studio on saturday. organizers of yoga rocks ford field are hoping to bring 3,000 yogis to the football stadium saturday. they're trying to set a record for the world east largest indoor yoga session. that's your weekly five. >> rosa, thank you very much. i'm don lemon. have a great rest of your have a great rest of your weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com jay leno! >> america's late night leader, going out on top. >> thank you, folks. >> a winner. that is jay's legacy. >> the journey. from comedy club kid to the throne of king johnny. >> the young man's name is jay leno. >> the rivalries -- >> i love letterman. he is great. nip at my heels, and make me

work harder. >> and the triumphs. >> what the hell were you thinking? >> and the jay you didn't know. >> probably more sensitive than people would think. >> tonight, the blue collar guy -- >> the guy in the jean shirt and jeans. that's him. >> who became an entertainment giant. jay leno, mr. comedy. >> and now, jay leno! >> the man of 1,000 monologues is down to his final cue cards. >> katy perry said that when she was a young girl she prayed to god to have huge boobs, so atheists, your move. >> jay leno departs the "tonight show" number one, where he has been for years. admired -- ♪ let me say i think your jokes are just as funny ♪ >> -- by comedy cohorts. >> he has done a tremendous job all of these years.

>> and long time friends who know another side of him. what's the private jay like? >> probably more sensitive than people would think. if there is somebody in the family that's suffering some bad health, he'll make sure that he calls. anything i can do? can i refer you to somebody? and just let me know. >> and a guy that many say has not changed a bit on the rise up the comedy ranks. >> and come on, guys, let's get the picture. >> if he ends up on top, it's a journey that begins pretty much at the bottom. >> who is going to hang out with this guy? >> right. >> the first time i met jay was in new york city, and it was a 44th street and 9th avenue of the original improv was. >> comedy impresario bud friedman knows leno from the early '70s. jay, then a student in boston with dreams of breaking into

comedy, drives down to new york city, over and over. so a young man comes up to me at the club. and he says, excuse me, mr. friedman. but i've been waiting three nights in a row where i have come down here from boston where i go to school to get on. i never get on. what do i have to do to get on? i said, wait, you come down to boston from new york and then go home and you don't get on? he said, right. i said, you're on next. >> jay is an instant success. >> he did great. he became a regular like that. he was special. >> you ever notice how all news use the same metaphors? >> the comics that have worked hard and honed their craft, and they're great. >> another senseless killing earlier today. >> and there are comics that are

just born hilarious, and jay was born hilarious. >> who knew? >> 1973, jay graduates from emerson college and moves to los angeles. he performs anywhere and everywhere he can. ultimately, he finds a home, once again at bud friedman's improv on stage at shows like this one. freddy prinz and prince. >> it's always fun to stand here and watch people drink $5 worth of wine. you've had nine glasses, bud. how much is that? $1.07. >> oh, sure, he roasted me a few times. they were pretty funny. >> such a tacky club, the improv. thank you very much. you are very nice. >> and with the improv on his resume, he is booked into another prestigious venue, l.a.'s comedy store.

>> they had a night it was jay and robin and pryor and elaine boozler and billy crystal all in the same show, and it was unbelievable. >> it's 1977. jay's career is booming. then, he gets the call. the "tonight show" with johnny carson wants him. >> this young man's name is jay leno, and this is his first appearance on "the tonight show." >> that performance in front of johnny is life-changing. >> i'm originally from the united states. any united states people here tonight? >> big screen roles soon follow, like 1978's "american hot wax." >> all of a sudden i'm a shoreman? >> comedy career on track. off stage, leno finds love with a brunette named mavis nicholson. >> she's an amazingly bright and wonderful person. >> i would say we have a great partnership. >> it works out good.

>> they marry in 1980, remaining together ever since. with mavis by his side, jay devotes his spare time to his other passion. cars. >> when you work with your hands, you realize how easy it is to make a living on television. >> jay is a guy that was -- when he was in high school, he was tearing apart cars. seriously tearing apart cars. >> it's fun to restore cars and fix them up. >> he's a word class mechanic. i studied this for years, and it's like i don't know how to turn a wrench. >> our next guest is jay leno. >> by the mid-'80s jay's hitting his stride. >> making some movies. doing some tv. >> he was on top. he was probably the top stand-up touring in the '80s. he was huge. >> he lands his first cable comedy special "jay leno and the american dream" and he is a regular guest on "the tonight show." and "late night with david

letterman." >> please welcome jay leno. >> it's 1985, and leno and letterman have no idea how often their paths will cross. >> i bid you a very heartfelt good night. next, the king of comedy steps down. and the heir apparent is on his way up. [announcer] if your dog can dream it, purina pro plan can help him achieve it. ♪epic classical music stops ♪music resumes purina pro plan's bioavailable formulas deliver optimal nutrient absorption. purina pro plan. nutrition that performs.

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♪ ♪ here's jay leno! >> august 1987. a milestone for jay leno. he's named permanent guest host of "the tonight show." >> do you believe all this trouble they're having over there in the soviet union? >> subbing whenever johnny carson takes a break. >> in fact, the soviet communist party even has a new slogan. we've fallen and we can't get up! >> he's ready to take over if carson retires. but so is another guy. >> would you welcome mr. david letterman.

