The War for Late Night_ When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy - Bill Carter [28]
In the best of times and the worst of times, Jay Leno wore a mask of impassivity. That’s all the two NBC executives saw now. Inside, however, Jay was as stunned as if he’d been hit with a Taser shot.
Zucker immediately emphasized how long they wanted to keep Jay on the show, almost five years from that point, an eternity in television time. Ludwin added the obvious: The network didn’t want to lose Conan.
Jay said, solemnly, “I don’t want to lose Conan, either.”
There was history behind that concession. The realists about how show business works didn’t have a problem with any of Jay’s tactics during the contentiousness over replacing Carson. That included one close associate of Letterman’s who, years after the tumult, said, “It’s what you do in this business. You gun for the job.” In some circles of the television industry, however, Jay’s tactics during the succession battle had gained him a reputation as a Machiavellian schemer who had played dirty and screwed a guy he really did think of as a friend—Letterman—out of a job that was by rights owed to Dave first.
That was also the opinion frequently expressed in the press—and by Letterman, who, in his increasing mentions of Jay on the air (sometimes accompanied by a squeaky-voiced Jay impression), often did so in the context of NBC’s having rejected him in favor of Jay. Almost every year at Passover the Letterman joke was the same: “Passover is a Jewish feast—it’s also what happened to me at NBC.ʺ
Zucker and Ludwin had intended to reference the concern that Leno surely didn’t want to get caught up in another PR bloodbath, and how this solution would preclude all that. But Jay himself quickly spoke up: “I know I don’t want everybody to go through what Letterman and I did. I don’t want to go through all that nonsense again.”
Zucker found himself appreciating again Jay’s solid professionalism. He was throwing no tantrums; he was expressing no antipathy toward NBC, or Conan, or anyone else, for that matter. Ludwin felt the same. Jay seemed to understand the situation completely and was showing support for the idea. Of course Ludwin realized there could be a difference between how a person reacted and how he felt inside.
Inside Leno was in pain. This was a guy who in fourth grade had been hit on the head with a hammer by a kid who thought anyone with a head that big must surely have a skull made of granite. Bleeding, Leno assured the class he was fine—though it hurt like hell. He got a big laugh, which made the pain pass more quickly.
Beyond the crushing disappointment of hearing this news—which to Leno sounded awfully like he was being fired—his other dominant feeling was befuddlement. Why was this happening now? What sense did it make, with him still so strongly in first place?
But he didn’t raise those questions; he was in good-soldier mode. So instead he asked about the particular details: Why, if they were really saying he was going to have five more years on Tonight, did the deal run only through the end of 2008? That sounded more like four years, not five.
The explanation was mundane: That was the extension Jay, through Ziffren, had asked for. But maybe they could make it the full five years and extend it to the end of 2009. Maybe.
Leno knew they would have to get Conan’s side to agree to that. But he also had another question: Would it be possible for NBC to announce his extension first, totally separate from any formal declaration of the deal to install Conan? That way there could be a period of time when it was still only about Jay’s getting more years on Tonight and not that he was being readied for the exit.
The NBC executives saw the reasonableness of this request, and they agreed to it. NBC would announce that Jay was signing a new deal as the host. Months later—say, six months—they would make public that Conan was getting the show in 2008 or 2009.
As he left the dungeon, Jeff Zucker felt relieved and satisfied. His trepidation had been misplaced; Jay had taken the news just fine. In Zucker’s gut this felt like the right move.