By Canadian Press

NBC’s Bell, producer for Fallon and Olympics, departs

Nov 4, 2019 | 10:24 AM

NEW YORK — NBC executive Jim Bell, who has produced the last four Olympics for the network and been in charge backstage at Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight” show for the past year, says he’s leaving NBC.

Bell said in a statement that the timing was perfect to forge a new path that would build on his experience in news, sports and entertainment.

He was a longtime producer of the “Today” show before moving to the Olympics, where he was in charge of NBC’s prime-time telecasts. Since 2017, Bell had been in charge of all Olympics content across all platforms.

At “Tonight,” he steered Fallon into more live shows. But the show hasn’t gained ground against ratings leader Stephen Colbert at CBS.

NBC says a former “Tonight” producer, Gavin Purcell, will fill in at the show.

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The Associated Press