Leno slams NBC over treatment
"I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed," Leno told the Associated Press. The easygoing "Tonight Show" host has been firing media salvos at his employer over the past two days.
In interviews with the New York Times and the AP, Leno described his job status in such mild terms as awkward, odd and even funny.
But he was dead serious on one point: The only way he's moving from 11:30 p.m. is out the door.
"I'm gone," Leno said yesterday when asked what happens if NBC gives David Letterman the 11:30 p.m. slot the "Late Night" star is demanding.
"I'm not being wimpy, I'm not being wishy-washy," Leno said. "My position is clear."
The Jan. 15 deadline is nearing for NBC to match a $ 16 million bid for Letterman to take over CBS' 11:30 hour. Letterman's weeknight show airs on NBC at 12:30 a.m.
"I was hired to do 11:30, and anything else would be perceived as, 'You screwed up,' " he said.
If Letterman lands in Leno's slot, the Peacock web would reportedly have to fork over approximately $ 10 million to the outgoing "Tonight" host for breaking its commitment to him. Leno currently pulls in $ 3 million annually.
The payout would come on top of the $ 16 million the tight-fisted web must pony up for Letterman.
Leno insisted he has no ill will toward Letterman, calling him "a valuable commodity and a very talented guy."
And he welcomed a face-off with Letterman on CBS: "Let the best man win. One thing you won't see is a feud between us."
Although Leno said certain West Coast NBC exex such as entertainment prez Warren Littlefield have expressed support, he admitted disappointment at the lack of reassurance from the network's top East Coast brass, notably NBC prez Robert C. Wright.
"All I need is, 'You're doing a good job,' " Leno said. "And I must admit it's very bewildering to me why it doesn't come."
No definitive decision is expected until at least Jan. 4, when NBC will hold an executive meeting in Florida.
Leno called NBC's parent, General Electric, a "bottom-line company" and added , "The bottom line is: Our ratings are good, the affiliates are happy, the mail is positive and the advertisers are happy."
During the AP interview, Leno took pains to keep the latenight issue in perspective.
"Of all the things going on in the world right now, this is one of the sillier problems," he said. "I read about this and I say, this is the perfect story to have some laughs about on the show."
And he has. On Tuesday's program, for instance, he greeted the audience with a jaunty, "I know, I know--if you don't get my job, you're walking out."
"I'm having fun with it," Leno said. "What else are you gonna do?"
