Jay Leno Says Jimmy Kimmel ‘Humiliated Me’ During 2010 ‘Tonight Show’ Interview and ‘I Let It Happen. I Didn’t Edit It. It Was My Mistake.’

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/jay-leno-immy-kimmel-humiliated-me-tonight-show-1236389674/

49 comments

  1. > “When Kimmel came on my show and humiliated me on my own show, I let it happen. I didn’t edit it,” Leno said. “It was my mistake, I trusted somebody. I went, ‘Ah, I made a mistake. Ok, I should pay the price.’ And it’s fine, it’s fine. I mean, we could have edited it out of the show.”

    > Kimmel repeatedly fired off jokes at Leno’s expense during the 2010 interview. Leno stepped down from hosting “The Tonight Show” a year prior after a 17-year from from 1992 to 2009, with O’Brien replacing him as host. Leno exited to launch his own NBC primetime show (“The Jay Leno Show”), but ratings suffered for both programs. NBC proposed bringing Leno back to “The Tonight Show,” which prompted O’Brien’s exit and Leno’s return. Both Leno and the network received widespread backlash from the industry, including from Kimmel.

  2. In a battle of terrible people I will always side with the person who didn’t screw over Conan.

  3. If there’s one thing I know about Jay Leno is that he always takes the high road. /s

  6. Leno is really going to play “I’m actually a victim too” card here?

  7. Leno did a crappy thing. Jimmy called him out.

    Also, Jimmy has talked about the fact that Leno was debating moving to ABC during this time, and Jimmy agreed to push his show back till 12:30 for Leno’s proposed show. Jay called Jimmy a lot during the negotiation phase with ABC, and was very nice and friendly, and then immediately stopped calling him when NBC told him to come back. He said he thought they were friends, and it would’ve been nice to know.

  8. For anyone who has an interest in this topic, I definitely recommend the book “The War for Late Night” by Bill Carter. It gives an unbiased perspective on all the things that transpired with The Tonight Show drama.

    I’ve never really bought into Leno’s “I’m an honest guy who wants everyone to be successful” persona, but I would put every bit of blame on NBC wanting to have their cake and eat it too.

  10. According to Kimmel, he was very up front with Leno’s producer that he wanted to talk about the drama and the impression he had just done of Jay on his own show, and then was willing to move on to whatever Jay wanted to do. But then Jay had the questions sent to Jimmy and they were just boring questions designed to act like Jimmy and Jay were good pals and that was it.

    Since Jimmy was honest that he wanted to talk about all the drama at least a little bit, he felt it was fair game to just wreck Jay. Had Jay just agreed to banter with Jimmy about the drama for a minute or two, Jimmy wouldn’t have humiliated him like he ended up doing.

  12. Conan continues to be relevant and an inspiration for many of the current crop of comic/entertainers I like. I have heard no current comedians talk about how Leno inspired them. Pretty much nobody talks about Leno except in reference to how he screwed over Conan. On a side note, I have sympathy for Jay in his current situation with his wife’s dementia . A person can be an absolute tool and I still wouldn’t wish that shit on anyone.

  15. People complaining about this 15 years later are funny to me. Build a bridge and get over it.

  18. Fuck Leno. He royally screwed over Conan. He does warehouse some interesting vehicles now though.

  20. Leno used to tell humiliating jokes about Monica Lewinsky and Brittney Spears on his show every night for years. Punching down of course, screw Leno. Cool cars shit person.

  21. God, so much has changed in fifteen years, huh?

    Jay got the show back for just another **four years** while Conan continued doing what he does best, on basic cable, his podcast, and beyond. While Jay restores old cars, Conan’s hosted the Oscars and got the goddamn Mark Twain Prize.

    Conan’s had one hell of a year so far, bouncing back from an incredible tragedy, what the fuck has *Jay Leno* done of that caliber in the last fifteen years?

