Kimmel, ABC get laughs out of Leno's future gig

Then, after tweaking McPherson about his carefully groomed hair, Kimmel threw out the final punch lines: "Are you at all afraid that if you do replace Jimmy Kimmel he might do something crazy to you or your car?"

"I'll be out in the parking lot," he said.

McPherson, explaining to reporters that "we wanted to have a little fun" with the issue, then gave Kimmel a vote of confidence.

"His show has just exploded this year. He's done an amazing job. ... This show creatively is firing on all cylinders and we're hugely supportive of it," McPherson said.

NBC, hoping for a smooth transition at "Tonight," put plans for Leno's departure from "Tonight" in place in 2004 and have talked of finding another role for him at the network.

But with Leno still riding high in the ratings, networks and syndicators are poised to court him when he's free to open contract talks.

Jimmy Fallon is set to fill O'Brien's chair at NBC's "Late Night."