The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The king of late night television, Jay Leno, announced yesterday he will end his reign as host of The Tonight Show in 2009. He will be replaced by a familiar face in Conan O'Brien, star of Late Night, the popular program that follows Leno. "In 2009, I'll be 59 years old and will have had this dream job for 17 years," said Leno. "When I signed my new contract, I felt that the timing was right to plan for my successor and there is no one more qualified than Conan." Leno, a longtime standup comic famous for his friendly demeanor and protruding chin, took over the Tonight Show desk from TV legend Johnny Carson in May 1992. The lanky, red-haired O'Brien succeeded David Letterman as host of Late Night the following year, getting off to a rocky start before winning over critics and viewers. -J.N.
