Opinion: Jay Leno announces surprise ‘guest’ with Barack Obama Thursday

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As The Ticket reported previously, President Barack Obama flies out to California on Wednesday afternoon for two town hall meetings, a factory visit and an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.’ (Commercial break: The Ticket will be live-blogging the president’s town hall right here beginning about 3:15 p.m. Pacific time Wednesday.)

Leno comments on the president’s upcoming appearance during his monologue on tonight’s ‘Tonight,’ saying:

‘President Barack Obama is coming on our show Thursday night. We are very excited about that. This might be awkward for our second guest that night, Rush Limbaugh. We may have to do some rescheduling.’

No doubt, Leno will ask the president about the economy, which the comedian says is so bad that some local robbers walked into a bank and asked directions to a 7-Eleven. He said the economy was so bad that Larry King is now wearing a belt, can’t afford suspenders anymore.

Also, thanks to our colleague Mark Silva over at the Swamp, one clean-up item from the other day: Contrary to NBC’s original Obama-Leno announcement, this will not be the first late-night TV show appearance by a sitting president. It seems President John F. Kennedy chatted one late night long ago with Jack Paar.

On NBC.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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