LOS ANGELES - PRESIDENT Barack Obama is to be comedian Jay Leno's guest on The Tonight Show on Thursday, the first time a sitting president has been on the late night talk show, NBC and the White House said.

'It will be happening and we will send a press release shortly,' Leno's spokesman, Tracy St Pierre, told AFP on Monday. The NBC studios are in Burbank, a suburb north of Los Angeles.

An administration official confirmed that Mr Obama would take part in the broadcast, which will be pre-recorded.

Mr Obama is planning to visit California in the middle of the week to promote his economic recovery plan.

He is scheduled to hold a 'town hall' meeting on Wednesday in Costa Mesa, California and then to tour an electric vehicle factory in Pomona on Thursday, the White House said.

Mr Obama has appeared on the late night comedy shows before as a candidate, but NBC said this will be the first time a serving president has been on The Tonight Show.

The long-running show, previously hosted by Johnny Carson, is an entertainment institution in the United States that features Leno's comedy routines, a live band and celebrity interviews. -- AFP