TONIGHT

• Home
• Video
• Podcasts/RSS 
• Local Showtimes
• Past Shows
• Blogs
• About the Show
• Tell Tavis
• Features
• Mobile

RELATED LINKS

• The Jay Leno Show
• "Jay Leno's new NBC show to focus more on comedy, less on guests"
• "Jay Leno's Garage"
• Mr. Leno's articles in Popular Mechanics

E-mail a friend

Talk show host explains the format of his new primetime show and why he feels confident it will succeed. (1:20)
 

Full interview. (22:47)
 

Tavis: Pleased to welcome Jay Leno to this program. The popular comedian, of course, hosted "The Tonight Show" for 17 years before stepping down this past May. He spent his entire tenure on the show as the undisputed king of late-night TV. On September 14th, the day after my birthday -

Jay Leno: Oh, that's right, yeah.

Tavis: The day after my birthday, I just wanted to remind you of that.

Leno: Hint, hint.

Tavis: Moving to primetime is he as the host of "The Jay Leno Show," weeknights at 10:00 on NBC, in case you hadn't heard that in a gazillion different places already. Just one of the many promotional spots the network is airing for the new series is right here.

Male One: Well, let's hear what new ideas you got.

Male Two: Oh, we've got some great ones. So it's going to be a real fun commercial for your new show. Start off with this one - it's called Leno Man. It's you as, like, the power of comedy, bringing it in, and we'll probably cross-promote it and do some merch with, you know, the Leno Man doll, 10:00 p.m. He'll hit you with his joke ring.

Jay Leno: Ten right on it.

Male Two: Exactly. We could just do like a pull-string - (makes noise) yeah, what about this on the news? And what do we do with your voice? Just fun - a punch of hilarity, spreads laughter and saves everyone, at - at 10:00.

Tavis: There is so much writing -

Leno: The sad thing is, that was a real pitch meeting. (Laughter)

Tavis: First of all, good to see you.

Leno: Good to see you. Thanks for having me on.

Tavis: Oh, please, my delight. There is so much writing on this, do you feel this pressure?

Leno: Not me. (Laughter) Not really. No, look, I just - look, write joke, tell joke, get check - that's what I do. No matter what happens, I did "The Tonight Show" for 17 years, and "The Tonight Show" is kind of like the America's Cup. It was given to me number one, I managed to keep it number one, and I handed it off number one.

Whatever else I do, if this show's a hit then they'll go, "And he also did 'The Jay Leno Show.' If it's not a hit, they go, "He did 'The Tonight Show.' Did he do anything after that?" "No, no, he didn't." So whatever happens, happens. I'm just glad to be working. At my age, I'm glad - it's a young man's game and I'm glad I'm still in it.

Tavis: And yet, that said - beautiful answer, and I expected no less, knowing you - no different, I should say - but the talk is if you can pull this off it revolutionizes primetime television.

Leno: No, it doesn't. It's just TV. It doesn't - it's just another show. It's just something -

Tavis: No, no, Jay, it's not another show when nobody has done this in a talk show format in primetime. If you can pull this off -

Leno: But you see, it's not a talk show, that's the thing. We're not doing a talk show format. We're doing a comedy show. There will be some talk, but it won't - it's not an earlier version of "The Tonight Show." And we'll still have a monologue, we've built this racetrack behind the studio, we're going to do this green car challenge thing.

We're going to get celebrities involved with things, rather than the old days of what they used to call variety shows - you'd put on wigs and sketches and act stuff out. It'll just be more literal. So it'll be a comedy show with some talk elements, but there's nothing new in TV. This all hearkens back to the Benny show and the Steve Allen primetime show of the '50s and '60s. People forget, and then it comes around again.

So there's nothing new and revolutionary here. It's just within the last decade or so it seems like a new idea.

Tavis: If this - and all my money's on you, as it always is - but if whatever -

Leno: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, that's why you have no money. (Laughter)

Tavis: You're right about that part. If this were not to work out, how would you handle that, personally?

