For better or worse, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien are forever linked in television history. And while it hasn't always been roses between the two former Tonight Show hosts, that isn't keeping Leno from weighing in on O'Brien's upcoming Oscars gig.
It's been 15 years since NBC created the Tonight Show debacle that ensnared Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and even Jimmy Fallon. The network promised the iconic late-night show to O'Brien, only to pull the rug out from under him in less than a year.
Thankfully, O'Brien landed on his feet and remains as busy as ever. Meanwhile, Leno has remained active on the stand-up circuit (injuries and all) and even has a movie role upcoming. He'll play another late-night legend, Ed Sullivan, in Midas Man.
On the topic of movies, the New York Post caught up with Leno and asked his opinion on O'Brien hosting the 2025 Academy Awards.
"I think he’ll be great," Leno said. “He’s a very funny guy. He’s very creative. I’ll watch, sure. He’ll do good.”
Neither Leno and O'Brien ever sound eager to talk about what happened with the Tonight Show. So it's no surprise to hear Leno keeing things positive and giving O'Brien his endorsement on the Oscars. Just don't exect O'Brien to reach out for any help with jokes.
Conan O'Brien gives an update on his Oscars prep
The Oscars are set to air on March 2. Conan O'Brien has been hard at work preparing for the show, despite some life-changing events happening around him.
In December, O'Brien's parents died just days apart. Then, the California wildfires forced his family to evacuate their home. It remained undamaged, but his podcast co-host and longtime assistant, Sona Movsessian, wasn't as lucky.
"It has been a lot happening in a very short time, and there's a lot that happened in my personal life starting in December that was intense, and then going into this month with the fires and prep for what's coming up," O'Brien told People.
The comedian went on to say he's taking things one day at a time. He's also been trying to connect with other people and listen to their stories.
"In that respect, some of the things I'm doing, like come here at Sundance for [the] film or the Oscars award show coming up, can seem silly and trivial, but they're also important at the same time because we keep going," O'Brien reflected. "We keep going. We keep making stuff."