NBC is cutting “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to four nights a week.
According to Variety, the long-running show, which first aired in 1954 and was helmed by Fallon for 10 years, will no longer tape or rerun its Friday night shows.
NBC has not given official reasons for the programming cuts, but the network has recently been reviewing costs associated with late-night programming amid declining ratings.
It’s unclear whether Fallon’s salary, reportedly $16 million a year, will be affected by the change.
Earlier this year, NBC eliminated the house band from “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” which airs an hour after Fallon.
“Unfortunately, this is the reality of broadcasting and a shrinking market. Streaming is eating away at this, YouTube is eating away at that,” Eli Janney, associate musical director for “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” said of the budget cuts in June.
“Streaming isn’t profitable either, so budgets are being cut everywhere. I liken this to the Spotify moment in music. Suddenly no one wants to pay for music anymore. It becomes less valuable.”
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” was already only filming four original episodes a week.
The Post has reached out to NBC for more information.
Meanwhile, other networks competing with Fallon’s late-night show have already cut their own broadcasts to four nights a week.
CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” are not filming Friday shows.
But while streaming may be causing an overall decline in viewership for late-night shows, all of the networks are still paying their hosts pretty penny-wise.
In addition to Fallon’s rumored $16 million salary, both Kimmel and Colbert reportedly make around $15 million a year.
Earlier this year, Fallon announced that he had extended his contract with NBC, keeping him as host of The Tonight Show until 2028.
