Jay Leno doesn’t have any good reason to hate David Letterman.
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“The most [important] element you can have in doing a late night show is kindness”, he explained to TV Insider, “because the show makes you arrogant”.
Jay Leno was in familiar territory on Thursday morning, when NBC kicked off its day in front of the Television Critics Association with a panel for the former Tonight host’s new CNBC show.
“I think he’s really amusing and I think he’s talented, I just think he has a bit of a mean streak”, said Leno. “When asked what he thought of Stephen Colbert’s upcoming arrival on CBS’ Late Show, he said that he thought he’ll be “terrific” but quickly made a crack about the current landscape”.
“Bill Cosby is a wonderful comedian and has always been a nice man, I feel bad about this as anybody does”, said Jay Leno, “but I don’t know how he comes out of it”.
But he didn’t stop there: “He does this thing where he takes Halloween candy from kids and the kids cry”.
Leno also was asked about not reuniting with Letterman before he left the air in May.
Leno’s beef with the ABC host dates back to the late night debacle of 2010 when Kimmel publicly took Conan O’Brien’s side in the dispute over Tonight Show hosting duties.
He said: “To me, the nature of the business has changed”.
‘All right, so why would I go all the way to New York?
“As soon as you deny it, that’s your downfall”.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Leno is a major auto lover and the owner of more than 250 vehicles. “Because I’m a stand-up, I don’t just sit on the couch”, Leno dished. “You’ve got to have something, so I never want to do that to a host”.
“Hosted by legendary comedian and “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, the new eight-episode hour-long primetime series covers all things automotive including classic cars, super cars, restoration projects, road tests, investments and the inner workings of the auto collectors’ market”, CNBC said in its announcement.
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The show focuses on reviews of cars and motorcycles from Jay Leno’s Big Garage in Burbank, California.
