Leno: 'I Take 95% of Blame' for Bad Press

Amidst a firestorm of negative press surrounding The Jay Leno Show, Leno gives a candid interview to Broadcasting & Cable on the fate of his new gig—and whether he’d trade places with David Letterman. Highlights:

• On the slot: “Would I have preferred to stay at 11:30? Yeah, sure. I would have preferred that. If it were offered to me, would I take it? If that's what they wanted to do, sure.”

• On Dave: “I wouldn't trade places with Dave now for anything! I don't think he's getting a free pass."
• And the affair: "He's not being a hypocrite. Dave has never pretended to be Mr. Moral America, he's never set himself up that way.”
• On the show: “I find there's a lot of anger at NBC. But it's like I say to the people who write the dramas: If I weren't doing this, it would be Dateline five nights a week or reality shows.”
• And the bad press: "My name's on the product so I take 95% of the blame. I do kind of chuckle when people compare a show you do every night to a special that's on once or twice a year on HBO. We do a 14-minute monologue five nights a week; are all the jokes going to be gems? No. But they do OK."

(More Jay Leno stories.)