Leno: Fine. It's okay, whatever it is. I'm not one of those people that dwells on - I would feel bad if I didn't give it my best shot. If it was something - if I went into it half-heartedly and my heart wasn't in it and I felt that I let people down. But all you can - you know something, one thing you learn, the difference between nightclub performing and TV performing, when you work in a nightclub, like I look around your studio. If I see a guy not laughing there, I kind of aim my material at that guy.

And after a while you see him go (chuckles) and then you say to yourself, "Oh, I got him." When you talk to comics, they'll say, "The room was tough. Took me 20 minutes, but I got them. Took me two minutes, but I got them." Or "I got them right from the beginning." Or "I never got them." But it's always a matter of literally getting the whole room.

And when I got on TV I realized very quickly you can't get the whole room because there's somebody that doesn't like you because you look like their brother-in-law (laughter), they wanted the show that was on before you, whatever it might - they just don't like - and you can't get the whole country. You can get a good part of it, but you can't get them all and that was the frustrating thing initially.

And the longer you do TV, you realize all right, I've got enough to keep everybody happy and keep everybody working, and that's the key to it. If you think you're going to make the whole world laugh, it's pretty tough.

Tavis: Over a 17-year career hosting "The Tonight Show" you became an iconic figure in this country.

Leno: (Laughs) Not really.

Tavis: No, you're so modest. That's why I love you - you are so modest.

Leno: Well, no, but it's really television. We do - people go into show business because of a genetic fault. They feel the need, they have to go out and act stupid. (Laughter) If we lived in a different period of history and I was making the soldiers laugh, then they would go, "Who's making - kill that idiot that's making the troops laugh." (Laughter)

We just happen to be in a time where it pays great dividends to do this. But no, you really can't put that much weight on it, because this is what happens in this town. You hire publicity people, they come up with phrases like that, you tell me and I go, "Yes, I don't need you anymore - you're fired." (Laughter) And then you're back to square one again.

So it's very nice that you say it and I thank you, but the real trick is not - I grew up - my mother was one of these people that was just very - like the reason it said "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno -" originally, it was "The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno." When I told my mom that, she went, "Oh, starring - oh, Mr. Big Shot, you're starring (unintelligible)." I go, "You know, Ma -" "Oh, you have to be starring in the show."

I go, "All right, Mom, I'll just make it 'With Jay Leno.'" (Laughter) And that's - and my mother obviously kind of kept the whole thing in perspective like that.

Tavis: I want to come back to your mom and dad in just a second. The reason I used the word iconic is because - and this is not blowing smoke your way - it is impossible - well, not impossible, because you did it, but for the rest of us impossible to be number one for that - it's just - come on, now. You're number one for all of these years, and that's why I say iconic. Now, beyond that, we'll move past that.

The point I want to get to is why, after that kind of run, even take the risk? You got more money, you got more fame, you love doing stand-up. Why take the risk to go to primetime?

Leno: Well, I like to work and if I had gone to another network against "Conan" and the other shows, then it looks like bitterness. Then it looks like, oh, he's trying to beat "The Tonight Show" or he wants - and you can't be bitter. I always tell young performers the reason show business pays a lot of money is so when you get screwed you have something left over.

Because you will - something will happen. (Laughter) Something will happen which will seem terrible to you and terribly unfair, but instead they go, "Well, here's a big pile of cash to help get you through that." (Laughter) And that's why it pays a lot. That's why it pays a lot, and that's what I tell people, and it's true.

I like to work. I don't have an agent, I don't have a manager. The network came up with this idea and I said, "I like to work." Okay, it's a handshake and all right, we do it, we're fine.

Tavis: How close were you to leaving NBC?

