Some see political fallout in Leno’s fall from grace. Right bemoans possible Leno exit

Could Jay Leno become a new conservative hero?

In the bitter and gossipy duel between Leno and NBC (the “Tonight Show” host is set to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon, according to reports), some see political fallout in Leno’s fall from grace.


“Left cheering Leno exit typical, he dared to entertain and offer jokes for the other 50% of country. Unacceptable in ‘New America’…” tweeted Matt Drudge this week in the wake of news of Fallon’s ascension. And Jezebel touched on Leno’s rough relationship with the coastal elites, describing him as “Middle America’s favorite late-night host.”

Fox News’ “The Five” speculated, if slightly in jest as is the show’s wont, that Leno was suffering for his barbs against President Barack Obama.

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“Clearly he pushed it too far,” said Greg Gutfeld said, half joking, on Thursday. “The network will send him to a reeducation camp for required therapy,” adding that Leno should poke more fun at Sarah Palin if he wants to keep his job.

Fox News’ Greta van Susteren wrote in defense of Leno on her blog.

“In the last few hours I have read about NBC and Jay Leno. I don’t know if what I read is 1/2 true … all true … or even false … but I do think this could be handled better. Jay Leno deserves to be treated better — he has accomplished much and done a great deal for the network. I don’t know if it is NBC or the media but Jay Leno deserves better treatment than he appears to be getting. What do you think?”

Perhaps conservatives will be cheering when they hear this — Leno could land at Fox.

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This from the New York Post on Friday: “The head of Fox’s powerful affiliate board — who represents the majority of the 206 Fox stations around the country, said yesterday he favors building a new late-night show — starting at 11 o’clock — around the departing ‘Tonight Show’ host. ‘If Fox were to present the right business plan, the affiliate board would be interested,’ Steve Pruett, the board chairman, told the Post.

Matt Towery wrote on the conservative Town Hall website that Leno — despite being a liberal — is like “Barry Goldwater” when compared with David Letterman.

“… I know that Jay Leno, like most on network TV, is a self-proclaimed ‘liberal,’ but I could care less. Next to David Letterman, he looks like Barry Goldwater,” Towery wrote.

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Towery described Leno as an “equal opportunity offender” comic, who doesn’t back away from poking fun at Democrats when it’s warranted.

“The critics generally hate Leno, because, to them, he’s too much a part of ‘average’ America. He doesn’t have the endless — and I mean endless — sarcasm of Letterman and actually refrains from attacking people. He’s not cutting edge. He’s too much the Apple Pie American. Oh and he’s too funny to a majority of Americans,” Towery wrote.

He continued: “What Leno does is make even us folks in our late-40s, 50s, or older take an hour to forget how hard we have worked. He takes our attention away from how much liberty and personal resources we have lost through the idiotic moves of both Democrat and Republican leaders. And when he does focus on these matters, he brings us together for a laugh. He is an equal opportunity offender with his humor, but one with a heart.”

And Breitbart’s Christian Toto noted that Fallon had come under fire in November 2011 for playing “Lyin’ Ass B*tch” as the entrance music for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), then a GOP presidential candidate.

“Fallon’s regular guy charm is legit, but so is his willingness to peddle conservative insults. His show’s use of the song ‘Lyin’ Ass Bitch’ to greet tea party favorite Congresswoman Michele Bachmann remains one of nastiest moments in recent pop culture history,” Toto wrote.

The only late night talker who sees fit to mock the president is being shown the exit door. … Leno is far from a perfect late night host,” Toto added. “His interviews can be maddeningly by the book, and his sketches are as uneven as his predecessor, the great Johnny Carson. Yet Leno has always stuck to the basics — you’re a late night comic, and that means you poke fun at the president no matter the party. He’ll be missed for that quality as well as his sturdy monologues, leaving the late-night field wide open for a center-right talent with the guts to do his or her job.”

While Leno may not have as much street cred among New York and Los Angeles elites as his other late-night counterparts (Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, Stewart/Colbert, etc.), it’s not as though Leno is actually easy on Republicans. On Wednesday, he poked fun at the party’s attempt at image restoration.

“After losing two presidential elections in a row, the Republican Party now has outlined a plan to attract minorities,” said Leno, previewing a fake ad from the “new” Republican Party. “We’ve adjusted our position on just about everything,” the narrator says. “We’ll raise taxes on everyone who makes more money than you. Also, we’ve decided that we’re A-okay with same-sex marriages. In fact, we’ll even pay for the honeymoon!”

But Leno is less focused on ribbing Republicans. Although an October 2012 study revealed that Leno, like his competitors, skewered Mitt Romney more than they had Obama (although less than Letterman), an earlier study from that year showed that Leno made fun of Obama twice as much as did Letterman.

— Kevin Cirilli contributed to this report.

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