Partisan Jimmy Fallon All But Set to Replace Jay Leno on 'Tonight Show'

The only late night talker who sees fit to mock the president is being shown the exit door.

All the rumors regarding NBC’s decision to replace Jay Leno with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show appear to be true, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The only question left is when the transition will take place.

We’ll leave that to NBC’s marketing team, but it’s crystal clear Leno’s days are numbered. And, in sad news for conservatives, the iconic show will soon be in the hands of an openly partisan host who doesn’t mind turning his program over to President Barack Obama to push specific policy initiatives.

Fallon’s regular guy charm is legit, but so is his willingness to peddle conservative insults. His show’s use of the song “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” to greet Tea Party favorite Congresswoman Michele Bachmann remains one of nastiest moments in recent pop culture history.

More recently, Fallon invited President Obama on the show to participate in a comedy segment that doubled as administration propaganda.

Leno is far from a perfect late night host. His interviews can be maddeningly by the book, and his sketches are as uneven as his predecessor, the great Johnny Carson. Yet Leno has always stuck to the basics–you’re a late night comic, and that means you poke fun at the president no matter the party.

He’ll be missed for that quality as well as his sturdy monologues, leaving the late night field wide open for a center-right talent with the guts to do his or her job.