Leno: Oh, I was gone. I was let go from "The Tonight Show." I said, "Okay, fine." And then you sit around for a while and then other people express interest, and you go, "Oh, okay," and it's a bit like - NBC's like oh, who's asking my ex-wife out? Hey, wait a minute. (Laughter) No, what is it, honey? Oh, okay. And they said, "How about this idea?" I said, "Yeah, fine." We said, "We want you back." "Want me back? You wanted me to leave. All right, whatever you want. Whatever you want, guys, I'm here."

Look, I like to tell jokes. You tell me where to stand, all right? I'll stand there and I'll tell jokes. (Laughter) And it's really that simple.

Tavis: When I was going through - I was going through a very difficult period in my career and you and I were sitting and talking one day, and you gave me some great advice and the great advice had to do with acting like you have some class. What you said specifically was "Just be classy about this, because even if you lose, Tavis, you'll still have class."

Leno: That's right, yeah.

Tavis: And you gave me some great advice one day, and I've never forgotten that. And I wondered how - and you're a funny guy, so you're going to make jokes about this all the time, but I wondered how you dealt with what many perceived as the insult of NBC asking you to step down.

Leno: Well, you're in a very insulting business. (Laughter) Why are you surprised? It's not like - it's like I always tell guys about show business, and it's a rather crude reference, but I say, "Don't fall in love with a hooker, okay? Have a good time, enjoy yourself, but don't fall in love with her. She'll kill you; she'll break your heart." And that's what TV is.

I've been married to the same woman for 29 years, we've been together 33 years, the same friends I had in high school, and I enjoy observing show business. It's fun to come into show business and look at that and watch that and maybe go to a party and see who behaves badly and do all that kind - but just don't immerse yourself in it, because there's nothing there.

It's fun; it's a great business to be in. You don't pollute, you're not ruining the environment, you're just telling jokes. But you can't become so immersed in it that you start to believe it. That's not a real city. People, that's a fake thing with the lights all behind it. (Laughter)

Tavis: No, no, it is not. That is not true.

Leno: But if you really believe that's a city -

Tavis: That is real. Don't listen to this guy.

Leno: If I get up and I run into the lights, I'm going to hit my head.

Tavis: No, this is real.

Leno: That is not a city back there. (Laughter) That's what it is. It looks real and it's fun, but that's the trick. The trick is just to - I always tell people, "Lead a normal life and make show business money, and you'll be the happiest person in the world."

Tavis: How did you develop that philosophy? Because the way you lay it out, it makes sense. As my grandmother says, it's too much like right. It makes perfect sense, but there are a whole lot of folk in this business - the evidence abounds - that don't get it.

Leno: Well, I am a great believer in low self-esteem. (Laughter) The only ones that have high self-esteem are actors and criminals, and those two groups - you know. But it's true. I was dyslexic as a kid and my mother would always say to me, "You're going to have to work a lot harder than the other kids to get the exact same thing," and that was always my attitude in life.

I never assumed I was better or smarter. I just figured if I work harder I would at least stay equal to the other kids. And that philosophy has worked for me. I always assume I am not the smartest person in the room when I walk in. I don't walk in with that - you kind of look around, you see, and you figure out what your strengths are and what your weaknesses are, and you obviously have a lot more weaknesses than strengths, and that's what gets me through.

Tavis: You've been so busy working on your own show you may not have read the news that "The Tonight Show" has lost something like two million viewers under Conan.

Leno: I hadn't heard that. (Laughter)

Tavis: Now - (laughter).

Leno: But to be fair, Conan is going through the exact same thing I went through. When I took over from Johnny, you stink, you suck, why don't they write - it's a travesty that they've replaced Johnny with someone - whoever has the job goes through this. It's all part of the growing pains.

It goes down for a while, and then it comes back up again. And I don't think it's fair to judge Conan on what's happened in a month or two, because it's the exact same thing I went through. I got beat up for, like, four or five months and you still go out with your chin up, fight the good fight, and then one day "Newsweek" had a story - what's so bad about Leno?

