Hey Jay Leno, welcome back. I haven’t missed you.
Last week your show was back on the air and so were the laughs, although maybe not quite the laughs you or your viewers were expecting.
Last week, you returned to your hallowed time slot of 11:30 p.m. and entertained audiences with a week of big name guests from Olympics athletes to Brett Favre. However, one “rogue” personality didn’t quite pique the interest of your viewers.
On Tuesday’s show last week, you welcomed Sarah Palin, who, according to several individuals at the taping, was not entertaining at all. Surprisingly to viewers at home, Palin’s performance on “The Tonight Show” was met with warm laughs.
Allegations are being made that Palin’s many uncomfortable pauses were filled with laughter via a laugh track edited in after the taping of the show.
Honestly, Jay, I know you aren’t very funny, and you aren’t very dignified when it comes to letting things go, but you could at least have some pride in your show by not letting your editors tamper with parts of the show that suck.
Personally, I think that by editing in a laugh track for your guests, it demolishes every ounce of credibility left in your show.
Maybe if you had half of the talent that Conan O’Brien had, you wouldn’t feel so threatened by the change in time slots? Now you have a legacy to leave behind, a legacy of drama and tactlessness.
The past few months have not been so good for you, huh Jay?
I know being on the TV is a really hard job, and making people laugh for a living can be such a grind at times, but as Jimmy Kimmel put it in an interview with you on your previous show, “Conan [O’Brien] and I have children, all you have to take care of is cars; we have lives to live here.”
Did you think it would be fun to change up the monotony of “The Tonight Show” Jay? Is that what this was all about, trying something new with the 10 p.m. slot? I hope not because that is honestly really shallow, but I shouldn’t expect more of you.
Your talent and interest has passed, and this was the best way to get publicity for yourself. You were headed out the door, out of the limelight, and this was the best scheme you could come up with. The sad part is that it worked; America has your attention now.
The question is what will you, or rather, what can you do with that attention? There’s not much left to your routine anymore Jay, your antics are getting tiresome and your jokes extremely predictable.
I mean in all honesty, Jay, what were you thinking? You had it set up, regardless of what you or the executives at NBC thought.
Your show was perfectly scheduled for all those older folks who grew attached to your bland form of humor in the ’90s and was set up so you could ride off bravely into the sunset whenever you so desired.
Now, Jay, life is not going to be so pleasant. Oh, for six months you’ll think you’re king of the world, your dwindling ratings only having to worry about David Letterman.
After those six months, your reign shall end, for the crowned prince of late night will return with his legions of fans.
With the kind of popularity Conan has (over 600,000 Twitter followers, half of which added his account hours after it was created) regardless of what network he joins, your show will be decimated in the ratings.
When Conan O’Brien returns to TV what will you do, Jay?