Burbank, CA, United States (CNS) – NBC announced on Sunday morning what has been speculated for weeks – “The Jay Leno Show” was given the ax and canceled by the peacock network.
“I can confirm that starting Feb. 12, Jay Leno will no longer air at 10 p.m.,” said NBC Universal TV chairman Jeff Gaspin in a press statement.
“My goal right now is to keep Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon as part of our late-night lineup. As much as I’d like to tell you we have a done deal, we know that’s not true,” he continued.
Poor ratings and the shift to the 10:00 p.m. timeslot for Leno were to blame for the show’s demise, although the network says the cancellation was due to conflicts with affiliate stations.
Meanwhile, Gaspin expects to replace Leno’s show with “two hours of scripted programs, another reality hour and a combination of expanded “Dateline” or repeats.
No comment has been reported out of both Leno and O’Briens’ camps, although rumors are circulating that funnyman Conan might take his late night jokes to another network.