They had some jokes of mine and said they thought it was funny, and then it just turned around - so that's what happens. So I don't think it's fair to kind of judge the whole thing. Conan was number one for 17 years in a row in his spot. Okay, he moves to another spot, takes a while to find yourself, and that's what it's going through.

Tavis: What are your expectations, then, for how - what the ride is going to be like on the new show? Do you expect to start high, come down, and go back up? Start low, build up?

Leno: Oh, I don't know. Obviously, I don't expect to be "CSI Miami." That's the most popular show in the world right now, and it's a show that costs - we can probably do seven or eight shows for the price of one of those shows. But we can get them in the reruns.

It's like we don't beat them on the straights; we catch them in the turns, and that's kind of the attitude I have. Those shows will be on 22 weeks a year; we're on 46 weeks a year. And to me, the future of television is what's happening right now. The idea story is probably what happened with the plane that landed in the Hudson River.

Plane lands in the Hudson, "The Tonight Show" gets it literally as it's happening, "Dateline" does the human interest, the people on the plane, what happened, who was saved, and then late night does jokes about it.

So you had here's an event that happened and NBC had it throughout the day - the human angle, the news angle, and the funny angle. And that's what I think we can do in primetime. We're not going to tape three or four shows ahead of time. We're going to tape every day as doing "The Tonight Show." We'll watch the news, go, and pencils down, boom, and you run out and you give people your take on what the president did or didn't do that day, or whatever the big news story is.

Tavis: Speaking of your take, I was dying without you over the summer because there were so many things I wanted to hear your take on.

Leno: Yeah, there were some great stories.

Tavis: Can I throw a few things at you?

Leno: Sure, sure.

Tavis: In no particular order, what did you make of the beer summit?

Leno: Oh, the beer summit. I come from Boston. (Laughter) So it's just like a funny place to grow up, and it's better than it used to be. I think this is just a case of do you know who I am and a Boston cop, and sometimes it's just guys being guys. That's what I'd like to think. That's what I go into it with.

If I go into it with any other attitude, then I go to a negative place. It seems to have worked itself out. They both seem to have shaken hands. I understand they're going to a Red Sox game or something. So yeah, fine.

Tavis: Bill Clinton bringing those journalists back home to Burbank, of all places.

Leno: Oh, well, that's what he does great - he's a great diplomat. He doesn't represent the government and he went on a humanitarian mission. The fact that they were two attractive women, eh, you know, okay. (Laughter) I'm not sure he would have rescued Helen Thomas, but I think he did a wonderful thing.

My favorite is Governor Mark Sanford. That's the guy.

Tavis: I was going there. Go ahead.

Leno: That's the guy.

Tavis: Take it away, take it away.

Leno: He says to you, "Honey, I'm going for a walk," and you go to Argentina (laughter) to see your girlfriend. And then what do you do? Instead of saying, "Oh, honey, I was too bad, I had an affair," you call her your soulmate. No, no, when you're married, you don't call your girlfriend your soulmate, you idiot. You idiot, you're a dead man.

Tavis: What will you - you mentioned Sanford. Was there something beyond that that you were just - you're in the garage and this story's breaking this summer and you were just itching to get to that?

Leno: Well, that was the story. That was the -

Tavis: That was it. You wanted that story.

Leno: The perfect story is where men behaving badly, especially conservative ones who sort of espouse those views. Because Americans will accept anything but hypocrisy. You can do anything in America and get away with it as long as you're not a hypocrite about it. All you have to do is go, "I was drunk, I made a mistake." Oh, rehab. (Clapping) And you're fine. But when you lie like this, when you lie about it, it's hilarious. My soulmate - no, no, you don't call your girlfriend your soulmate. "And I'm getting back with my wife, although she's my soulmate." No, idiot.

Tavis: I read more stories over the years where people have tired to - and I'm sure you probably got a kick out of this - they literally analyzed your monologue over months and years trying to figure out Jay Leno's politics. What do you make of that?

