Jimmy Kimmel weighed in on the rumors of NBC replacing Jay Leno with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in 2014 this morning, saying, “The fact is that NBC is going to make a decision someday. As much as he would like it, Jay Leno can’t stay on television forever and Jimmy Fallon is the heir apparent.†Kimmel discussed the matter during a conference call with reporters about his program’s upcoming time shift, which will see him directly competing with Leno (and his hero Letterman) for the first time ever when Jimmy Kimmel Live moves from 12:05am to 11:35pm on January 8th. During the call, Kimmel compared Leno to Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, explaining, “Just when you think he’s dead, he comes back.†Oh, man. With Kimmel’s show moving up a half-hour, Letterman expected to retire sometime in the next few years, and these Leno/Fallon rumors, we’re gearing up for another dramatic and exciting couple of years in late night TV, which will totally score Bill Carter another book deal.
