Jay Leno Says Goodbye to ‘The Tonight Show’ With Billy Crystal, Jack Black, Kim Kardashian and More
And lo, the tenure of 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' has come to an end once again, leaving Jay to walk off into that darling sunset with Jimmy Fallon waiting in the wings and a bitter Conan O'Brien making the only jokes. Jay's first-ever guest Billy Crystal joined the late-night host last night to bookend the run, bringing with him a cavalcade of guest stars to send Jay off in style before the big man himself finally said goodbye!
After Crystal fulfilled his promise to act as Jay's last guest decades earlier, the 'Monster's Inc.' star led a 'Sound of Music' parody of "So Long, Farewell," introducing a long line of celebrity guests that included Jack Black, Kim Kardashian, 'The Big Bang Theory' star Jim Parsons, Oprah Winfrey, basketball player Chris Paul, Carol Burnett and Sheryl Crow.
Before the big musical sendoff from country music star Garth Brooks (don't ask), Leno himself took to the stage for a heartfelt goodbye to his audience and crew. The longrunning 'Tonight Show' host spoke about losing his family in the early years of the show, growing to accept the crew as a surrogate of sorts, where Jay's previous sendoff included the many children of the staff on stage. Whether or not you ever tuned in for Leno, it's hard not to choke back a few tears watching his speech (shown below).
Take a look at Jay Leno's star-studded sendoffs above and below, and don't forget to tune in for Fallon's first 'Tonight Show' on February 17! Will you miss Jay, now that he's gone again?