Leno: Well, that's not my job. I think - I felt quite good when Accuracy in Media people said we're about 50-50. The funny thing was, like when I had Schwarzenegger on the show, well, Mr. Leno, you and your Republican friends, I hope you're happy, you and your Republican buddies. And then when I have President Obama on, well, you and your liberal, Democratic friends. (Laughter)

So that means you're doing your job. It's not a bully pulpit - I'm a comedian. If you read into the jokes it's more a humanist point of view. You sort of side on the human spirit side, not necessarily Republican or Democrat. So no, and I'm not a big fan of - I don't think anybody turns on a comedy show to hear my particular political point of view.

I can do a joke about President Obama and I can do a joke about President Bush, and that's what they are, they're just jokes.

Tavis: There are two shows - you mentioned President Obama - there are two shows that come to mind immediately. You may have another take on this, since you did the show for 17 years. But they're on opposite ends of the spectrum, but two of the biggies that come to mind for me in your tenure, the Hugh Grant moment, the Barack Obama moment, the first sitting president to sit on a late-night show. What's bigger than that, and can you juxtapose those two?

Leno: Well, I think President Obama's a lot bigger than Hugh Grant. That's just - you know. (Laughter)

Tavis: The media story on both of those things was huge.

Leno: Well, the great thing, Hugh Grant did not get enough credit there, because Hugh Grant came in, no publicist, no support people. He said, "Look, I was stupid. Just ask me whatever you want." And he was very open and honest. Nowadays, you have - I remember we had - I can't remember a name, we had some ice skater on and she had been famous, like, seven or eight years ago in the Olympics and she was naked in "Playboy."

So we got a call from "Playboy," would we put her on. We thought yeah, it's a woman, America's sweetheart - all right, maybe there's an interesting story. Come in (unintelligible) the dressing room, "Hi, nice to see you, thanks for coming." The publicist goes, "Listen, we are not discussing 'Playboy' or being naked."

I said, "Why don't you take your client and go home? The only reason your client is here is because she was naked, okay? Your client hasn't done anything in eight years." (Laughter) "They called us 'cause she naked, and you come in and say, 'Don't mention this.' Of course we're mentioning it. Don't be ridiculous."

But what was your question? That wasn't even your question.

Tavis: No, no, no - (laughter) it was - you did it. I just wanted to juxtapose those two - what you thought the big moments were on the show.

Leno: Well, that was great fun, having the president on, because I had had him on twice before as a guest, and the difference - each time he would come he would have his jacket over his shoulder, one person, maybe another aide, and a cell phone. That was it.

When he came back as president, oh my God, the parking lot was tented so when the limo came in you couldn't see if it went left or right, snipers up on the - and what they do is they come in, the Secret Service comes in a week before and they go up to members of my staff.

"Yes?" "Don't come in tomorrow." "What?" "Don't come in." If you had a joint in your sock back in '79 and you got arrested for it - don't come in tomorrow. (Laughter) They have everybody - it's like, oh, my God. It's unbelievable.

Tavis: It's amazing you got that show off the ground, then.

Leno: Yeah, but the funniest thing was I said to someone, I wanted to invite them on the show and I said, "Could someone get me a number for Barack Obama?" "Okay. Here's the number." "Okay." I dial his number. "Hello?" I said, "Yes, Barack Obama, please." "This is Barack." "What? Hey, it's Jay Leno." I had a direct line. But that went away quickly after that.

Tavis: That changed, yeah, yeah, yeah. One other news story I wanted to ask about, because I thought about you this summer - Sarah Palin resigning as governor of Alaska.

Leno: Yeah, I don't quite get that one. (Laughter) I don't - I want to be president, so I quit my job. I don't quite understand that. You're governor - you don't want to be a lame duck, but everybody's a lame - I'm still mystified by that one, I have to admit. It just - I don't quite get that one. But I guess she's traveling around the country now and, well, I guess she's going to run for president in what, 2012, that's what they're saying.

