The Enquirer is reporting Jimmy Fallon was not the first choice to succeed Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. Jay Leno pushed NBC executives to hire hire E! late night talk show hostess Chelsea Handler, but they felt Jimmy was better for the job. Chelsea is reportedly livid that she did not get the gig.
This story is the magazine’s idea of a joke. A source close to Chelsea (or Tracy Lately as her sidekick Chuy Bravo calls her) told Gossip Cop this story is absolutely false. The source also said the first lady of late night has “more freedom on cable, and wouldn’t want to give that up.”
Anyone who has seen an episode of Chelsea Lately knows her show is not made for network TV. Chelsea has showered nude with Conan O’Brien and Sandra Bullock. She let Sean Hayes go to second base with her. Guest LeAnn Rimes told Chelsea she ditched her underwear for their interview. Then there are the antics of the writing staff (Chelsea called them misfits on After Lately last season). Men in drag make out on camera several times a month. Producer Ryan Basford is required to wear only a Speedo on stage. He and Chelsea talk about how he can’t dive and wipes himself back to front. Let’s not forget the baudy talk and backhanded compliments between Chelsea and Chuy, and also with her guests on the round table. Jo Koy is regularly referred to as a gay man (he isn’t gay) plus he and Bobby Lee are the recipient of jokes regarding asian sterotypes. Loni Love has been called a hippo and complimented on her variety of weaves. I have never seen anything remotely like this on a network television late night show.
I previously wrote that Chelsea was in hot water when she referred to something as “gay” on The Tonight Show. She was describing Valentine’s Day gifts she exchanged with her boyfriend. The show’s viewers felt Chelsea was using a gay slur. Chelsea uses this word regularly on her show with no backlash.
I knew this Enquirer story was false just from reading the headline. A woman who likes to talk about her pikachu and penetration in her monologue would not be interested in watering down her her show’s content just for a paycheck. Tracy Lately signed a $25 million dollar contract last year with E! that included developing network shows on NBC as well as continuing her talk show. She has it good at E! regarding her salary and freedom of expression. Chelsea’s audience love her brash and baudy style. If she moved to network television she would lose her entire fan base. Like they say money can’t buy you love.
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