Jay Leno will pay his staffers, too
By fred | December 3, 2007
I recently reported that in a very generous move Conan O’Brien would pay his non-writing staff once NBC would stop.
The situation was different over at the Tonight Show, though, and Jay Leno did not seem to be going that same road as well. Then, he started to be trashed by many people, and headlines popped out reading “Leno fires staff!”
About 120 of the show’s non-writing staffers were being laid off by NBC - not Leno - and the studios also said that there was absolutely no guarantee that they would be re-hired once the strike would be over. In other words, they might be out of work for good, strike or not.
It should be noted Leno had no actual obligation to do pay his staffers, given how his production company, Big Dog Productions, only co-produces the Tonight Show unlike Letterman’s Worldwide Pants or Kimmel’s Jackhole Productions, which has been quietly paying his staff since the start of the strike - taking especially care of those who are being hit the hardest (low-paid entry level production assistants, receptionists, …) said sources.
But when Conan O’Brien, whose company Conaco also doesn’t own Late Night, announced he would pay his staff anyways, it sure put Leno in some awkward position. Especially since it’s so well known that Jay lives off his outside gigs and banks his Tonight Show salary, and gets paid more than other hosts, like O’Brien.
But that’s not all. Apparently the major clash came when it was revealed that a couple of days after the strike began, Leno assured his staffers that they needed not to worry, and that their paychecks would be safe during the strike. So when they learned they’d get “fired” by NBC and Leno had no intention to step in and follow Conan O’Brien’s footsteps, they felt highly betrayed.
Had they know, they would have been worried and start to look for other job opportunities weeks ago. Sure, Leno might be pissed at NBC for the way he’s been treated and he may not want to retire when 2009 comes in (it’s already been announced that Conan would take over the Tonight Show by then), but that’s no excuse to take it on the very own people working with you every day and helping you make a good show every night.
Today it’s been reported that Leno would pay his staffers himself after all through next week, and it could be extended further if the strike isn’t resolved by then. Guess pressure was too much and Leno didn’t want to look like the bad guy…
