Let’s talk about Jay Leno, the legendary comedian and TV host who’s been through quite a ride lately. On January 17, Jay found himself in a motorcycle accident that left him with a laundry list of injuries. If you thought that was tough, consider this: just two months prior, a fire in his garage severely burned his face and body. Talk about a guy who keeps rolling with the punches—or should we say, the crashes.
From the Saddle to the Hospital: Jay’s Motorcycle Mishap
As Jay recounted to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the accident was a doozy. “Then just last week, I got knocked off my motorcycle. So, I’ve got a broken collarbone,” he said, detailing the extent of his injuries. “I’ve got two broken ribs. I’ve got two cracked kneecaps.” But let’s back up for a moment—how exactly did this happen? It wasn’t just a simple wipeout; there’s a story behind it.
Jay, now 72, was test-driving a motorcycle when he noticed a strong gas smell emanating from the bike. Naturally alarmed, he decided to pull over and investigate. Here’s where things took a turn: “So, I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” Jay recalled. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clotheslined me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out.”
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Still Standing: Jay’s Plans Amid Recovery
Despite the injuries, Jay insists he’s doing okay and remains committed to his upcoming performances. This update comes at a time when CNBC canceled his reality series, Jay Leno’s Garage, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But Jay isn’t one to let setbacks derail him—he’s keeping his eyes on the road ahead, even if it’s a bumpy one.
Fire in the Garage: A November Incident
Flash back to November 13, 2022, when Jay was working on one of his prized vehicles in the garage of his Los Angeles home alongside his friend Dave Killackey. While unclogging the fuel line underneath the car, the pilot light broke, setting Jay’s face ablaze. “And I said to my friend, I said, ‘Dave, I’m on fire.’ And Dave’s like, ‘All right.’ I said, ‘No, Dave, I’m on fire.’ And then, ‘Oh my God.’ Dave, my friend, pulled me out and jumped on top of me and kind of smothered the fire,” Jay recounted during a December 2022 appearance on Today.
Jay was treated for third-degree burns at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills Hospital in Los Angeles, spending 10 days recuperating. Even during this harrowing time, Jay managed to keep his humor intact. “When you look like me, you don’t really worry about what you look like,” he quipped to host Hoda Kotb. “If I looked like George Clooney then it would be a problem.”
