But yes, I was thinking of 5 as the most.

The thing about Leno is he is like the Simpsons, he is funny to a broad range of people. I guess he’s the “huggable bear” of talk show hosts (to Letterman’s nerdy copperhead, Conan’s silly puppy, etc). He also has the benefit of Kevin Eubanks, probably the best of the “sidekick musicians”, especially at providing the “ba dum…ching” to the jokes.

Speaking of these sidekick musicians, who would have thought that would’ve become such a staple position on these shows, huh. IIRC, TV’s Craig Ferguson doesn’t have one: the exception that proves the rule!!!

If 5 is the most, I’ll go ahead and agree with you - except that I think that your assessment of Leno was a little too generous.