Jay Leno: A Deep Dive into His Most Harrowing Accidents, Close Calls, And Miraculous Survivals
Jay Leno has had a very fortunate life. But when it comes to freak accidents, the comedian has had some bad luck.
On Nov. 18, the former Tonight Show host showed up to a Comedy for Koby event in Beverly Hills with bruises covering his face and an eye patch over his left eye, which was swollen shut. He also broke his right wrist.
He explained to reporters outside the Fine Arts Theatre that he was staying at a Hampton Inn 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh and wanted to grab a bite to eat in the evening before his comedy show. Instead of walking down the road, the 74-year-old thought that he would be better off taking a shortcut down a nearby hill.
He quickly realized it was a bad idea as he rolled down the 60-foot hill. Somehow, despite sustaining injuries, Leno decided to still perform his set at Greenburg's Palace Theatre that night.
This isn't the only accident Leno has endured.
In 2022, he suffered third-degree burns on his hands and face from a gasoline fire while working on his vintage cars. Following the incident, he told E! News that his recovery process lasted "nine days." The comedian added, "I missed two days of work, so it was not bad. Better than the face I had, so I'll take it."
He also told ET that he drove himself to the clinic but realized he had to "go home first" and tell his wife, Mavis. Leno recalled that after going to sleep, he woke up with the pillow stuck to his facial burns, so he had to use scissors to cut it off before heading to the hospital.
Nearly a year later in January 2023, Leno confirmed to the Las Vegas Review Journal that he got "knocked off" his 1940 Indian motorcycle. He broke his collarbone, two of his ribs, and also cracked his kneecaps.
Leno explained that while testing out the vintage bike, he noticed the scent of leaking gas. "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," he recalled. "So, you know, I didn't see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out."
