Jay Leno Retirement: Replacement by Jimmy Fallon Only Matter of Time

Everyone may officially be denying it now, but Jay Leno's replacement by Jimmy Fallon as host of "The Tonight Show" is essentially a done deal, according to "several senior television executives" at NBC.

While the network, Leno, and Fallon, have disavowed knowledge of any such plan, NBC has already "made a commitment" to Fallon, based on an exclusive report in The New York Times. Discussions in Leno's replacement are apparently ongoing, but part of the agreement would move "The Tonight Show" from its current location in Burbank, Calif. back to New York. 

As the Times put it: "NBC has not completed a deal with Mr. Fallon yet, but his assent is considered mostly a formality, since the move would represent a significant step up for him. And the network has not settled on an exact timetable for the switch, though it is expected to take place by fall 2014 at the latest, said the executives, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because discussions were still continuing."

So, forget whatever you've heard about Leno's ratings being too high to have him replaced. Whatever the true motivation is for Leno's replacement, the Times' sources are convinced the Fallon deal is on. A senior executive with NBC involved with the talks reportedly said that "there is no way on earth that this is not going to happen," and two execs said the network has already begun constructing the new studio at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for when Fallon takes over "The Tonight Show."

Further confirmation of Leno's forced removal from the show arrives as rumors swirl about a bitter feud raging between the current "Tonight Show" host and top NBC execs. The New York Times reportedly spoke to "three executives close to the situation" who claim that NBC entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt was none too happy with Leno after he mocked the network's slide into the fifth overall network behind Univision in February. 

Greenblat was apparently so incensed over the lighthearted ratings jabs that he started feuding with Leno in a series of "pointed" e-mails. According to the Times, "One of the executives who saw the exchange said that Mr. Leno was taken by surprise by Mr. Greenblatt's comments and strongly defended himself, citing the fact that late-night stars poking fun 'at their masters,' as the executive said, is in the long tradition of late-night comedy."

Leno's representative has of course refused to comment on the alleged exchange. 

The bitter emails were apparently sent prior to news of NBC pressuring Leno into retirement, a report which NBC is still denying.

If Fallon does indeed replace Leno, the idea would be to snag Fallon to fill Leno's 11:35 p.m. time slot with a "soft launch" beginning in the summer of 2014, and then formally starting Fallon's run with "The Tonight Show" that fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter.