Jay Leno returned to "The Tonight Show" on Friday night with plenty of laughs, teasing his successor, Jimmy Fallon. It was the first time he's appeared as a guest since Fallon took over the late-night talk show in February.
Opening with a stand-up routine, Leno riffed on the iWatch, the NFL, Justin Bieber and competitive eating vs. soccer. "Competitive eating is now a sport in this country. They cover it on ESPN. This is the only country in the world where eating 300 chicken wings makes you an athlete," Leno said. "Yet somehow, we still can't accept soccer."
After his set, Fallon brought Leno onto the couch for an interview, an honor that only the best comedians on "The Tonight Show" are awarded. "I think you have a long career ahead of you," Fallon joked.
Leno stayed on the couch while Lucy Liu was on to discuss her Sherlock Holmes-based show, "Elementary," and even Liu got in on the digs to Fallon, sarcastically suggesting that Fallon can't ask questions like his predecessor, and that Leno has nothing better to do with his time than ask question like he's still the "Tonight Show" host. "Every time I see Jay, it's usually in a green room somewhere, like backstage at the Emmy's or something, and he knows everything and he asks me specific questions and it's awesome," she said.
Leno left "The Tonight Show" in February to make way for Fallon, and will also be a guest for Craig Ferguson's "Late Late Show" finale on Dec. 19.