Head writer on The Tonight Show quits as Jimmy Fallon goes neck and neck with Stephen Colbert in late show ratings war
- A.D. Miles first started working with Fallon on NBC's Late Night eight years ago
- Miles, who wrote mor ethan 1,500 episodes with Fallon, will step down
- He is moving to LA with his family to pursue acting and other film and TV writing
- Fallon, who called Miles 'family', will work with him on an animated feature
- Fallon has lost out to Colbert in total viewers since Trump was inaugurated
The head writer of The Tonight Show will step down after working with host Jimmy Fallon for eight years.
A.D. Miles, who has written more than 1,500 episodes with the TV host, will move from New York to Los Angeles with his family to pursue acting as well as writing for film and TV, Variety reported.
Miles' exit comes at a time when The Tonight Show ratings have lost out to Stephen Colbert, whose political commentary has seen a sudden boost under the Trump administration.
A.D. Miles, the head writer of The Tonight Show, will step down after working with host Jimmy Fallon for eight years
He will move from New York to Los Angeles with his family to pursue acting as well as writing for film and TV
Miles first started collaborating with Fallon on NBC's Late Night before following the comedian to The Tonight Show.
While Miles is headed to Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters, he and Fallon have an animated feature film in the works.
He wrote: 'Riding Jimmy Fallon’s coattails for the past eight years has given me all the confidence I need to strike out on my own and work on a movie with Jimmy Fallon.'
Miles, who has previously appeared in Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911, and Role Models, will also pursue acting while expanding his writing to film and narrative TV, Variety reported.
Fallon, meanwhile, said: 'Miles was there for the launch of Late Night as well as the launch of The Tonight Show.
'He is one of the funniest, most creative people I’ve ever met and I can’t wait to work on this next project with him. He’s family to us, and we are gonna miss him.'
Miles' exit could spell trouble for Fallon, who has lost out to Colbert in total viewers in the past eight weeks
Miles' exit could spell trouble for Fallon, who has lost out to Colbert in total viewers in the past eight weeks.
Last week, Colbert's Late Show attracted 2.768 million viewers over Fallon's 2.736 million, although Fallon maintained an edge of Colbert in viewers aged 18 to 49, according to Nielsen ratings.
Colbert, known for his political commentary, has seen a sharp boost since Trump was inaugurated.
'While Fallon will likely take the reign back in future weeks and win the season in all viewer metrics, in this politically-charged climate, Colbert’s numbers will definitely be recharged,' Billie Gold, vice president and director of programming research at Amplifi US, told Variety.
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