[ applause ] >> letterman's got his own show following carson on nbc. >> oh, man. what a program! >> then in 1991 comes the inevitable announcement. the king of late night will abdicate his throne. >> it's coming to an end next year. i've always wanted to be a shepherd. >> carson's bombshell -- >> johnny carson has finally made it official. >> -- sets off immediate speculation on his successor. will be it letterman or leno? >> jay is sensational, and jay is our permanent guest host. but we have not made that announcement yet as to who the successor to johnny will be. >> secretly, the decision's already been made. >> really quietly, and with nobody in the business knowing it, they had a meeting, absolutely private meeting, with the nbc hierarchy and jay and

his manager, and they guarantied him the show. and it was a huge blowup. >> just how pissed off are you? >> not apg angry at jay leno about this? would i like to have the show? oh, sure. yes. >> nbc also calculated that dave was very, very hard to work with. >> we have no guests on the show. we have jerky activity. >> he didn't play ball with them. and jay was very accommodating. so they felt more comfortable with jay. >> jay leno! >> and jay got the show. > his "tonight show" bay debut is may 25 of 1992. the middle of a presidential election campaign. >> all we know for sure is ross perot hasn't said anything, bush hasn't done anything and clinton hasn't inhaled anything. that's all we know. >> despite a-list guests, execution in the early days is an issue.

>> yes, i mean, it was bumpy. he had the absolutely unlovely task of following in johnny carson's footsteps. >> i bid you a very heartfelt good night. >> there's just no way that it was going to be, you know, oh, and then we just moved smoothly to jay leno. >> big guns. i'll give you a refund on your ticket. >> i thought he was off his game a little. i thought his -- he wasn't as confident. one of the things was he was too far from the audience. it felt like he was separated completely from the people. >> i never liked that distance of standing there with the lights in your eyes and hearing laughs and not seeing the faces. >> with "the tonight show" struggling creatively, nbc toys with replacing leno with letterman. but in the end decides -- >> the host of "the tonight show" will continue to be mr. jay leno. >> what we're celebrating is, i haven't been fired.

okay? do you understand that? i already have the job. >> letterman bolts to cbs. >> as i leave nbc -- >> setting up head-to-head competition against jay. >> it will be a much better show. >> leno tells journalists he's cool with it. >> i think it will make late night interesting. come on, this is fun for you guys. isn't it? >> if you think about it, all i really did was take the summer off. >> dave comes out and it's a sensation, absolute sensation and he crushes jay. crushes him. >> critics gush over letterman, too. >> listen to this. >> but fans are responding to jay, including his signature headlines bit. >> there's always a high rated segment in the show, and jay had a great time of it. >> he has a great time with another popular segment, "jay walking." >> he thought, okay. this is something we can do. go out and test people's knowledge of things that are in the news, things that they should know but maybe don't. >> who are those two people? >> from "the love boat." >> from "the love boat?" >> yeah.

>> no, no. >> then in the mid-'90s, a pivotal moment in jay's battle for ratings supremacy. >> one of the showcase moments for jay leno. >> let me start with question number one. >> when hugh grant came on in 1995. so hugh grant had been busted for solicitation. >> everybody was watching, anxious about what was going to happen. >> what the hell were you thinking? >> and he delivered that night. and i think it disarmed everybody. it felt like, oh, we can be relaxed with this guy. talking to a person that got busted with prostitutes, we can rely on jay to ask the questions. >> i've never been one to blow my own trumpet, as they say. >> that hugh grant booking really did start to turn the tide. >> no doubt. everybody said, jay's good. it was a very crucial thing for him.

not just that he had hugh grant but that he played it off. he had a monstrous audience that night, jay. >> that night, leno seizes number one and pretty much never looks back. as the years go by, memorable moments keep on coming. one with the future governator. >> this is why he needs to be recalled. >> it rocked everybody, including, i think, leno. >> this is why i'm going to run for governor of the state of california. [ applause ] >> it was just like one of those really great live tv moments that, you know, don't happen all that often. >> jay welcomes the president of the united states, barack obama. >> no sitting president had ever come on a late night show. >> were there nerves? was jay nervous? >> everybody was nervous. everybody. everything was shut down. you know, it was a huge, huge deal. >> let me just say, i think kevin looks good in a suit. >> thank you, sir.

thank you, sir. >> secure on top, leno doesn't rest on his laurels. >> everyone i've talked to about him says nobody outworks jay leno. >> no. no, not at all. i've seen that, and he loves the work. >> but in 2004, nbc makes an unusual decision. >> i want to elaborate on the announcement made earlier today. >> to promise conan o'brien "the tonight show" in 2009. >> they say, okay, jay. we're going to extend you for five more years. but that's going to be it. and give the show to conan. and jay was hurt. >> hurt. >> i'm cleaning out my office today. >> ever the team player, leno goes along. >> but i realize i'm not spending enough time with my cars. no, no. but, anyway, when i took the show over, there was a lot of animosity between me and dave and who's going to get it. and quite frankly, a lot of what i -- well, good friendships were

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you were the only choice. you were the perfect choice. >> may 2009. leno hands over the reins of "the tonight show" to conan o'brien. >> thank you, everybody. thank you for watching. please give conan as much support as you've given me throughout the years!

