Mel Gibson to Help Jay Leno Say Farewell

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday May 07, 2009 03:25 PM EDT

Mel Gibson (left) and Jay Leno

Peter Brooker/REX Features, Dave Bjerke/NBC

• Facebook
• Tweet

Whether or not divorce will be a topic of conversation – or even jokes – Mel Gibson will join Jay Leno as the NBC host oversees the Tonight Show's final week.

Gibson, whose 29-year-marriage has ended amid stories of a new girlfriend, will appear on the late-night show Monday, May 25, along with musical guest Lyle Lovett.

Other guests that final week include Dwight Yoakum and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on May 26; Wanda Sykes and Sarah McLachlan, May 27; and Prince and Billy Crystal, May 28.

Stars for the very last show have yet to be announced. Once the curtain on the Leno era comes down, Conan O'Brien will then occupy the Tonight chair that Jay inherited from Johnny Carson in 1992, while Leno goes to NBC primetime with a new nightly program.

Share your comments here