Obama visit boosts ratings for 'Tonight Show With Jay Leno'

Obama visit boosts ratings for ‘Tonight Show With Jay Leno’

1/5

Carson had no guests on his final show, but on the Thursday night program he had Robin Williams, who did his usual manic shtick, and Bette Midler, who tapped a rare emotional vein on the show when she performed “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” which brought a tear to Carson’s eye. (Douglas C. Pizac / Associated Press)

2/5

As if the O.J. Simpson murder trial weren’t enough of a circus, Jay Leno added his own bit of spectacle with his group of dancers dressed like Judge Lance Ito. Their routines eventually incorporated a female dancer to play prosecutor Marcia Clark. (Con Keyes / Los Angeles Times)

3/5

Jay Leno is known to be pals with many of Hollywood‘s powerful people, one of them being Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their friendship started long before the “Terminator” star regularly mangled “Kahlifournia” in official speeches -- though the phrase became a constant for Jay in his Schwarzenegger impersonation -- and has lasted throughout his tenure. It was on display as the governator visited the show despite being under fire to straighten out California‘s financial woes. (Paul Drinkwater / Associated Press)

4/5

After just 59 days in office, President Obama stopped by “The Tonight Show” for a casual chat about the state of the union. The March 19, 2009, event marked the first late-night visit by a sitting president, and the leader of the free world kept things light saying, “I do think in Washington it is a little bit like ‘American Idol,’ except everybody is Simon Cowell. Everybody’s got an opinion.” (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

5/5

Jay Leno returned to the “Tonight Show” perch, but his latest tenure hasn’t been stellar. Adding to that, he has recently been feuding with NBC executives, and talk has turned to the possibility of moving on to heir-apparent Jimmy Fallon. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

By Ryan Faughnder

Aug. 7, 2013 11:20 AM PT

Nothing like a visit from the president to boost ratings.

President Obama’s appearance Tuesday on the “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” in which he criticized Russia for granting temporary asylum to ex-National Security Agency consultant Edward Snowden and for its anti-gay legislation, lifted the show’s ratings to its highest level in nine months.

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The NBC show scored a rating of 3.8 in 56 metered markets, according to Nielsen. National ratings will not be available for several days.

That’s the highest rating the show has generated since Obama last visited, on Oct. 24 of last year, when “Tonight” got a rating of 4.

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Follow on Twitter: @rfaughnder

ryan.faughnder@latimes.com