Stars line up for Leno's 'Tonight' return

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Kristen Stewart, Simon Cowell, Jamie Foxx and the cast of "Jersey Shore" have been booked to appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," MTV News reported.

Leno returns as host of the late night chat show March 1 and the stars are slated to be his guests in his first few weeks back, the report said.

Also slated to appear on "Tonight" are Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn, country music artist Brad Paisley, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White, TV personality Chelsea Handler, Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, singer Avril Lavigne, actor Matthew McConaughey, director Jason Reitman, Oscar nominated actor Morgan Freeman and "Today" co-host Meredith Vieira, MTV News said.

NBC booted Leno as host of "Tonight" at the end of last season and gave the position to Conan O'Brien to keep O'Brien from moving to another network. NBC then gave Leno a nightly, hourlong, 10 p.m. series.

When the prime time "Jay Leno Show" failed to be a strong lead-in for local news broadcasts, however, NBC announced it would push Leno's show back to 11:35 p.m., shorten it to 30 minutes and air "Tonight" at 12:05 a.m. However, O'Brien said he would not remain on "Tonight" if it was bumped to 12:05 a.m. and left the network, paving the way for Leno's return as "Tonight" host in the traditional 11:35 p.m. slot.