Jimmy Fallon To Replace Conan O'Brien: Report

Fox News' Roger Friedman reports that a long-swirling TV rumor is about to become fact: Jimmy Fallon will replace Conan O'Brien when O'Brien makes the jump to "The Tonight Show" in 2009. Friedman writes:

The word is out among the NBC brass: As rumored and bounced around for some time, Jimmy Fallon is set to take Conan O'Brien's job as host of "Late Night" in 2009. It's a done deal....

There's much debate about letting Leno leave NBC etc. but right now let's just concentrate on Jimmy. He's the perfect successor to Conan and should have just as big an audience when he takes the reins. Fallon is one of those great underrated performers. This should be the right milieu for him.

I'm told NBC will make the formal announcement about Fallon around May 11 or 12, when the network presents the fall '08 schedule to advertisers here in New York.

Reports of Jimmy Fallon replacing Conan O'Brien are not new. The New York Times' Bill Carter reported in February 2007 that NBC was eying Fallon as O'Brien's replacement, and a later report in July 2007 from Broadcasting & Cable's Ben Grossman said that Fallon was NBC's first choice for the "Late Night" job.

Comments

[LiberalBuzz]

I doubt Fallon will last a year. I am having a hard, very hard time figuring out which moron at NBC came up with this lamebrained idea. Wonder if he is related to the idiot who hired Katie. We all saw how well that went.

Fallon is just not funny. He spends fat too much of his time thinking he's hilarious while everyone else is shaking their heads and trying to not laugh AT the poor idiot instead of with him. With all the talent out there, one has to wonder just WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?

[TRichards]

And I thought they couldn't find ANYONE less witty than O'Brien. Guess that shows why I'm not a program director for the networks.

What a double header! But, then again, I lost my love of late night talk shows when Paar retired and my tepid liking of it when Carson retired. Leno? Letterman? Well, they look good compared to O'Brien.

Stewart and Colbert are the two who elevate late night -- if the producers/networks don't insist on using the talk shows to promote movies (fat chance). But, I hope to see the Daily Show continue with Stewart for as long as he can tolerate doing it. It is brilliant!

Afterthought: VInce Vaughn and Dana Cavey might be worth a shot. Vaughn was entertaining and a decent listener when he subbed. Cavey might be good -- if he can avoid making the show about him (ala Chevy Chase).

[PuddyKatz]

He's still hot!

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

This is going to be a massive train wreck, and it's a wreck I won't be slowing down to look at.

[ReasonableBill]

Conan O'Brien is a jerk. The Tonight Show will go right down the tube. The "stick man" opening routine is not funny and I am tired of his telling me "we have a really great show" - that is when I turn to Craig Ferguson.

[TaxTheRichNow]

What is Conan O'Brien? And who the hell is Jimmy Fallon? I guess not knowing who these turkeys are is a consequence of ignoring corporate propaganda. Why does anyone pay any attention to these frigging idiots? They are not only stupid, they are awesomely boring.

[ameliae]

Comments such as this from TaxTheRich do not contribute to anyone's knowledge. I am so sorry that huffingtonpost has become a forum for nastiness and hatemongering. The featured writers seem now to be mostly Clinton haters dedicated to getting rid of Hillary and to disseminating vile opinions of that family. I can't help thinking the men among you simply cannot accept a female president. And to you George W. Bush supporters, I would rather have a president who did what Bill Clinton did than one responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqis.

[POINT84]

LOL what did his post have to with Hillary? Everyones a victim

[tam39]

Conan rocks!

[era996]

Wait untill Leno moves to ABC and see who gets the rating war. leno will trounce him, just like he did trounce Letterman

[BruntLIVE]

Craig Ferguson is ugly, he's a stand in until some decides they want it. Craig Ferguson is too ugly for NBC, NBC deals with tall handsome men.

[LiberalBuzz]

Uh yeah, whatever you say. Stand In?

Seriously?

Craig is hilarious and his ratings are closing in on Conan's lame show. He's not a stand in, they went through dozens of people who wanted the show and everyone agreed he was the best.

Stand in? Whatever.

[Aslanspal]

Jimmy Fallon ...Ashton Kuchers act a like....cannot stand how he laughs at his own jokes and how we are suppost to just join in because he has that inside joke smirk look on his face. I will throw pencils at my television if he gets the deal.

[Irons]

Wow, Fallon is falling from CentCom to late-night TV.

[c3m]

Conan Does Not tickle my funny bone!!!!!!

[provgrays]

Conan is still incredibly mediocre as a performer. Fallon can't rely on that juvenile smirk and the strange hair to carry a show. It didn't work for Conan either.

[ignorantwillyharper]

Conan, will be the end of the Late Night Show, there's at least ten other's that could carry this show, but Conan is not one of the them.

[dannyS]

I wish Craig Kilborn would come back. He was funnier than all of them put together.

[ThePhilosopher]

I briefly liked Craig Kilborn, but the more and more I watched him the more I became convinced that he was actually really, truly arrogant and a complete asshole. At first I thought it was just an act, just part of his 'schtik' but I really think he's just a jerk now.

[provgrays]

I miss Kilborn's "Five Questions". Whatever happened to him anyway?

[Syco]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANY ONE BUT HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[happycat]

I feel your outrage.

[ann1]

neither will last

[ADN]

Conan is the funniest damn man I have ever heard in my lifetime (I'm almost 30). He is the greatest. I just don' t know about switching his time slot -- his humor is so 11:30pm-12:30am. Either way I'm glad Jay is gone.

[TRichards]

Hmmm! O.K. But, when you no longer find snapping towels to be witty, you'll simultaneously lose your taste for Conan's wit -- and for Jackass and Dane Cook as well.

[auramac]

They're gonna pay Jimmy Fallon to giggle at his own jokes for an hour? Craig Ferguson is on the brink of stardom.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

If this rumour about Fallon is true, the following will happen.

Late Night will be a disaster with Fallon at the helm. His smirking and constant mugging will get old real fast. The Tonight Show will be about as good as Conan's show is, which is OK, and Craig Ferguson will take over as king of late night. Seriously.

So it is written, so let it be done, sayeth Janeane the Acerbic Goblin.

[magneato]

Janeane, you nailed it.

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Merci, Magneato.

[Blackspeare]

Right you are. Craig Ferguson is one funny guy and should be put on a prime time slot. He should be s shoe-in to replace Letterman whose shtick is stale!

[happycat]

I have to disagree. I still love Letterman, but Ferguson is funny too.

[SharonB]

Bleahhh!

[Wigelah]

I wish I had a dollar for everyone who hated Conan O'brien when he got his gig. I remember no one had any idea of who he was and how he wasn't funny and how he would never last. I remember feeling like I was the only person I knew who thought he was funny. Now I feel like the only person who thinks Jimmy Fallon is funny. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

[happycat]

Conan O'Brien got me through alot of late night bottle feedings and colic in the past. I think that he is a very funny, very bright guy. Fallon is an altogether different matter. I am glad that my kids are older now b/c I could not sit through a late night watching him. I have never found him bright, funny or talented.

[lowry99]

just here to add to the chorus of Fallon hate. Can this guy trip and fall into acid or something? I thought we were finally rid of him.

[Burkelbile]

Nice flattering photo of Conan ...

" psycho frommm spaaaaaacccceeee...! "

or maybe we just project panavision movies on his forehead.

[NoGenius]

EPIC FAIL on the way.

[woundedduck]

At least we'll be spared any Fallon movies while he's still-birthing on Late Night.