Jay Leno Prepares for Smooth Transition from Tonight Show Chair

Jay Leno's hard work and affable personality carried him to one of TV's best jobs - host of the Tonight Show on NBC. When it seemed nobody could fill Johnny Carson's shoes, Leno redefined the role for his generation.

Leno was born in New Rochelle, N.Y. on April 28, 1950. It was easy to predict his future job when he was growing up, as he spent a lot of time trying to make his parents laugh (especially his mom).

As a young comedian, Leno hit the road very hard. He often worked 300 days a year to polish his material. He got a few minor roles on TV sitcoms such as "Good Times," "Alice" and "Laverne & Shirley."

After Joan Rivers landed her own late-night talk show, Leno took over her role as Carson's vacation substitute. Meanwhile, David Letterman was building up a strong following on Late Night, the show that came on after the Tonight Show.

This led to the climactic decision of what to do when Carson retired in 1992. NBC decided to go with Leno as the permanent host. A perturbed Letterman packed off to CBS to start his own show. The two programs have been battling in the ratings ever since. Letterman grabbed an early lead, but Leno has been on top for several years.

If you want to know the full story, read a book called The Late Shift by Bill Carter. Leno also gives his version of the story in his autobiography, Leading with My Chin.

Leno has established his own style on the Tonight Show. Maybe his writers are better than Carson's, but his jokes don't seem to bomb as often. When they do, he uses his arm as a "laugh-o-meter" and moves on when the needle doesn't move enough. To his credit, Carson was hilarious when reacting to a bad joke, with his "I can't believe how bad that was" stare which always got the crowd laughing again.

Leno has a good on-camera relationship with his bandleader, Kevin Eubanks; and his announcer, John Melendez. He sometimes includes them in his monologues. For example, he pitted them against each other in a series of "political attack ads" for a fictitious election.

After his monologues, Leno does a rotating series of comedy bits before bringing out his interview guests. One of his best bits is "Jaywalking," a man-on-the-street segment where Leno tests the average citizen's knowledge. Of course, that knowledge is often woefully lacking.

Every Monday, Leno presents "Headlines," which is always hilarious. The mixed-up headlines, photos and advertisements often crack Leno up along with the audience.

When Leno's contract came up for renewal in 2004, he signed a new deal and announced that he would step down when it expired in 2009. At the same time, he announced that NBC had chosen Conan O'Brien to move up one hour into the Tonight Show spot. This way, the fans could get used to the idea of Conan as the heir apparent while avoiding the controversy that took place when Carson retired.

When he leaves, Leno will probably devote his time to his two favorite things - stand-up comedy and his vehicle collection. Leno as a section on the Tonight Show website devoted to his cars and motorcycles.

Leno also lends his voice to animated TV shows and movies. He was in Robots, Cars and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Leno also has a recurring role as The Crimson Chin on The Fairly OddParents."

Leno has been married since 1980. His wife, Mavis, is the chairperson of the Feminist Majority Foundation. She has been fighting for the rights of the women of Afghanistan for nearly a decade.

On our honeymoon, my wife and I went to a taping of the Tonight Show. Since we sat near the front, we got to shake Jay's hand during his entrance. Hopefully, we can see him again before he retires. We made a couple of "Headlines" tapes for him as a retirement present.