Jimmy Fallon To Take Over 'Tonight Show,' Jay Leno Lashes Out At NBC Brass

Jimmy Fallon is the rumored heir to the host’s chair on The Tonight Show, set to oust Jay Leno from the NBC late night program.

Not only is Fallon slated the be the new host, but New York City will once again become the show’s home, senior television executives involved in the decision revealed to The New York Times. Although the deal has yet to be completed, it is expected that Fallon will readily take the step up in his career. If Fallon does indeed accept the position, he will take Leno’s place no later than the fall of 2014.

Fallon will bring a different element to The Tonight Show, as he does on his Late Show, which uses the Internet to connect to viewers and allow them to submit topics to the host. While Leno has been consistently doing well by NBC in the ratings department, it is assumed that the network is anxious to get a younger face to compete with Jimmy Kimmel – and to perhaps evolve from the Las Vegas sensibilities of Leno’s act.

NBC’s last effort to replace Leno did not go smoothly at all. At that time three years ago, it was Conan O’Brien who was set to takeover. After seven months of battling, Conan bowed out and Leno resumed his post as The Tonight Show host – a position he had fought tooth and nail for with David Letterman in the 90s.

Leno is not about to walk away from this battle quietly either. Already, he’s taken aim at NBC executives on his show by comparing them to snakes on Monday. On Tuesday, he took a dig at the network’s rating. Then on Wednesday, he went even further with his unprofessional (not to mention mediocre) jokes.

“According to several reports, scientists say they are getting closer and closer to being able to do Jurassic Park-style cloning of extinct species,” Leno told the audience. “Imagine that. Things that were once thought to be extinct could be brought back from the dead. So there’s hope for NBC. It could turn around.”

Leno might as well keep the jokes coming, because as one senior executive told The New York Times, “There is no way on Earth that this is not going to happen.”

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