But as a former beauty queen, I think it would be historic because it would be the first time in history a beauty queen could actually bring about world peace. They've all talked about it, but here's one who could actually. (Laughter) Because they all want world peace. Here's someone that could do something about it. See what I'm saying?

Tavis: Yeah, I get it. I have seen you do stand-up a couple of times in Vegas.

Leno: Well, I'm sorry about that.

Tavis: And I learned more about you, more about Jay Leno, not the show, not your work. I learned more about you.

Leno: Gee, I hoped you would have laughed, but yeah, I'm glad it was a learning experience.

Tavis: (Laughs) Well, I did laugh.

Leno: Now what did you learn from watching that? I'm curious.

Tavis: For those who've seen you in stand-up, they will - I think they're familiarize with this. I had never heard you talk so much about your parents and about growing up and what it was like in the Leno household. I really felt like - when you took me inside your - it was funny, but you took me inside your life and it made me think Jay doesn't - you don't do interviews, that's why I'm so glad you're here.

You don't really do interviews, you don't talk about yourself. When you ask Jay about himself he defers with a joke. So we feel like we watched you every night for 17 years, and nobody freaking knows you.

Leno: Oh. Well - well, what do you want to know? (Laughter)

Tavis: I want to start by asking -

Leno: Well, sure, I have talked about my folks quite a bit on the show. You just don't want to be - it's not a bully pulpit where I can just go on about my ridiculous life. But now what do you want to know? I will answer any question.

Tavis: Thank you, I'm glad you said that. For those who don't know even where you were born, where you were raised, where you went to school -

Leno: I was born in New Rochelle, New York, in 1950. My mother was from Scotland. She came to this country by herself when she was 11 because her family was too big and they had to give one kid - they just put my mom on a boat and sent her over.

My grandmother had run off, big scandal, and my dad was Italian. And it was a very funny household to grow up in, because my mother would always say, being Scottish, "Whatever you do, you don't draw attention to yourself. You just sit quietly and don't raise your hand." And then my father would go, "Look, tell them you're (unintelligible) Leno's boy. You make sure people know you're (unintelligible) Leno's son."

So I was always caught between these two worlds, and when I was a kid my favorite thing to do was - I'd be like five or six - would be at the supermarket, and then I'd run away from my mother and I'd go up to the manager and I'd go, "I'm lost, could you page Catherine Leno?" "Would Catherine Leno -" "Oh, oh." (Laughter) My mother, to hear her name on the speaker, this was the most humiliating thing to my mother, just to be singled out in a crowd.

Like when I made it big in show business, one of the first things I did was I bought my dad a Cadillac. And being Italian, of course, it has to be the white Cadillac with the red velour interior. (Laughter) Of course, my mother, just so embarrassed by this car. And she would sit low in the seat like this so people couldn't see her, and this was before cell phones.

So people would say they'd see my father like this. They said, "I saw your dad yelling at himself in the car." I go, "No, my mom was there. She was just sitting low in the seat." But their favorite thing was my mother, if they were at a light and people would pull up to the Cadillac and look at it, and my mother saw them looking at the car, she'd motion for people to roll down the window and she'd go, "We're not really Cadillac people. Our son got us this. We're not Cadillac people."

And then my dad would go, "Of course we're Cadillac people. We're driving a Cadillac." And then they'd start, and then the people would run off, frightened. And then they'd start arguing again. So to me it was just a funny - they loved each other and they were wonderful parents; could not have been more different in their viewpoint of things.

So I think I get some of the sensitivity to things to my mother, and the kind of the outwardness, the sort of exuberance, comes from my dad.

Tavis: Since Jay rarely does interviews, once we got it going it became pretty obvious that we were going to need some more time. And so, next time, part two with Jay, including more about his parents and the status of his relationship with David Letterman.