Jay Leno, on fire: Comedian says accident gave him new material

December 12, 2022

CNBC

Comedians often plumb pain to find the funny, and in Jay Leno‘s case he’s doing that literally following the fiery garage accident that left him severely burned.

As reported, gearhead Leno suffered severe burns to his face, neck and hand exactly a month ago, when he was sprayed with gasoline while working on an antique steam car; the gas ignited, and the actor was rushed to a Los Angeles burn unit.

He underwent skin graft surgery and other therapies during a 10-day stay at the Grossman Burn Center, but an interview with The Wall Street Journal shows his sense of humor wasn’t affected.

“Eight days later, I had a brand new face. And it’s better than what was there before,” he joked.

The host of Jay Leno’s Garage added, “But really, it was an accident, that’s all. Anybody who works with their hands on a regular basis is going to have an accident at some point. If you play football, you get a concussion or a broken leg. Anything you do, there’s a risk factor.”

Jay got back on stage on November 27, shortly after he was released, to a sold-out crowd at Comedy Magic Club in California’s Hermosa Beach. He joked outside the club to reporters at the time, “We’ve got two shows tonight – regular and extra crispy.”

To WSJ, the former Tonight Show host said, “You have to joke about it. There’s nothing worse than whiny celebrities. If you joke about it, people laugh along with you.”