JAY Leno has no intention of running to NBC brass for a raise to match the gigantic salary CBS is paying his rival, David Letterman.
That’s the word from Leno himself, who phoned yesterday to dispel rumors that he’s miffed over all the attention being paid to Letterman over the last two weeks.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Leno said in his first interview since Letterman announced his decision to stay at CBS. “I never got mad at what anybody else made because it has nothing to do with me.”
In the aftermath of Letterman’s announcement Monday, some in the TV industry wondered if Leno would press for a pay hike since his “Tonight Show” makes even more money and attracts more viewers than Letterman, although Letterman earns far more money.
Leno’s salary stands at a reported $17 million per year under a four-year contract he signed in January 2001, while Letterman’s new contract with CBS will pay him a reported $31.5 million per year.
But Leno insisted yesterday he’s quite happy with the money he makes from NBC and the additional income he earns from the 120 comedy gigs he performs per year.
“The proof of that is in my last negotiation,” said Leno, who described how he extended his contract with a simple phone call to the higher-ups at NBC. “They called me back five minutes later and [they told him their offer] and I said, ‘That’s great. Case closed.’ “
Leno said he didn’t feel left out when the media focused on Letterman for 11 days as he weighed competing offers from ABC and CBS.
And he denied a story making the rounds this week that he had been overheard backstage at “The Tonight Show” complaining that the media was making too big a deal out of Letterman’s contract decision and that Leno had declared, “I’m the people’s choice! I’m the king of late-night!”
“This is the silliest thing,” Leno said. “This is not a phrase that, in the 10 years I’ve been doing this show, I have ever used. Johnny Carson is the king of late-night.”
As for the commotion surrounding Letterman, Leno said, “Whatever happens in late-night is good for all late-night. I’m thrilled that Dave is staying where he is.”