Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno will do joint interview on ‘The Today Show’

How is this for a sign that everyone is getting along just fine? Rather than deal with some rumors of terrible tension or fighting over the coming weeks, Jay Leno and the man replacing him on “The Tonight Show” in Jimmy Fallon are going to walk arm in arm (at least metaphorically) over to “The Today Show” to talk things out.

The interview featuring the two hosts will be conducted by Matt Lauer, and is going to air on NBC Monday morning. Early indications are that this will be a kind, heartfelt conversation, as the two parties talk about some of the headlines about them, but also the legacy of “The Tonight Show” as a whole. They each realize that this decades-long institution has an enormous value in TV history, and they each take it very seriously even if there are all sorts of crazy stories that unfold around it from time to time.

This news comes fresh off an interview that Leno did on “60 Minutes,” where he explained that while he would have been happy to stay on “The Tonight Show” a while longer, he was happy to step down for a guy in Fallon who he feels embodies some of the same skills that Johnny Carson, the show’s most-iconic and longest-tenured host, showcased for so many years.

Do we feel like Leno will have a worthy replacement at the end of the day? It remains to be seen. While we personally enjoy watching Fallon’s version of “Late Night,” it is up to the American people to really decide how someone does. Jimmy is a better host in the viral age, but Leno’s show had a relaxed tone about it that made it easy for folks in middle America, the sort that do not have social media or use YouTube often, to watch.

We’ll of course have some more on all things late-night soon, so stay tuned for more of that. Meanwhile, be sure to also click here if you want to get some weekly CarterMatt updates via email!

Photo: NBC