( CNN ) -- Jay Leno took one for the team , in the form of a $ 15 million pay cut , to protect the staff of NBC 's `` The Tonight Show '' from further cuts . An NBC Universal representative confirmed Friday that the host took a 50 % pay reduction . The representative also confirmed that Leno extended his contract until September 2014 . A source with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN last month that 20 to 25 employees of `` The Tonight Show '' were let go and that Leno made the salary concession to prevent even more staff reductions . According to the source , the layoffs were part of a plan to adjust the show 's expenses to be more in line with typical late-night programming as opposed to prime-time fare . Leno replaced the legendary Johnny Carson as host of `` The Tonight Show '' in 1992 , a job he held for 17 years before he left in 2009 to helm `` The Jay Leno Show '' with a 10 p.m. start time . But a few months later , in January 2010 , NBC announced that the comedian would return to the 11:35 p.m. time slot . The comic 's venture into prime time three years ago was pitched as an attempt by the network to parlay his proven popularity into a commercially successful show . But lagging ratings prompted NBC executives to change course within a few months . That move ultimately led to fellow talk show host Conan O'Brien 's departure from the network . O'Brien , who had taken over `` The Tonight Show , '' now hosts the show `` Conan '' on TBS , which , like CNN , is a division of Time Warner . Leno jokes about 'Tonight Show ' layoffs . CNN 's Denise Quan and Jane Caffrey contributed to this report .
The cut amounts to $ 15 million , NBC Universal says . He also extended contract until 2014 , the network says . Comment: