Jay Leno is set to once again leave The Tonight Show in February, but this time he won’t have another (nearly identical) show to employ his staff. As a result, some are already jumping ship, according to Deadline reports, which reported that two producers have left to join Chelsea Lately over at E! Though the show ends early next year, all cast and crew will be paid until the end of Leno’s contract with NBC, which runs until September of 2014. Leno has been reported to have about 170 staffers, though it’s unclear whether that was before or after last year’s layoffs.
Leno’s future at NBC is still up in the air. Executives have talked about finding a way for Leno to “have presence at the network,†but it’s unclear if Leno would even want that, much less how that could feasibly work. Then again, Last Call is looking for a host…