The host and some other senior staff will make sacrifices in their paycheck in order to save some of the staff who fell victim to budget cuts.
- Aug 19, 2012
AceShowbiz - Earlier, it was reported that "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" is laying off a couple dozens of staffers as part of a major budget restructuring. The late-night talk show's host Jay Leno has now shown a solidarity by taking a reduction in his paycheck.
Leno's salary is estimated between $25 million to $30 million and he's reportedly willing to go down to $20 million if it would save jobs. "Jay's foremost concern is for the wonderful people who work for 'The Tonight Show,'" Bruce Bobbins, a spokesman for Leno, said in a statement. "He did what was necessary to ensure their well-being." He did not say how much the salary would be reduced.
Leno is not the only one making the sacrifice for other senior staffers also offered to get pay cuts. Around ten percent of the 200 people working on the show were affected when the budget was reduced from $2.3 million to $1.7 million weekly. The show, however, remains a top-rated late-night program but the financial was a break-even, a source told LA Times.
