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This video montage of Jay Leno’s best comedic jabs at Obama is extremely addictive. Leno even jokes about ObamaCare in front of former President George W. Bush. Gutsy guy, unlike a lot of the lapdogs in Hollywood. He’ll be missed.

What’s changed in 22 years? Jay Leno took a look back at the years since he first took over hosting duties at the Tonight Show in 1992, and offered a few quips about the differences. Weiner jokes are still just as funny, only now they’re about Anthony Weiner, who Leno skewers almost immediately. Perhaps Leno wanted to look back, because looking forward means trying to deal with his unemployed status — and that means ObamaCare, Leno tells the audience (via CNS News):CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO Leno provides another bookend by talking about Hugh Grant, whose appearance in 1992...

LENO SIGNS OFF “I don’t like goodbyes – NBC does – but I don’t care for them,” an emotional Jay Leno said, kicking off a star-studded final broadcast show as host of The Tonight Show. “Tonight is our last show for real. I don’t need to be fired three times — I get the hint,” Leno joked to a friends-and-family studio audience as he ended his 22-year run Thursday night. It’s his second very-last-time-as-host — having been pushed aside in 2009 by NBC to make way for Conan O’Brien, who lasted seven months.“I’ve got to tell you, the outpouring...

Those old enough to remember Johnny Carson will recall copious tears over the course of his two-day Tonight Show goodbye – capped by Bette Midler’s serenade of One For My Baby. That was how people felt about Carson. He’d been a part of a nation’s lives for three decades, the last person besides their spouse many people saw before going to bed. I can’t imagine Jay Leno’s final Tonight show Feb. 6 generating that much emotion. Guest (and heir apparent) Jimmy Fallon will be amiable and polite. Billy Crystal will ladle on Hollywood schmaltz about Jay’s 21 great years (subtracting...

Anyone in the news business will tell you that a side benefit is the diverse number of people one gets to meet. Jay Leno, who leaves "The Tonight Show" on Feb 6 after a 22-year run (retire is not the right word in his case), is one such person. The circumstances surrounding our first meeting involved a column I wrote 15 years ago in support of his wife's activism on behalf of Afghan women. Jay and Mavis Leno invited my wife and me for a visit. Things progressed from there. Last October when we attended the show, I asked him...

How did Jay Leno really feel in 2009, when NBC revealed its master plan to hand The Tonight Show over to Conan O’Brien? The comedian doesn’t mince words in an upcoming interview with 60 Minutes, telling Steve Kroft that the decision took him completely by surprise. “I was blindsided,” he says, according to CBS News.

Mo 1/27: Dana Carvey, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, A Great Big World Tu 1/28: Wanda Sykes, Thomas Haden Church, Dwight Yoakam We 1/29: Bill Maher, Whitney Cummings, Jennifer Nettles Th 1/30: Miley Cyrus, Howie Mandel, Sarah McLachlan Fr 1/31: Tim Allen, Dave Salmoni, Sara Bareilles Mo 2/3: Jimmy Fallon, Betty White Tu 2/4: Matthew McConaughey, Charles Barkley, Lyle Lovett We 2/5: Sandra Bullock, Blake Shelton Th 2/6: Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks

House Speaker John Boehner says in his job, he has to be many things, from a father figure to the Gestapo. “People think, all right, you’re the speaker, you’re the leader,” Boehner told Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show” on Thursday night. “They don’t realize I’ve got a lot of other roles that I play. You know, some members, I have to be the big brother figure. Some I have to be the father figure. Others I have to be the dean of students or the principal. Some of them I have to be the Gestapo.” The Ohio Republican, who...

On Thursday, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) made his first-ever appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in which he discussed his background and some of the issues of the day. “I don’t have any problem with the Tea Party,” Boehner said. “Those people have brought great energy to the political process. Most of them have never been involved before. You know, when you agree with someone 90 percent of the time, they’re not your enemy. My problem was with some Washington organizations who purport to represent the Tea Party who I think mislead them. There’s nothing I could...

Jay Leno continued his unrelenting attacks on the White House Monday. The NBC Tonight Show host opened last night’s show saying the film “American Hustle” is “about the marketing of ObamaCare” (video follows with transcript and commentary): JAY LENO: Did you all watch the Golden Globes last night? [Applause] Tina Fey, Amy Poehler very funny. Boy, they are just the best. Of course, the big winner, the big winner was "American Hustle,” a film about the marketing of ObamaCare. I thought that was fascinating. [Laughter and applause] What makes the joke even funnier is "American Hustle" is loosely based on...

