Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner has canceled his appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show” in the wake of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s decision to drop out of the House Speaker race, a network spokesperson told CNN.
Boehner’s office had announced Wednesday that he would appear on Thursday’s edition of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” a highly anticipated booking given Boehner’s decision to step-down as speaker at the end of this month.
Then came today’s shocking news from Capitol Hill: McCarthy, the majority leader and favorite to replace Boehner, announced that he would no longer be seeking the speaker’s seat, leaving the House without a clear successor.
Boehner had still been scheduled to appear on the “Tonight Show” up until 1:20 pm, nearly an hour after news broke of McCarthy’s decision to pull out. Sometime between 1:20 pm and 1:40 pm, Boehner’s office informed NBC that the speaker would have to miss the 5 pm taping because of today’s events.
The “Tonight Show” will proceed with its other scheduled guests — Michael Fassbender, Brie Larson and musical guest Cee Lo Green — and will not seek a replacement for Boehner, the NBC spokesperson told CNN.
As of now, Boehner is still set to resign at the end of the month, though there is no clear successor in place.
Boehner said in a statement he will remain in his post until a new speaker is elected, though he has yet to announce the date for the new vote.
