The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is a late night talk show staring Jay Leno. The program, which airs Monday through Friday at 11:30 pm, is primarily a comedy show that features a monologue by Leno at the beginning of the show and an interview segment.

On May 14, 2009, it was announced that Leno's final guest, before passing The Tonight Show reigns over to comedian Conan O'Brien, would be O'Brien himself, on May 29, 2009. The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien will begin on June 1, 2009. Other final guests who may appear during Leno's last week as host include Mel Gibson, Prince and Billy Crystal.MSNBC: Leno's Final "Tonight" Guest? Conan! (May 15, 2009)

On January 14, it was reported that NBC will be moving Jay Leno back to his original 11:35 time slot, to become host of "The Tonight Show" once again. TMZ reported that Conan O'Brien will be removed from his hosting duties.http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/14/jay-leno-conan-obrien-nbc-the-tonight-show/

Kevin Eubanks Leaving Show

On the April 12, 2010 show, Kevin Eubanks confirmed rumors and officially announced that he would be departing from Jay Leno's show.http://www.examiner.com/x-11484-Boston-TV-Examiner~y2010m4d13-Eubanks-retires He will apparently leave the show within the next few weeks, in May 2010. The long-time band leader has been working alongside Jay Leno for somewhere around 18 years. During his short announcement on Leno's couch, Eubanks shared that he was looking for something new, something at a different pace. He joked that after playing people into and out of commercial breaks for as long as he has, he is looking forward to "just playing music, man." After stating this, Leno cheered, "Yes! Yes!"http://www.examiner.com/x-11484-Boston-TV-Examiner~y2010m4d13-Eubanks-retires

• Video of the announcement can be found above

On May 10, 2009, Leno was expected to hold two free stand-up comedy shows in Wilmington, Ohio— a region hit hard by unemployment in the wake of the recession. Leno did a similar show in Detroit, Michigan, on April 7, 2009.SFGate.com: Leno brings comedy show to jobless Ohio residents (May 10, 2009)

President Barack Obama made the best of his March 19, 2009 Tonight Show appearance, but had one gaffe nonetheless. During the interview, Leno made a comment about The White House bowling alley, in reference to Obama's poor bowling during the campaign. Obama quipped that he was practicing, noting that his bowling was "like the Special Olympics or something." After the taping of the show, the president called the Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize, saying he misspoke. He also offered to have the Special Olympics visit the White House.The Oval (USA Today): Obama has apologized ... (March 20, 2009)

In 2004, NBC announced that Conan O'Brien would be taking over Tonight Show duties in 2009. NBC wanted a clear succession to avoid the fight Leno and Letterman had after Johnny Carson retired. O'Brien will take over the Tonight Show on June 1, 2009, and move to its new studio in Universal Studios, Hollywood.