Not necessarily. Jay Leno did all those things, and still busts his ass. It’s been estimated that in the 22 years since he took over “The Tonight Show,” he’s told over 44,000 jokes. But more importantly, he’s always nice to everyone.
I’ve met him twice, and he really is a good guy. Both times things happened that would make most people blow their stack, but Jay just kept his cool. The first time, we stood in his green room as I recorded his voice for the 2010 Olympics. Time after time, we were interrupted by people walking into the room, and Jay kept sweetly asking a PA to keep people out. By the fifth time, I would have yelled. We all would have.
The second time I met Jay, I was in a sketch being shot for his show. Jay was out on location with us for 12 hours (I’d like to see Letterman ever do that), and at one point, the production people were lagging as they wrangled the actors for each shot, bringing us over one at time, extending the day. Jay asked a producer why this was happening, but he did it so gently it almost wasn’t even a question. Just a slight nudge.
Tonight is Jay’s last episode of “The Tonight Show.” I’d be willing to bet it’s not the last show he ever hosts – his work ethic is too strong – and I’m glad. Because we need good guys.
