Jay Leno and NBC are back in the headlines because it appears as though Leno is being forced out of his Tonight Show gig in favor of the younger Jimmy Fallon. Considering NBC’s ongoing ratings woes, it does not seem all that rational to oust the number one rated late night host but, then again, very few things at NBC are logical.
“Well, looks like Jay Leno, Jay Leno may be leaving NBC and not by his choice,” Glenn said to open the radio show this morning. “By the way, I'm going to make a major announcement here regarding Jay Leno in just a second, but I really like Jay Leno.”
As it turns out, Glenn had the opportunity to meet Leno a few years back, and he was taken with his genuine personality. “He's an American,” Glenn said. “I think he could sit down with just about anybody and have a decent conversation. And that's what we have to get back to. That's what's wrong with us. And he knows it.”
Perhaps that is why Glenn felt the need to offer Leno a staggering $50 million (!) to join TheBlaze team. “I just really, really like him,” Glenn said, “and that's why I'm going to make the announcement that I am offering Jay Leno $50 million to come and do his…”
“No, you're not,” Stu interjected.
“You're offering him $50 million of whose money,” Pat asked. “I mean, how are we paying for this?”
“Guys, you know I don't have to actually pay for stuff anymore,” Glenn quipped. “You just rack up the debt and then you say you have full faith and credit and then you're just like, what?”
In light of Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke’s, admission that we are printing $85 million a month or about $1 trillion a year, Glenn asked a very realistic question: “So how does that end?”
“Be honest. It ends with the guys who made those promises shooting the people who they promised it to in the head,” Glenn said. “So Leno comes on, he does a few years… We'll make a deal. We'll make it $75 million. We'll make it $100 million. Pay him 100 million but one lump sum at the very end and then we're not good for it and he when says, ‘Wait a minute, you've got to pay,’ poof.”
“Are you threatening to kill him,” Pat joked. “Are you threatening to kill Jay Leno at the end of his contract?”
“A bullet in the head at the end of the contract, that's the way the world is going,” Glenn responded. “Why not?”
All kidding aside, between the way the situation in Cyprus is being handled and the Federal Reserve’s penchant for endlessly printing money, Glenn’s assessment might be a little grim, but it is certainly in the realm of possibility.
On a lighter note, given Leno’s undeniable success over the years – 18 or 19 years at number one in the time slot – NBC’s handling of this situation is equally suspect. “You know, what is it with NBC seriously,” Glenn asked. “I mean, look at how the way they used to treat people like Carson. They used to treat Carson with respect. It was somebody like, number one for, you know for 40 years and it was great. Here comes Jay Leno, he's done it now, number one for 18 years and they are like, ‘Yeah, I don't like that joke last night.’”
“Can we not just treat him with a little bit of respect,” Glenn continued. “NBC, you're despicable. You're really despicable. And I know because your network keeps saying how despicable I am. So I must be the authority on despicable. I know despicable apparently when I see it.”
Stu did have one possible explanation for why they are trying to marginalize Leno. “Is it possible, though, that NBC is just promoting Jay Leno to weekends,” Stu joked.
Much like his MSNBC colleague, Ed Shultz, who was recently demoted… make that ‘promoted’… to a weekend timeslot, NBC executives could see taking Leno out of late night as a similar step up.
“I never thought of that,” Glenn said. “It could be.”
“Like they were going to put him on and give him a show like 2:00 to 4:00AM on Saturday and Sunday night,” Stu concluded. “That could be their target here because that's how NBC does it for promotions.”
