Leno Says Goodbye—Again

'I don't like goodbyes, NBC does'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 7, 2014 12:10 AM CST
Updated Feb 7, 2014 3:00 AM CST

A tearful Jay Leno said a second and presumably final farewell to the Tonight Show last night after 22 years, calling himself "the luckiest guy in the world." In an unusually sentimental moment for the host, he shared that he lost his mother the first year he hosted the show, followed by his father the next year and his brother the next, NBC reports."After that, I was pretty much out of family, and the folks here became my family," he said. "Consequently, when they went through hard times, I tried to be here for them. People say, 'Why don't you go to ABC or Fox?' But I didn't know anybody over there. These are the people I know."

His guests included Billy Crystal, who was his first guest back in 1992. Leno—whose first departure from the show was in 2009—managed to slip in a final dig at NBC, reports the AP. "You're very kind," he told the audience. "I don't like goodbyes. NBC does." Unlike in 2009, he says he plans to give up late-night TV hosting and focus on cars, comedy clubs, and other TV work. And he has another gig: President Obama, one of Leno's favorite targets, quipped that he was making Leno the ambassador to Antarctica. "Hope you have a warm coat, funnyman," he said. Jimmy Fallon takes over the Tonight Show on Feb. 17, becoming the sixth host in the show's 60-year history. (More Jay Leno stories.)

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