NBC's Late Night Mess: My Dad Sets Me Straight

I consider my dad to be one of the smartest guys I know—probably the smartest. So when he talks I listen, even if it isn’t something I like to hear.

This past weekend, he shared with me his thoughts on NBC’s late night mess. We talked about people not understanding that Jay Leno did not ask for “The Tonight Show” back. We talked about how Conan O’Brien on “Tonight” had hurt the local news ratings as much as Jay’s show had.

But then, Dad offered this observation. “Jay’s not completely innocent in this.”

I’m not going to lie to you. As a die-hard member of Team Leno, that hurt. Mainly because he’s right.

I still maintain that Jay didn’t ask to bump Conan, but there’s no doubt that he dropped hints that he wouldn’t mind to. And even though Jay doesn’t have a manager, I still believe he had people working for him behind the scenes.

But you really don’t need any further evidence than the speech Jay made during Monday’s episode of “The Jay Leno Show.” The sentiment was there—that Jay wanted to keep his people working—but he didn’t drive it home nearly as hard as he should have. And it was pretty clear to me that Jay is getting what he wanted all along.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am still a card-carrying member of Team Leno and I still believe that he’s not getting a fair shake. I just wish that he had seized this opportunity a little better and really driven his point home.

This is where a manager would have really come in handy (If you’ve seen “The Late Shift” or read the book, you know why he doesn’t have one anymore.). Jay if you’re reading this, I want you to know I’m available...

Especially if you let my dad come work on your cars...

You can see what Jay said last night here…