>> publicly, the transition is positive. behind the scenes, tumultuous. nbc contractual agreements had guaranteed conan "the tonight show." but the network doesn't want to lose jay to a competitor. >> because he's number one. nobody takes the number one off the air. >> nbc's solution? give jay a show in primetime to save the network the higher cost involved in producing scripted dramas and keep leno in the fold. >> it's a sound move, but for jay it was not a sound move, because he was doing something weird. it was not something the audience had ever seen before. >> we've been off the air for three months, or as most people in hollywood call that, rehab. >> jay's 10:00 p.m. show premieres in september 2009. >> while we were off, the government started this program to give people money for their old cars. i made $5 billion. >> leno is back with his monologues and headline humor. but not all of his fans follow him. how bruising was it for jay to

have to go to 10:00 p.m.? >> it was kind of bruising for all of us, because we had to figure out what to do just like that. and we thought we were doing a pretty good job at 11:30. >> what do you think was the biggest challenge for him to succeed at 10:00? >> "challenge" is the word. >> a ratings challenge for the nbc affiliates, too. their 11:00 p.m. news casts start taking hits from the weak lead-in. >> they were in a panic. so by october, they were ready to remove jay if nbc didn't. >> ladies and gentlemen, welcome to "the tonight show" with conan o'brien. thank you. >> meantime, conan's ratings aren't meeting expectations. >> it was a huge transition from jay leno to conan o'brien. they're very -- stylistically they're very different. personalities are very different. jay was comfort food. macaroni and cheese. new exactly what you were going to get. >> lured in way more viewers. so they had lost the number one

spot. >> in an effort to stop "the tonight show" viewer dropoff, nbc asked leno if he'd be willing to do a half hour show at 11:30, pushing conan's "tonight show" to midnight. jay agrees. conan declines. >> then it became these camps. the jay camp, the conan camp. >> the backseat, the front seat. it just was a disaster. when that curtain between reality and perception is torn, everybody feels uncomfortable. that's a real problem for a host. >> the uncomfortable situation resolves when nbc pays conan and his staff $45 million to step aside. jay resumes his role as host of "the tonight show" in march of 2010. when we came back, was he number one almost automatically? >> no, there was a hangover. and it damaged jay. >> what had happened ran

absolutely counter to his brand. you know, i'm not a hardball player. yes, you are. of course, they all are. you have to be a hardball player to succeed in that arena. >> jay takes the criticism he receives over the controversy in stride. >> yeah, you get beat up for a while and you try to get your version of the story out there. you know, all the serious things going on in the world, this looks like fun. ooh, rich white people arguing. you know, you've got earthquakes and disease and rich white people arguing. it gets people's mind off things. so it's fine. >> and points out. >> this was a decision nbc made, not a decision i made. you can't just snap your fingers and go, my tv show failed, i want that one. it doesn't work that way. >> it's "the tonight show" with jay leno! >> leno now sets his sights on reclaiming the late-night ratings lead. in 14 months, he's back on top in the ratings, a position he's maintained ever since. >> chelsea handler sent me a

bottle of vodka and said you need this more than i do. that's how bad it was. >> those that work alongside jay attribute his longevity and success at "the tonight show" to his work ethic and relateability. >> he's a hard working guy. he's the hardest working guy that i know. he was always gracious, always kind, always had time to sign an autograph. what he shows, that regular guy aspect of him, it's a guy in the jean shirt and the jeans. that's him. >> a regular guy approach that resonates. now nbc is betting on another good guy to carry "the tonight show" torch. in a comedic duet last spring, leno and jimmy fallon announced there's a new heir apparent. ♪ they think i can move the demo ♪ >> and everyone is on board. >> we're still friends, right? >> yeah, of course we're still friends. >> keeping it friendly this time around seems key to jay and jimmy.

>> jimmy has already learn add lesson from jay which is, you know, nice guys can finish first. >> and after 22 years and thousands of shows, leno is finishing as number one. what do you think jay's legacy is? >> two words. a winner. that's jay's legacy. he, against people's expectations, always won. >> if you want to succeed in life, all you have to do is go to jay leno university. he can take a punch. the guy can take a punch. he may go down, but he gets right back up. >> as for what jay will be up to next -- >> whatever happens with jay, i want it to be something that he enjoys doing. something he wants to do. >> porn done by people in their 70s and 80s. i'm 63 and i can't even keep hosting this show. i'm going to japan. i'm going to go to japan and do porn! that's what i'm doing! >> still drawing the laughs. it's a good bet this mr. comedy just may show up at a club near

you. the following is a cnn special report. ♪ i found the greatest >> an unforgettable voice. ♪ the greatest love of all >> silenced after a troubled life. two years after her tragic death, a look at whitney houston. her life, her music. ♪ but above all things, i wish you love ♪ >> that