Fans of Jay Leno and the awesome The Tonight Show will certainly be quite sad to hear that their idol is stepping down, after 17 years in the biz. Jay Leno will is passing the “torch” to Conan O’Brien who certainly must feel the pressure right now.

About his “retirement” from the Tonight Show, Jay Leno said:

“You know, this is our last show after 17 years – I want to thank all the people that made it possible – Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinksy, Bill Clinton,” he told the cheering audience. “Seventeen years. Do you realize when I started this show, my hair was black and the president was white. Did you know that?”

Fortunately for the fans who hate to see him go, Jay Leno is not planning to retire completely – instead, he will be hosting a brand new, hour-long show on NBC in the 10 PM spot. Which is clearly much better than nothing! Right?