Jay Leno is a car aficionado. He collects them. He knows them. He works on them and delights in driving them. However, Friday night the junior senator from Texas gave the late-night comic a lesson on one option he may have missed: Cruz control. I am a big Leno fan. I’m rarely up that late, but I tape his shows and watch his opening monologue the next night for laughs. His political jokes are sometimes over the top, but, for the most part, they accurately reflect what is going on in Washington and give us some much-needed comedy relief. His...

Former President George W. Bush — who has largely shunned media appearances in favor of a bit of post-presidency privacy — is poised to appear as a guest next week on “The Tonight Show.” The ex-commander-in-chief will sit down with host Jay Leno on Nov. 19. ADVERTISEMENT The last time Bush was a guest on the NBC show was back in 2010 during a book tour. Bush spokesman Freddy Ford told the cable network the 43rd president wanted to swing by the “Tonight Show” set before Leno gives up the host chair next year, saying, “President Bush is going to...

"Serious" TED CRUZ rocks the TONIGHT SHOW with "Bad Jay" LENO [PHOTOS, analysis and FReeper "after party"] From PAULA BOLYARD's wonderful article on pjmedia.com: Compare and Contrast: Leno Interviewing Obama and Cruz Does Jay have a double standard? On Friday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz made his first appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno, allegedly in his last season as host of the Tonight Show, has not been known as a particularly partisan entertainer, so it was surprising to see him go "Candy Crowley" on Ted Cruz... -- snip -- ...Some on Twitter compared Leno to a...

On Friday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz made his first appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno, allegedly in his last season as host of the Tonight Show, has not been known as a particularly partisan entertainer, so it was surprising to see him go “Candy Crowley” on Ted Cruz. You may recall that CNN’s Crowley, who moderated a debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney, became part of the debate when she began reciting (false) White House talking points on Benghazi. Some on Twitter compared Leno to a prosecuting attorney as he interrupted Cruz and accused him of...

Calling all CREATIVE FReepers: I need YOUR help! I'm working on the "after action" thread for our recent "Tonight Show" FReep, andwhat I'm looking for is the "perfect" METAPHOR to describe what happened to the generally affable Jay Leno to cause him to transform into such a PARTISAN HACK. Here's SOME of what I have been brainstorming: Dr. Jekyll becomes Mr. Hyde Anakin Skywalker goes to the Dark Side Stepford WivesZOMBIES demon-possessed"They got to him." assimilated by the BORG black-mailInvasion of the Body SnatchersManchurian CandidateRobert the Bruce betrays William Wallace Charlie Gibson condescends to Sarah Palin Candy Crowley sandbags Mitt...

Leno elaborated: "Here's my favorite part: The president said yesterday that if it's taking too long and you're having trouble you can bypass the website and enroll by mail. Only the federal government could come up with a website that's slower than sending something by mail. Isn't that amazing?"

I recommend watching the video. The delivery and audience response are important. But here's the transcript: JAY LENO: Welcome non-essential employees! [Cheers and applause] How many are here because all the museums and state parks are closed? That's the only reason you're here. [Laughter] Yeah. Well, we got the government shut down, but the beginning of ObamaCare. So ObamaCare has started. You know what that means? You can now complain to your doctor about the government making you sick. You see that? [Laughter and applause] How many are worried about the government shutdown? [Light laughter, no applause] How many are...

If NBC’s Tonight Show audience is any indication. Americans aren’t buying into the media’s hysteria concerning the government shutdown. Quite the contrary, when host Jay Leno asked, “How many are worried about the government shutdown,” not one person in the studio audience applauded (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Leno Spoils Breaking Bad Finale: Walter White Dies in Hospital Filling Out ObamaCare Paperwork By Noel Sheppard Created 09/25/2013 - 7:26am Jay Leno took another comedic shot at the President Tuesday. Early in his monologue on NBC’s Tonight Show, the host said that AMC’s hit series Breaking Bad concludes Sunday when “Walter White dies in the hospital waiting room while filling out all the paperwork for ObamaCare.” JAY LENO: Oh, listen to this. Starting tomorrow night, AMC will begin airing a Breaking Bad marathon that will broadcast every episode of the show leading up to Sunday's series finale. That's five...

During his recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Barack Obama said that Russia and other countries like it are ‘violating basic morality’ by passing laws in opposition to the homosexual lifestyle. After Obama was asked about his reaction to Russia granting asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden, Leno then delved into the issue of homosexuality and the 2014 Olympics. “Well, something that shocked me about Russia — and I’m surprised this is not a huge story — suddenly, homosexuality is against the law,” he said. “I mean, this seems like Germany: Let’s round up the Jews,...