Jimmy Kimmel wishes Jay Leno well, despite various comments over the years

While Jimmy Kimmel has had quite a bit of fun at Jay Leno’s expense, in addition to saying some pretty harsh things about him over the years, he is wishing his late-night rival the best in the wake of his exit from “The Tonight Show” Thursday night.

In a post on his Twitter account earlier today, hours before Leno sat down to start filming his final show, Kimmel made it clear that he did not have any ill will for Jay at all in the end, despite everything that happened with Conan O’Brien and some of the other behind-the-scenes drama that has followed Jay for so many years:

“Issues aside, 20 years at #1 is a remarkable achievement. Congratulations and best wishes to @jayleno on an incredible run.”

The interesting thing now is that Kimmel is one of the comics with the most to gain following his time on NBC. Many of Leno’s viewers were of the salt-of-the-earth variety, and are looking for someone to come at them with a traditional monologue of jokes to close out the night. It will be interesting to see how many Leno viewers stick with “The Tonight Show” moving forward, or go over to either CBS or Kimmel’s home at ABC. David Letterman is the only comic that has been on the air longer than Jay, and it will be very interesting to see if Dave has anything to say about Jay tonight while hosting his own new show.

Do you think that Jimmy did the right thing tonight in wishing Jay well? Share below, and also be sure to watch what we believe to be the greatest Jimmy vs. Jay moment in the history of their “feud.” Also, click here to see other highlights of Leno’s exit tonight, since we are going to have many.

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Photo: ABC