NBC said it will no longer run new episodes of "The Tonight Show" on Friday nights, beginning immediately. The network will air repeat episodes instead, a practice that began over the summer.
USA Today reported that the move is part of a wider cost-cutting initiative at NBC that also led to the network firing the house band on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" earlier this summer.
Jimmy Fallon has hosted "The Tonight Show" since 2014 after a previous stint on "Saturday Night Live." Now he, like his counterparts at "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on CBS and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC, will do four shows per week.
Fallon signed a contract earlier this year to host "The Tonight Show" through 2028. NBCUniversal Media Group Chair Mark Lazarus said when announcing the deal: "For nearly 30 years, Jimmy Fallon has brought laughter into the homes of millions and charmed audiences from the stages of 30 Rock. It's been a privilege to witness Jimmy at the helm of the 'The Tonight Show,' and we're thrilled to see what innovations he and the incredible staff will deliver in the years to come at the network."
Before the decision to scrap new Friday shows, Fallon would typically tape two shows on Thursdays and air one the next day.
"The Tonight Show," once No. 1 among late-night TV, now ranks third in the ratings.
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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