'Tonight Show' Lays Off 20 Employees: Jay Leno Takes Pay Cut

Jay Leno

'Tonight Show' Faces Budget Cuts

Things are looking a little unstable for The Tonight Show, as Jay Leno's late night talk show had to lay off 20 employees.

That can't be a good sign, can it?

On his end, host Leno has taken a pay cut, the Associated Press reports, to save staff jobs.

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The AP reports that an anonymous source shared the layoff news, noting that NBC Universal wiped out 10 percent of the 200 people employed on The Tonight Show.

NBC Universal is looking to employ budget cuts to improve their financial performance under Comcast's ownership.

Leno will now earn $20 million annually, as he took a cut from the $25 - $30 million he was earning.

A Leno spokesman commented, "Jay's foremost concern is for the wonderful people who work with him at The Tonight Show. He did what was necessary to ensure their well-being."

It's unclear what areas of the program were impacted by the budget cut, but it's believed that NBC's owner, Comcast, is evaluating the bottom line and reducing where necessary.

Conan O'Brien, you may recall, used his own money to keep employees on staff.

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Does this mean the writing's on the wall for The Tonight Show? It's too soon to say, but unfortunately no business is immune to budget cuts.