Talk show host Jay Leno said he felt “really bad” for Conan O’Brien leaving the Tonight Show – but jabbed that his failure in ratings had been “destructive” to the famous franchise.

In a sombre interview with Oprah Winfrey, the TV veteran finally opened up about the late-night shuffle fiasco that has become one of the hottest stories in the showbiz world.

He said he felt bad for O’Brien losing what he dubbed in his last episode his “dream job” – but didn’t feel responsible for the outcome.

“I did, I felt really bad for Conan, I think it’s unfair, but television is unfair,” he said. “The reason was the ratings.”

He added: “It’s really just a matter of dollars and cents – if the numbers had been there, they wouldn’t have asked me (to take over the Tonight Show). I only got it after Conan turned (the move in time) down.”

Leno said NBC “couldn’t have handled it worse, the whole thing was a huge mess”.

But he said he would have O’Brien as a guest on his show and added: “I hope Conan gets a job somewhere else … and we all compete together, and it raises the level of interest and you know what happens? The best man wins. Maybe I will get my butt kicked, maybe we will win.”

Jay Leno hopes there will be no bad blood between himself and Conan O’Brien (pictured) – once the late night talk show dust settles.

Leno shoved O’Brien out of the late night spot after just five months. NBC has thrown some major money at the problem, buying O’Brien and his staff out with a $45million severance deal.

Leno, meanwhile, was asked on Inside Edition whether the pair could stay friends. “I hope so,” he said.

The king of vinegar asides, Leno said he had a tarnished image from the talk show tussle. “You know what’s good for tarnish? Vinegar and ammonia,” he said.

After a spell in a primetime slot that tanked, Leno was put back into the 11.35pm slot and shortened to 30 minutes. O’Brien was to air Tonight at 12.05am but he refused. Leno returns on March 1.

Virtual war erupted when O’Brien was nudged out his try-out spot of five months on the coveted Late Show. Leno, who had gone to prime time, tanked and was being put back. O’Brien and his staff were bought off with a payout.

Hanks jumped into the fray with the Twitter account he just fired up. His tweet was a bit hard to follow, however. “Flag on me with CoCo tonight! Going on Friday’s Big Show. What WILL happen? Tune in. Hanx.”

TMZ got the exclusive on the tweet which followed Hanks’s first tentative tweet after leaving his account untweeted and idle for months.

O’Brien, meanwhile, is believed to be making Friday night’s late night show his last before taking up the next-later slot.

Tom Cruise and his Wichita co-star Cameron Diaz faced five potentially embarrassing questions each for a segment called Ten @ Ten on The Jay Leno Show, which airs at 10pm in the US.

Diaz was first asked what the first Tom Cruise movie she watched was. She said: “Erm, Top Gun. I won’t forget it.”

Cruise was then told to recite a line from the film, “with feeling”. He replied: “I feel the need, the need… The audience then shouted: “For speed!”

But things got slightly awkward when Leno asked Diaz: “Who spends more time in the make-up chair, you or Tom?”

Both groaned: “Come on, please!” Diaz joked: “Clearly me, Jay. Those [Tom's] cheeks are fresh and real.”

Then Leno asked: “Have you ever been to a strip club?” Cruise replied: “Actually I never have been.”

For the final question, Leno asked: “I know you’re a pilot, what are you better at – flying or sex?”

Cruise, 47, squirmed in his chair and leaned back and forth before answering: “You know what, I don’t know.”

Putting on a brave face, he kept grinning and said: “I try to excel in all areas and I’ve never been asked for a refund, so I don’t know.”

Source: Splash News