Fallon Officially to Replace O'Brien
May 12, 2008

It's official. The rumors are true. Jimmy Fallon will replace Conan O'Brien in the world of late-night television after the redhead moves behind the desk on The Tonight Show next year. Where Jay Leno is going is a whole different story? NBC officially announced today what had been rumored for weeks, which is that Late Night will be hosted by Saturday Night Live star Jimmy Fallon after Conan goes to the big show. Fallon said from the famous 30 Rock headquarters where the show is produced, right across the hall from his regular gig on SNL, "It's a comedian's dream to get this job, to work with writers and try to be funny every night."

It probably didn't hurt Fallon's chances that Lorne Michaels, the producer of Saturday Night Love and boss of Jimmy's for years, is also the executive producer on Late Night. Michaels said, according to E!, that the Fallon era would start in the first six months of 2009. He said, "I think when the transition happens it'll be as seamless as possible."

So, what's up with Leno? Back in 2005, Jay said that he would give up The Tonight Show seat to Conan O'Brien in 2009, but he had been rumored to be backing off that position recently. There are even still rumors that he might head to another network. NBC didn't address the situation today, saying only "Everyone wants Jay Leno to be part of the NBC family."

Funny trivia courtesy of E! - Fallon was voted "Most Likely to Succeed David Letterman" in his kindergarten class. He starred on SNL for eight years and has been in several movies, making him a much more high-profile replacement than when Conan took the show from Letterman in 1993. Fallon has reportedly returned to stand-up recently to hone his comedy skills. He said, "I'm very excited about this...It's going to be a grind, from all the advice I've heard from everybody. I'm ready to work really hard."

The show will reportedly keep the name Late Night and merely change the With Conan O'Brien part to With Jimmy Fallon. In fact, it doesn't sound like the structure of the show will change much at all with Jimmy Fallon continuing to shoot in the same studio.