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Jimmy Fallon Heads the Late Night Host Exchange
13-May-2008
Written by: Ivana Cheong
The 34-year-old comedian is the newest late night talk show host.
During a press conference, Monday, in New York, NBC announced that Saturday Night Live’s Jimmy Fallon will officially replace Conan O’Brien as the Late Night talk host, while O’Brien takes Jay Leno’s spot on the Tonight Show. The New York Times said that Ben Silverman, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, “acknowledged that the changing late-night landscape at the network would probably mean that Jay Leno would leave it.”
“It's going to be a grind, it's going to be hard, but I'm going to go at it full force. The fact that I'm stepping into David Letterman and Conan O'Brien's shoes is very exciting,” said Fallon on a press conference call. Reuters wrote that Fallon is also thrilled to once again work with Lorne Michaels, who co-produces Late Night, and was once Fallon’s boss when he was with SNL.
EFluxMedia quoted Michaels saying, “Two things tend to be in the DNA of comics—the need to top the other person, and a kind of ennui or depression. Jimmy doesn’t have those things.” He also added that Fallon was also chosen for his humor and outgoing personality.
E! Online said that Michaels predicts Fallon will start the beginning of 2009. The significance of the career switch is looming for Fallon. NY Times said that he and Michaels both agree that “[t]here is no other job after this,” as Michaels said. Jerry Seinfeld told Fallon, “If you’re going to do this job, that’s all you do. It’s the pope job.”
The NY Times also said that during the conference, Fallon gave an anecdote that showed his comic career actually began at age 5. “In my kindergarten yearbook I was chosen most likely to take over for David Letterman,” he said, adding, “My principal was Nostradamus.”
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