Washington: Talk show icon Jay Leno bid farewell to his remarkable 22-year run at the top of the late-night US television heap on Thursday when he signed off from NBC’s The Tonight Show for the last time.
An emotional Leno, 63, told his fans in concluding his final broadcast, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world, I got to meet presidents, astronauts, movie stars – it’s just been incredibleâ€. Country music titan Garth Brooks and comedian Billy Crystal – Leno’s first guest back in May 1992 – appeared as special guests on Leno’s farewell show.
President Barack Obama, a past Tonight Show guest and the butt of not a few of Leno’s jokes, sent pre-recorded best wishes – along with a job offer as an ambassador to Antarctica. The president quipped, “Hope you’ve got a warm coat, funny man.”
A string of celebrities paraded onto the stage to sing a few lines, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian and comedy icon Carol Burnett. Leno later held back tears as he said he had “got to work with talented people who made me look smarter than I am.” He urged people to watch his successor, Jimmy Fallon.