Leno gets abutment from NBC staff

LOS ANGELES – Jay Leno staffers say their bang-up isn't the bad guy in NBC's late-night upheaval.

Leno has faced online babble and some letters suggesting he's abstraction "Tonight" from Conan O'Brien.

"The arrangement asked him to accomplish a compromise. He's actuality a acceptable soldier, and he's actuality trashed," said ambassador Jack Coen, who has formed with Leno for 14 years.

He added that there isn't any accuracy to the advancement that the allocution host affected the affair to get aback on "The Tonight Show."

Tracie Fiss, a co-producer who has formed with Leno for 18 years, said her acknowledgment to such characterizations is "frustration."

"Jay doesn't accept the ability to accomplish these decisions. The decisions are fabricated by NBC," she said.

Settlement talks connected Sunday on a accord that would let O'Brien leave NBC and "Tonight," and put Leno aback into the 11:35 p.m. EST time aperture he active for 17 years through aftermost spring. NBC is bottomward "The Jay Leno Show," his black prime-time appearance that debuted aftermost abatement at 10 p.m.

A proposed accord would accord O'Brien added than $30 actor for abrogation and acquiesce him to go to addition arrangement as aboriginal as this fall, according to bodies accustomed with the talks, who batten on action of anonymity because they were not accustomed to about altercate the negotiations.

After O'Brien alone NBC's antecedent plan to move him and "Tonight" to midnight EST and accord Leno a half-hour appearance at 11:30 p.m. EST, the accessory became address fodder for them and for added late-night hosts. The exchanges, which grew more acicular and with Leno generally the target, accept been broadly reported.

Appearing by accessory aftermost anniversary for Leno's "Ten at Ten" question-and-answer segment, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel was asked to chronicle his best antic ever. Kimmel replied that he told a guy bristles years ago that he'd accord him his show, and "then I took it back."

It was a agilely buried advertence to Leno's acceding in 2004 to abandonment "The Tonight Show" to O'Brien aftermost year.

Coen, who formed on "Tonight" with Leno and is a ambassador on Leno's prime-time appearance in allegation of writing, said such acid amusement isn't abnormal amid comedians but contends it's actuality misinterpreted in account reports.

"It's absorbing to be on this ancillary of the adventure and see how it's actuality reported. They act as if he's the accumulated lapdog but additionally the adept baby banishment these issues," Coen said.

If Leno emerges with "Tonight" but with his angel scarred, it could accept ramifications for him and his show.

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