HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Jimmy Fallon has officially been tabbed as Conan O'Brien's "Late Night" replacement when the host shifts over to the "Tonight" show, NBC announced Monday.
"We couldn't be happier to have Jimmy back on NBC and to have our number one-rated late night team fully in place for the future," Ben Silverman, Co-Chairmen, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, said in a statement. "Jimmy is more than just a likeable guy and a great comedian, he is genuinely interested in what people have to say."
The 33-year-old Fallon, who rose to fame on "Saturday Night Live," has long been rumored to be O'Brien's eventual successor.
O'Brien is expected to move west when he takes over for Jay Leno on the "Tonight" show in 2009. O'Brien currently tapes in New York at the Rockefeller Center studio, which is slated to be refurbished before Fallon takes charge.
"It's going to be a grind, it's going to be hard, but I'm going to go at it full force," Fallon told reporters at a news conference, according to Reuters.
Fallon will once again be reunited with his former "SNL" boss Lorne Michaels, whose company co-produces "Late Night." He says he's still trying to figure out exactly how much his new gig is going to pad his bank account.
"I keep asking Lorne and he's telling me not to worry about," Fallon joked.
"They're paying me enough," he added. "I just want to live comfortably in Dubai."
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