Jay Leno will end his reign as No.1 at "The Tonight Show" on Thursday night, February 6th.
"The Tonight Show" host has been behind the desk for almost 22 years, excluding the 7-month period when he temporarily left, only to be re-hired by the NBC show.
This time, the 63-year-old comedian will be moving aside for 39-year-old Jimmy Fallon to take the stage. "The Tonight Show" is foreseeing some changes with the significantly younger Jimmy Fallon.
As for Leno, he'll be moving back to New York and returning to his roots and passion, stand-up comedy.
In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, the comedian explains, "I've always been a stand-up comedian that had a day job. This is my day job. I've always been on the road every single weekend - and the week too - since I got this job. So I'm back on the road. We leave here on the 6th. The 7th I'm in Sarasota. The 8th I'm in Clearwater...."
We can see why the host, who has managed to stay at the top throughout his 22 years, is capable of doing what he does.
Despite Leno's decision to leave the 'Tonight Show' officially, there is speculation from both fans and critics that the Primetime Emmy winner will return again, especially after the Conan O'Brien fiasco four years ago.
Leno has told the L.A. Times, "I've been doing this a long time. I have no plans to go up against anybody else. People go, 'Oh, Jay's waiting in the wings.' It's so stupid."
He continues, "If you come back and you're not No. 1 the first night, people are like, "Jay sucks!" The whole thing starts all over again. It all gets silly."
T.V. critic and writer for the Washington Post, Hank Stuever, has jokingly stated "Politely sending Leno on his way is like trying to come up with another wedding toast for someone who keeps getting married..."
Will Leno be back for a third time? Even if he's not, we'll expect to hear his jokes through his stand-up routines.
