Jay Leno returned to his 11:35 timeslot and hosting duties of The Tonight Show on Monday night. It was like he never left. The show started with a parody of The Wizard of Oz, acting as though Leno’s time off was just a horrible dream. Kevin Eubanks was there; Ross the Intern was there; Jon Menendez decided to return, and for some reason Betty White showed up to because she was clearly available.
After the cold opening, Jay walked out to a legion of cheering fans on a redesigned set (the only noticeable change to The Tonight Show). After his signature high-fives for a few lucky fans (you see, Leno is a man of the people) he went into his typical monologue, which only made one real allusion to the fact that he was not host of the show for the last few months.
“I’m your host — at least for now,” he said. Of course, there was no mention of that other guy who sat at the big desk for a short time.
Speaking of the big desk, Leno took the new gig as an opportunity for a new bit, “The Great Desk Search,” where he goes to random people’s homes and looks at their desks to see which would be good for Jay to sit behind. What could be funnier than Jay Leno going into your home, talking about your desks and perhaps making fun of your family? Well, everything it seems. After watching the painfully forced bit where D-List celebs like Randy Jackson and Adam Carolla show up to “test” out the new desks, one has to wonder how long Leno can keep this bit going. Then again, he has managed to keep doing Jay-Walking for about two decades.
After the break, Leno introduced his first guest, Jamie Foxx, by showing a montage of his film work. This is usually reserved for someone receiving a lifetime achievement award. It’s just too bad they left out Foxx’s brilliant work in “Stealth” and “Booty Call.” Foxx came out with a huge amount of energy and led the crowd in irritating chants like “When I say ‘Welcome’ you say ‘Back’” and got everyone to do one of America’s most shameful creations, The Wave. Foxx did what he was clearly brought on the show to do: talk about how great it was that Jay was back hosting The Tonight Show. When Foxx calmed down, he was harmlessly charming but managed to shill for the network by mentioning how much he enjoyed the Olympics. Foxx also reminded everyone that the red head was no longer hosting by talking about his love for Kirstie Alley.
After Foxx, Olympic gold medal-winner Lindsey Vonn came out to talk about the Olympics (as seen on NBC). Being an athlete and not an actor or comedian, no one expects Vonn to really get the crowd going — and she didn’t. This is why there is a host. In situations like this, when someone not particularly interesting to talk to is a guest, the host needs to pull some laughs out. Leno failed here; the interview was disappointingly bland. Leno sounded more like Bob Costas than a comedian — something that should be left to Costas.
The show ended unceremoniously with a Brad Paisley performance. It was great if you really love Brad Paisley. Overall, there was really nothing special about Leno’s return to the Tonight Show. He looks as if he never left the post as the show’s host. For anyone who enjoyed him before, there’s no need to worry — nothing has changed. Those who thought that Leno’s return may bring restructuring or something fresh to the show should look elsewhere. Jay Leno is back — and he’s the same as ever.
You can reach this columnist at slindauer@theeagleonline.com.
