Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno joke about 'Tonight Show' rumors

By Meredith Blake

March 21, 2013 12 AM PT

In his “Late Night” monologue Wednesday, Jimmy Fallon joked about the flurry of reports about his imminent takeover of “The Tonight Show” and the show’s possible move back to New York after four decades in Burbank.

“Before we get started I have to talk about the rumors that came out today that we’ll be moving up to 11:30, or as my parents call it, ‘Eh, still too late,’” he said. “Actually the rumors are true. NBC is turning ‘The Tonight Show’ into a diving competition.”

For his part, Jay Leno indirectly addressed the speculation by taking a shot at the Peacock Network’s ratings woes for the third night in a row.

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“According to several reports — this is kind of scary — scientists say they’re getting closer and closer to being able to do ‘Jurassic Park’-style cloning of extinct species. Imagine that? Things once thought to be extinct can now be brought back from the dead.”

In case you couldn’t already guess the punchline: “So there’s hope for NBC. It could turn around.”

It was a relatively tame joke compared to Monday’s monologue, when Leno re-ignited speculation about NBC’s plans for “The Tonight Show” by referring to network executives as “snakes.” He followed that up Tuesday suggesting a Serbian woman who “sees everything upside-down” “thinks NBC is at the top of the ratings.”

Alas, Leno’s nemesis Conan O’Brien was not on the air Wednesday, so we’ll have to wait until he returns Monday for his undoubtedly caustic take on the latest round of the late-night wars.

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