Jay Leno slashes his salary as Tonight Show staffers cut amid budget woes

Tonight Show host Jay Leno has seen his multi-million dollar salary slashed as part of budget cuts at the late-night programme that will also cost two dozen staffers their jobs, it was reported Saturday. According to the LA Times, the long-standing TV host has voluntarily offered to have his pay reduced to around $20 million a year – from an estimated $25m to $30m – in a bid to save further positions at the show. It comes as network chiefs at NBC tighten the production's budget from around $2.3m a show to $1.7m, the newspaper reported. The figure puts the cost of the late-night fixture back in line with its budget prior to the host's short-lived move to prime time in 2009. The LA Times, citing a person familiar with the economics of the show, said that the Tonight Show was only breaking-even despite remaining the top-rated programme in its time slot. The number of jobs axed as part of the belt-tightening exercise was said to be between 20 and 25.