Kevin Eubanks Leaving the Tonight Show!?

Kevin Eubanks / Jay Leno

Kevin Eubanks is rumored to leave the Tonight Show. According to NBC, the longtime bandleader has talked about leaving, or at least taking a break from the Tonight Show. The news has been first reported by L.A. radio K-EARTH 101 and by  the New York Times.

It seems like 52 years old jazz man wants to make a tour and record on his own. Eubanks joined Tonight with Leno in 1992, composing the music that plays over the closing credits. In 1995 he was appointed musical director after Branford Marsalis' departure.

Because every job is a family as long as you work there and it suddenly forgets you the moment you leave, NBC is already thinking about replacing Eubanks. One person rumored to make part of the show's team was Darius Rucker, the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman. But his representative told E!News that the CMA Award-winning country singer denies this information.