Image: NBC
Retouched photos are a fact of life in the entertainment industry. But it's rare that you get something so shoddy from a respected source like NBC. The floating, poking hand isn't even touching Jay's face, and is of a completely different skin tone. And check out the jawline and shadows—we know Jay has a big head, but c'mon. It looks like his face was blown up, then transposed back onto tiny suit shoulders. In a bigger version of the pic, you can marvel at the liberal and oh-so-obvious application of the blur tool on his forehead and hand, where, our photo editors point out, all veins and age spots have been removed. (Either that or "it's a 30-year-old's hand," as one of them joked.)
The nagging question here is, why? The dude's a middle-aged comedian, not Kelly Clarkson. Who's not going to watch him if he has wrinkles? And who can believe there isn't a normal, fairly recent headshot of someone who's been on television for 27 years? (This promotional image, released specifically for his new show, was uploaded to NBC's publicity site Aug. 24.)
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
