NBC has told me that’s absolutely not true. But if they did, that’s fine. I’m a big guy and this is a big-time business. I saw “The Godfather.” I know how these things work. My ego is not, “Oh, really? You mean a major corporation would try to screw me at the last minute?” (He cackles.) Come on, it’s a business. Would I be disappointed? Sure. Would I go somewhere else? Yeah, I’d go somewhere else. But I wouldn’t be shocked if they had tried to make an eleventh-hour deal with David.

Because of my numbers and the show’s advertisers. When I go on the road with my act, I count heads. If the room is full, I’m doing good. If the room is empty, I’m doing bad. Ever since November the “Tonight” room has been full. Then you have companies like Coca-Cola signing with us after years away. They must see something here.

I moved most of my staff out here, people who had never done this before. I said to them, “You guys wanna be writers on ‘The Tonight Show’?” Yes! So they bought houses and I went to banks and guaranteed their employment for loans. Man, what happens if I got canceled? What do I do? I mean, I got to cover all these people. I uprooted them and moved them here. I can’t just say, “See you later.” That was the absolute nightmare part.

It got us thousands of letters from supporters. My favorite letter said, “Leaving you hang like this is the biggest outrage since ‘Star Trek’ was canceled and ‘Lost in Space’ was kept on.”

People forget that I was offered the same job at CBS in 1990 and turned it down. I was offered either 11:30 or 12:30. I told them I’d rather wait and try to get “The Tonight Show” than go against Carson or Letterman. Now I’m going against David-but not by my choice. I’m not making the move.

Comedy is like making love: everyone has their favorite way to do it. When you change it, it might work-but it’s not as satisfying. On the other hand, I want to take the show out of the studio more. I want to go into the studio audience more. I’d like “The Tonight Show” to become edgier and more unpredictable. Letterman certainly set the standard for that. And we could use more of it.

If I thought I’d end up with the numbers I’m getting now, sure. And let’s face it. This isn’t one of these steel-We death matches where the loser ends up dying. If one of us loses here, he still ends up a millionaire. How bad can that be? (A pause.) Except, maybe, for his network.