NBC\'s \'Tonight Show\' Cuts Staff

By BRIAN STELTER

The NBC network on Friday instituted budget cuts at the “The Tonight Show,” a television mainstay that has played home to Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and now Jay Leno.

Between 20 and 25 “Tonight” staff members were laid off, according to a person with direct knowledge of the cuts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the restructuring are private. To stave off additional staff reductions, Mr. Leno took a sizable pay cut, said the person, who would not specify the amount. Some producers also agreed to salary reductions in order to keep their jobs, according to Deadline Hollywood, which earlier reported news of the cutbacks.

“Jay's foremost concern is for the wonderful people who work for ‘The Tonight Show,'” said Bruce Bobbins, a spokesman for Mr. Leno. “He did what was necessary to ensure their well being.

The cuts came as a surprise to some because “The Tonight Show” is the highest-rated of all the late-night talk shows on American television. On an average night this season, “The Tonight Show” has attracted 3.67 million viewers, about 20 percent more than “The Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS.

But the show's budget was inflated by late-night standards. It was increased when Mr. Leno was moved into prime time in 2009, and remained high even after the experiment failed a few months later.

Mr. Leno's “Tonight Show” salary has been estimated at $25 million in the past. He also makes many millions of dollars each year through other appearances.

In 2009, the company that makes “The Late Show” for CBS agreed to a budget cut, but no layoffs were reported at that time. Earlier this year Mr. Letterman's contract was extended through 2014.

After factoring in the cutbacks on Friday, the “Tonight Show” budget will be roughly back to pre-2009 levels, The Los Angeles Times reported on Saturday. Despite t he restructuring, viewers are not expected to see any changes to the show, according to the person. The network, part of NBCUniversal, is owned by Comcast, which took control of the business about 18 months ago from General Electric.