In the latest incarnation of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” long-standing late-night talk show host Jay Leno will be giving up his throne to the New York native Jimmy Fallon.
The show has also returned to New York City after almost 42 years in Los Angeles.
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will air from 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Lower Manhattan starting Monday, Feb. 17, and will be broadcasted on NBC right after the Olympics, at midnight.
Fallon, who hosted his own “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” on NBC, will debut with guests Will Smith and U2.
Although airing an hour earlier than “Late Night” (but this week seen at a special time, midnight Eastern), “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will feature many of the same comic bits, the same house band, the Roots, and announcer-sidekick Steve Higgins.
On his Twitter and Instagram accounts, Fallon expressed his excitement for tonight’s show.
On Instagram he wrote:
“February 17, 2014 This is it. We are starting a new chapter of the Tonight Show. I can’t even begin to describe what we are all feeling right now here at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NYC. But - I know that we’ll never have this exact feeling ever again. By this time tomorrow we’ll no longer wonder what it would be like to do the Tonight Show. We can’t put that feeling - that moment back in the bottle. All we can do is try to make the best show that we can and make people happy. And we will. Here’s to the first of many. Fun.”
According to CNN, Fallon’s paycheck more than doubled from his show’s $5 million to $12 million with the “Tonight Show.” The show itself will cost more to produce in New York City than in Los Angeles, but it is said to be tapping into the incentives introduced by the Bloomberg administration last year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will save more than $20 million in tax credits.
The show will also be able to place ads on NYC bus shelters, subway cards, and on screens installed in the city’s taxis.
Other guests scheduled to appear this week include: Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig, Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Tim McGraw, first lady Michelle Obama, Will Ferrell, Arcade Fire, and Justin Timberlake.
Fans of social media are encouraged to join the “live-tweet party” using the hashtag #FallonTonight or download the official “Tonight Show” app.
Starting from Friday, Feb. 21, viewers can catch “The Tonight Show” on NBC at 11:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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