Author: Michael O'Connell, Bryn Elise Sandberg

August 13, 2015 10:06am PT by Michael O’Connell, Bryn Elise Sandberg

Jay Leno  Jordan Strauss/Invision for The Alfred Mann Foundation/AP Images

“I think that’s maybe why he hasn’t achieved the success he’d like,” Leno says of the ABC host, also lamenting the lack of late-night diversity.

Jay Leno was in familiar territory on Thursday morning, when NBC kicked off its day in front of the Television Critics Association with a panel for the former Tonight host’s new CNBC show.

And while reporters had a surprising amount of questions about Leno’s famous fixation with cars, as showcased in Jay Leno’s Garage, there were a few pointed inquiries about the current Donald Trump media circus, the latest round of late-night musical chairs, his recent comments about Jimmy Kimmel and the ongoing Bill Cosby drama.

“It’s interesting watching this whole thing unfold,” Leno said of Trump. “He and Jeb Bush are the frontrunners… it’s kind of like the race between the tortuous and the bad hair.”

For anyone who’s been missing Leno’s monologues since his 2014 sign-off, he offered a few more cracks. “Their are a few jokes,” he continued. “Trump had medical deferment [during Vietnam… he had inter-rectum cranial inversion — which means his head is up his ass.” [ba-dum chh!]

Leno had more insightful comments about the current late-night race. When asked what he thought of Stephen Colbert‘s upcoming arrival on CBS’ Late Show, he said that he thought he’ll be “terrific” but quickly made a crack about the current landscape.

“The idea of a white guy in late night, this is revolutionary,” he said, lamenting the absence of women and lack of racial diversity in the field.  “I’d live to see more diversity. Arsenio Hall really blew things open [in the ’90s]. I don’t know why we haven’t had someone else come in, just for a different perspective.”

Leno, who appeared on the first episode of James Corden‘s Late Late Show, did not say whether or not he would be a guest on Colbert when he launches —”I’m kind of loyal to the night show and to Jimmy [Fallon]” — in part, seemingly, because he is very proud of The Tonight Show‘s No. 1 status.

“As long as its No. 1 when you hand it over to the next guy, you’ve done your job,” he said. “And Jimmy will keep it there.”

Speaking of Jimmys (and competition), it was just Wednesday night that Leno gave an interview to TVInsider, saying he thought Jimmy Kimmel was talented but his comedy has a “mean streak.” After his panel, Leno spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the comments — and did not change his tune.

“I think he’s really funny and I think he’s talented, I just think he has a bit of a mean streak,” said Leno. “The best thing you can have in this job is kindness. That’s the one thing you have to keep because this job makes you arrogant, it makes you think you’re superior. Consequently, there’s a tendency to nail the little guy. When I watch his thing where he takes the candy away from the kids at Halloween and they cry, I don’t get that. That seems mean to me. I guess it’s funny on some level. But on another level, it doesn’t come from the heart. It comes from somewhere else. And I think that’s maybe why he hasn’t achieved the success he’d like to because I think he’s just got a bit of a mean streak.”

Before leaving the Beverly Hilton ballroom, Leno also touched on one hot-button issue: Bill Cosby and the critical mass of accusations of rape and sexual abuse levied against him in the last year.

“I don’t know how you come out of there,” said Leno. “I find it fascinating — how many accusers does he have now? 40? Well, 50 women come forward and people call them liars. And they go, ‘Oh, you waited 40 years?’ Men waited 50 years to say, ‘A priest touched me,’ and they got 7 million dollars. How come we believe them and we don’t believe the women? It does seem awful sexist to me… It does seem very unfair, and I’m surprised no one’s ever made that analogy.”Television Critics Association

Netflix

Uzo Aduba, right, on “Orange Is the New Black”

Uzo Aduba has scored her first Emmy.

The Orange Is the New Black actress topped five other women — co-stars Laverne Cox and Natasha Lyonne included — for the Emmy for outstanding guest actress in a comedy during Saturday’s Creative Arts Emmys.

Aduba gives her celebrated Netflix series its first acting kudo at the Emmys.

“I don’t know how to say how incredibly impressed I am to be a part of this show day in, day out,” said a teary-eyed Aduba from the podium.

“I just can’t even believe it. I’m speechless,” she told The Hollywood Reporter after she received the news of her nomination. “We worked on this show and spent time together really just trying to tell a great story and invest in each other’s performances. It just feels good to know that people love the show as much as we love making it.”

In June, she wrote a guest column in THR, where she pleaded Emmy voters to recognize shows with diverse casts. Evidently it proved successful, as Orange casting director Jennifer Euston took home the first trophy of the night for outstanding casting in a comedy series.

The thirty-three year-old initially read for sporty track star Janae, but show creator Jenji Kohan had a different role in mind for her: Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren.

“Jenji has this foresight and this vision,” explains Euston. “She can see she was great for the part.” Adds Kohan: “It’s so fascinating to talk to this incredibly sane, bright woman and watch her transform.”

Aduba made sure to thank both Kohan and Euston during her acceptance speech “for opening that door that day in August and letting me through. Thank you for opening the door for so many new artists.”

Orange Is the New Black‘s impact on this year’s Emmy race was already significant going into Creative Arts and next Monday’s regular primetime telecast. After Netflix chose to submit the hour-long as a comedy, skirting the considerably more competitive drama race, the series raked in 12 nominations. That put it only one mention behind the streamer’s pioneering original, House of Cards.

Other kudos have been less aggressive in honoring in the show — though it has scored several key noms and victories. It nabbed a solitary Golden Globe nomination for star Taylor Schilling (also an Emmy nominee for her work), a Peabody Award and three Critics Choice Television Awards.

During THR’s recent Emmy roundtable for comedy showrunners, Kohan seriously underestimated her series’ fortune during awards this year. “I f— myself during awards season,” she said. “My shows are all weird hybrids.”

Orange is also nominated for best comedy during the live Emmy telecast, where it stands to be the first hour-long to win the category since Ally McBeal in 1999.

For the full list of tonight’s Creative Arts Emmys winners, click here.