Jay Leno - Jay Leno Takes Pay-cut To Save 'Tonight Show' Staff

"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" said Leno's spokesperson, Bruce Bobbins. The Tonight Show show, whilst consistently beating its closest rivals for viewing figures, standing above Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Late Show with David Letterman, is said to be losing money despite it's success. Leno did leave the show for a brief period in 2009, but when viewing figures plummeted with Conan O'Brien at the helm, he was quickly ushered back to steer the ship, and it appears he's doing his upmost to save Nbc again.

A reported salary drop of $5-10m would prove disastrous to many big-earners, but considering Leno's earning stand at up to $30m a year, he's not expected to suffer a lifestyle change just yet. His popular stand up shows can bring in some extra income if $20m plus isn't sufficient for the talk show host. This isn't the first time a major talk show host has agreed to a salary reduction. CBS's David Letterman's earnings took a dive when the station went about restructuring their finances.