Katie Couric celebrates new ABC gig by going on NBC

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Katie Couric celebrated her new job with Walt Disney Co. and ABC by going NBC’s ‘Tonight Show with Jay Leno.’

Although Couric is scheduled to appear on ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on Tuesday, she spent Monday night with old NBC pal Leno.

Kimmel’s show was in reruns Monday night, and an ABC insider said that her booking on Leno was set long before the ABC deal was announced.

That may be, but perhaps Couric could have pushed Leno back a few days and gone on Kimmel first as a sign of loyalty for her new bosses.

Couric was originally set to go on Leno’s show several weeks ago to promote her new book, ‘The Best Advice I Ever Got.’ However, the death of Osama bin Laden led that appearance to be canceled.

Still, that Couric’s camp would reschedule her Leno visit for June 6 -- a date that industry insiders have known for weeks was likely to be when ABC and Disney were going to announce that she had been hired to host a daily syndicated talk show and become a contributor to ABC -- is noteworthy.

Of course, Leno has a bigger audience than Kimmel, so perhaps the best advice Couric got was to go with the numbers and worry about burning bridges later.

-- Joe Flint

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