Maggie Gorman, Staff Editor
The position of host on The Tonight Show on NBC has been a goal and honor for every late night TV show host since the show’s creation in 1954. It was the coolest, most modern show on television sixty years ago, and people turned to it, not only for laughs but for news and the latest scoop on their favorite celebrities, too. The Tonight Show has had six hosts in sixty years, and it’s newest host, Jimmy Fallon, will take over Jay Leno’s spot on February 17th, 2014.
The 11:35 pm time slot is considered sacred to most talk show hosts due to consistently greater ratings and more revenue. Fallon is moving up from 12:35 am to an hour earlier, but is not willing to alter his normal routine. “It’s more eyeballs watching but it’s the same show. I’m not going to change anything.” said Fallon on the Orlando Sentinel. The doofy and hilarious musical and comedic skits, games with celebrities, and that ever-so-charming Fallon smile are not going anywhere.Everyone in the late night show business knows that it is hard to please everyone with a show, especially when it is undergoing a great change. Viewers who are used to Leno’s humor might not be on board with a 39 year-old taking hold of the reins. Fallon's sense of humor is silly and seen as juvenile by some, this even acknowledged by Fallon on his show regularly joking about how he is practically a child. His vision for his style of the show includes his sense of humor. The show "should be goofy and fun and make everybody laugh. That's our job," said Fallon.
Fallon’s success on Saturday Night Live for six years and host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for five proves he is worthy of taking the next step towards making a lasting impact on television history. He may not be Leno or Carson, but Fallon is definitely going places in this business and will do a great job as the new king of late night.
Photo credit to www.nbc.com.
