Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien paid tribute to Tim Russert last night on their respective NBC late night shows, recalling stories of the NBC anchor and playing clips of his past appearances.

“When you talked politics with Tim it was like talking to a guy on the next bar stool,” said Leno, “He never talked down to you even though he knew way more.”

Bob Costas appeared as a guest and discussed Russert as well.

O’Brien began his show with a discussion of Russert. “From the moment I met him he put me at ease,” he said. “I always told him countless times he reminded me of my Irish Catholic uncles. Big head, big laugh, huge heart. He was intelligent, a very witty guy, never pompous, always kind.”

O’Brien played a clip from when Russert talked about how his son, Luke Russert, wanted to be an intern for Late Night. “I said, ‘What? Are you wait-listed with To Catch a Predator?’”

Click continued to see the tributes to Russert from The Tonight Show and Late Night…