Leno faced heated criticism and increasing negative publicity for his perceived role in the timeslot conflict , with some critics predicting that his reputation — along with those of Jeff Zucker and NBC as a whole — had been permanently damaged by the incident . Critics pointed to the 2004 '' Tonight Show '' clip wherein Leno claimed he would allow O'Brien to take over without incident . Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt was among the first celebrities to openly voice disappointment with Leno , saying , " Comedians who do n't like Jay Leno now , and I 'm one of them , we 're not like , ' Jay Leno sucks ; ' it 's that we 're so hurt and disappointed that one of the best comedians of our generation … willfully has shut the switch off . " Rosie O'Donnell was among O'Brien 's most vocal and vehement supporters , calling Leno a " bully " and his actions " classless and kind of career-defining " . Howard Stern was a harsh critic of Leno before and after the timeslot change announcement ; Stern had previously appeared on '' Late Night '' in 2006 , and told O'Brien that he felt it was unlikely that Leno would ever willingly give up '' Tonight '' to anyone . The 67th Golden Globe Awards , which aired on NBC during the heat of O'Brien 's settlement negotiations on January 17 , featured numerous jokes on the controversy by Tina Fey and Tom Hanks , as well as show host Ricky Gervais who quipped " Let 's get on with it before NBC replaces me with Jay Leno . " Additional criticism stemmed from the fact that the circumstances O'Brien found himself in recalled a similar dilemma that faced Leno toward the end of 1992 . Only months into his hosting job on '' The Tonight Show '' , NBC considered reversing their decision to choose Leno over Letterman . Leno was aghast and angry that NBC refused to exhibit clear commitment to him as the franchise 's new host , and expressed this disappointment publicly . He also made explicit that he would leave the network if he was asked to move back an hour to accommodate Letterman , saying " I 'm not going to do some little happy hour from Omaha at 12:30 . " Commentators also faulted Leno for what they perceived as a disingenuous attempt on the host 's part to forge an " everyman " persona in the way he carried himself throughout the controversy . During the episode of '' The Jay Leno Show '' that aired after it was made public that Leno had been offered the 11:35 time slot back , Leno portrayed himself as an ingenuous employee merely following NBC 's instructions , making a point of stating " I do n't have a manager , I do n't have an agent " and referring to his preference of making direct , " handshake " deals . Despite his claim of having no representation , Leno retained an agent ( Steve Levine of International Creative Management ) , a publicist , and entertainment lawyers
67th Golden Globe Awards
67th Golden Globe Awards
2010 Tonight Show conflict