The Jay Leno Show opened moments ago with more statements from the host regarding its cancellation and possible move to the 11:35 PM time slot currently occupied by Conan O'Brien, including confirmation of O'Brien's displeasure with the situation.

Leno's remarks included the following:

  • "As you know, we're not just a show anymore, we are now now a collector's item."
  • "As you may know, our show has been canceled. Fired again! See, that shows you NBC's got nothing. Even when they fire people, it's a rerun—didn't we just get fired in May?"
  • "NBC said the show performed exactly as they expected it would, and then they canceled us. Don't confuse it with when we're on at late night, and we performed better than expected, and they canceled us. That was totally different!"
  • "Supposedly we're moving to 11:30, but even this is not sure. See, my people are upset, Conan's people are upset. Hey, NBC said they wanted drama at 10—now they got it!"
  • I take pride in one thing. I leave NBC primetime the same way I found it: a complete disaster."

Leno is known for being more vocal about things like this and has historically not held back in making statements about his job status. O'Brien's harsh remarks for NBC and Leno on Friday, however, seemed a departure for the Tonight Show host, who traditionally doesn't make statements to that effect. Whether Friday's fireworks from O'Brien will be repeated tonight—or were part of a one time flare-up for a normally demure host—is yet to be seen, but if he chooses to address the situation again, we'll have video for you later.

[The Jay Leno Show]