some shows that are more than just the comedic equivalent of punching a time clock.
