Although Jay Leno says he misses being behind the desk of NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” he has nothing but praise for his successor.
Leno, 64, talked with People Magazine on Saturday, 10 months after he retired as the show’s host, and admitted that while his tenure was “the pinnacle” of his career, he is happy touring the world with his comedy.
“I do 200 shows a year. I was over in Afghanistan last month, which was terrific. Life for me is good right now,” he said.
Leno was the host of the late-night show from 1992 to 2009, had a disastrous stint with a prime time version, and returned to his regular time slot in 2010 until early this year.
He told People Jimmy Fallon is terrific as “The Tonight Show” host.
“Every host brings his own personality to the show. It’s different now than when I was there, just like the show was different from when Johnny Carson was there. That’s part of the legacy of the show. Everybody who has ever hosted ‘Tonight’ has been number one when they left … Jimmy is doing a great job,” he said.
Fallon’s ratings for “The Tonight Show,” which moved back to New York in the winter, have been consistently strong for NBC.
Last week, the network put his name above the marquee at Rockefeller Center.
