Jimmy Fallon had nothing but praise for Jay Leno as he talked about his interactions with the legendary Tonight Show host on the verge of taking over the franchise.
"Jay Leno has just been awesome to me," Fallon said in an interview that aired on Wednesday's Today show. "I've talked to him all the time since I started. [I said,] 'Don't think I'm trying to take over. Whenever you're ready to go…' And he just called me one day, and he said, 'I think the time's coming and I think you'd be great,' which was very nice."
PHOTOS: Jimmy Fallon From Early 'SNL' to Movie Star to 'Late Night'
And Fallon hopes to stay in Leno's good graces once he takes over the show in February.
"It's a little nerve-wracking but exciting to step into his shoes," he said. "I hope I'll make him proud."
STORY: NBC Dumps $25 Million Jimmy Fallon NYC 'Tonight Show' Studio
Fallon also demonstrated some of the fun he has with his guests, joking with Savannah Guthrie about which of the Today hosts are better guests and playing a game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Pie" with her, during which she got a pie in the face and slipped on the floor.
He also impersonated Bruce Springsteen as he explained how he got the legendary musician to agree to do Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" like a Neil Young song.
But Fallon said he doesn't know how he gets stars to do such crazy things.
Watch Fallon's interview with Guthrie below.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