    Kimmel was right to humiliate him. Jay may have won the battle, but my fucking god did he lose the war.

  22. Weirdly one of the biggest memories of my childhood, the whole Conan and Leno thing. My parents didn’t find Conan funny, and I could barely ever watch him since he was on so late, but I found him hilarious. He stood for the offbeat humor that I shared that people didn’t always appreciate either. Him getting his chance and having it taken away really touched a nerve in me, and I can’t respect Leno since (I’m sure he’s not the only one to blame). I’m glad Conan got the support and revival he deserved, but this will live on as a vivid memory for me.

  23. Still don’t get the Leno hate. He is a ratings draw Conan wasn’t ! I like Conan better as a person but come on!

  24. Jimmy Kimmel looking good in this moment. No bueno Leno.

  25. Oh bullshit it was funny. Comedian can’t take a joke

  26. I love a good Leno bashing, but it’s also nice to read in that article that Leno called Jimmy in 2017 after his son’s heart surgery and Jimmy made peace with Jay after that. In my older age, it’s nice to know that people can let stuff go.

  27. Jay Leno can eat a d*ck. His own, preferrably. #teamCoCo4Eva

  29. Jimmy Kimmel is severely overrated. In my opinion, he doesn’t deserve a late night show. He’s just not funny.

  30. I mean how many steam powered 16th century cars does one guy need?

  31. both of them have more money than they will ever be able to spend, while people in their country are dying because they cant afford meds and or food. fuck them and their fragile egos

  32. People LOVE to paint Leno as a villain. Dave Letterman was a horrible interviewer during his first run and sexually molested his own staff. Conan not only negotiated a deal to push Leno off the tonight show while Leno was number 1, but did the same damn thing to George Lopez(!) at TNT. Jimmy Kimmel is an asshole. NBC is the true villain in all of this nonsense for mismanaging their transition strategies—-TWICE.

  34. I think it’s funny when comedians (of all people) don’t have a thick skin when it comes to their own shit. Most of them seem to hate being the joke.

  35. NBC just didn’t want Conan to go to Fox. And he didn’t.

  36. Ima let you finish, but Craig Ferguson was the best talk show host of all time.

  38. Leno always went for the low hanging fruit just to laugh and nod at his own jokes.

  40. It’s interesting that jay Leno’s line is making fun of other comics but had no line when it came to going after women like Monica Lewinsky

  41. I remember Jay talking about the Conan thing and thinking at the time that it sounded reasonable. He said they gave Conan The Tonight Show, ratings were bad, so they offered it back to Jay and he said yes. It sounded reasonable to me, but I don’t know the finer details and really felt for Conan at the time.

  42. There is only one true king of late night and he’s a very tall and pale Irishman. The rest are just temu tier.

  43. Conan is the only funny major late night host to ever exist

  44. Leno had such a victim complex despite absolutely without a doubt being the villain in the “late night wars”

  46. Whos worse: leno or corden? Two bottom of the barrel hosts

  47. Sometimes, the measure of a man is whether and how he owns up to his mistakes. Good for Jay to leave that part in the segment/

  48. Help me understand.

    Jay Leno, never wanted to give up the tn show. NBC forced him to, and kept him for late night.

    Then when Conan’s numbers dipped when he took over, NBC gave the show back to Leno.

    Exactly when did Jay Leno owe Conan anything? Where’s the hate. He never wanted to give up the show, and came back when the opportunity presented itself.

  49. Yeah, no. Jay’s natively humble-brah prevented him from redacting his on-air dressing down (by JK) was absolutely reaction to stealing the *Tonight Show* <again> from Conan — Leno’s whole schtick orbits around *doin’ right for the little guy/people* and he knew *his audience* needed reminding he’s still just *one the little guys* (just like them — regardless of recent behavior; i.e. Leno’s pantomiming slimy/two-faced network executive).

    Leno deserved much worse than the shallow drubbing JK doled out. And u know this

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