Jay Leno may get the last laugh after all.
The embattled “Tonight Show” host has been publicly at war for weeks with NBC, since news broke that he will likely be replaced by younger-skewing Jimmy Fallon in 2014.
But Leno’s bosses — who he called “snakes” during Monday-night’s monologue — could have a difficult time ousting the chinny comic.
“The affiliates have a big say,” notes Hollywood talent manager Howard Lapides, who has guided the careers of Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla and Carson Daly.
Most local stations are not owned and operated by the network and rely heavily on advertising money from their late local news and NBC’s late- night programming.
“They love Jay Leno,” Lapides says. “He performs hundreds of stand up dates all over the country each year and is always out there shaking hands on behalf of the affiliates.”
Pressure from the network’s nearly-200 member stations was instrumental in the decision to bring Leno back after briefly giving “The Tonight Show” to Conan O’Brien in 2010.
The 11:35 PM timeslot is also one of the few winners in NBC’s programming schedule. During February sweeps, the network finished fifth in overall ratings — behind Spanish-language network Univision — which didn’t go unnoticed by Leno.
“NBC is doing so badly we don’t have reruns because nobody saw the show the first time,” he joked on February 28.
“NBC is doing so badly the Pope’s final joke will be to come to Burbank and perform last rites.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that network president Bob Greenblatt sent his star a scathing e-mail demanding he stop biting the hand that feeds him.
In response, Leno told viewers on Monday: “You know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right? St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland — and then they came to the United States and became NBC executives. It’s a fascinating story.”
Late-night hosts have been zinging one-lines about their respective bosses and networks for years. But this time, it appears the grudge is personal.
A source close to Leno says the 62-year-old star only uses his monologue to fight back “when he means it.”
“The last time you started hearing him talk about (the network) like this was about 8 months before Conan came up.”
If he does leave NBC next summer, “he is going to take a three or four share with him,” says Lapides, who believes Leno could quickly find work at another network or in syndication.
But, as another insider points out: “It is more likely that he will be there in two years than some other people.”