Arsenio Hall on "The Tonight Show": "If I owned NBC, I might do this...there's a changing demography going on"

On Wednesday evening Piers Morgan invited fellow television host Arsenio Hall to join him in studio for a live interview, during which the wide-ranging conversation touched upon everything from race, sexuality, sports, and birthday cake.

Additionally, Morgan and Hall found time to touch upon a medium near and dear to their respective hearts as the pair discussed changes in TV personalities, specifically Jay Leno's departure from "The Tonight Show", and Jimmy Fallon's forthcoming stint as host.

"We know in the word Show-Business, the word business is larger than the word show, right? If I owned NBC, I might do this. There's a changing demography going on. Even though you're number one, at "The Tonight Show", your audience may be older. Maybe you aren't embracing social media. The world is changing while we're watching it," said the host of "The Arsenio Hall Show." "The sad thing is Jimmy Fallon's a good kid. And Jay doesn't begrudge him. None of us do. Because it would be someone that would get the job."

Noting that Johnny Carson remains the best late-night host in television history, Hall pointed to a man behind the camera as the key driver in ratings success:

"More importantly, I got to put money on the Lorne Michaels machine," he told the "Piers Morgan Live" host, referencing the wildly successful NBC executive. "I got to put money on what I see as incredible intellect behind the launch of a new show and an artist. And it's been going on awhile. It's been staged perfectly.​"

Watch the clip, and listen to the video as Hall uses a basketball metaphor to describe the public perception challenges currently facing late night tv hosts, and for the next edition of "Piers Morgan Live," watch CNN every night at 9.
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