James Douglas Muir Leno (/ˈlɛnoʊ/LEN-oh; born April 28, 1950)[1] is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, Leno was chosen in 1992 to replaceJohnny Carson as the host ofNBC'sThe Tonight Show; Leno hostedThe Tonight Show until September 2009 whenConan O'Brien took over as host and Leno started a primetime talk show,The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m.ET, also on NBC. O'Brien turned down NBC's offer to have Leno host a half hour monologue show beforeThe Tonight Show to boost ratings amid reported viewership diminishing, which sparked the2010Tonight Show conflict that resulted in Leno's returning to hosting the show on March 1, 2010.[2] He hosted his last episode of his second tenure on February 6, 2014. That year, he was inducted into theTelevision Hall of Fame.[3] From 2014 to 2022, he hostedJay Leno's Garage, and from 2021 to 2023, hosted the revival ofYou Bet Your Life.
Leno writes a regular column inPopular Mechanics showcasing his car collection and giving automotive advice. He also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles forThe Sunday Times.
Early life
Leno was born April 28, 1950, inNew Rochelle, New York. His homemaker mother, Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993), was born inGreenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. His father, Angelo (1910–1994), was an insurance salesman born in New York to immigrants fromFlumeri, Campania, Italy. Leno grew up inAndover, Massachusetts, and graduated fromAndover High School.[4] He obtained abachelor's degree inspeech therapy fromEmerson College inBoston, where he started a comedy club in 1973.[5] His older brother, Patrick (May 12, 1940 – October 6, 2002),[6] was aVietnam War veteran who became an attorney.
Career
Early career
Leno made his first appearance onThe Tonight Show on March 2, 1977, performing a comedy routine.[7][8] During the 1970s, he had minor roles in several television series and films, first in the 1976 episode "J.J. in Trouble" ofGood Times, and the same year in the pilot ofHolmes & Yo-Yo. After an uncredited appearance in the 1977 filmFun with Dick and Jane, he played more prominent roles in 1978 inAmerican Hot Wax andSilver Bears. His other appearances from that period include guest spots on the television showsOne Day at a Time,Alice andLaverne & Shirley. He had minor roles in the filmsAmericathon (1979), andPolyester (1981). His only starring film role was the 1989 direct-to-videoCollision Course, withPat Morita. He also appeared numerous times onLate Night with David Letterman.
Leno in 1993, in the year after becoming host ofThe Tonight Show
Starting in 1986, Leno was a regular substitute host forJohnny Carson onThe Tonight Show. In 1992, he replaced Carson as host[9] amid controversy withDavid Letterman, who had been hostingLate Night with David Letterman since 1982 (which aired afterThe Tonight Show), and whom many—including Carson himself—expected to be Carson's successor. The story of this turbulent transition became the basis ofa book anda movie. Leno continued to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout hisTonight Show tenure. In 1988, he received a contract extension with NBC itself.[10] The July 1995 episode ofThe Tonight Show which featured an interview withHugh Grant (who had been arrested for receiving oral sex in a public place from a prostitute) saw Leno rate higher than Letterman for the first time.[11]
In 2004, Leno signed a contract extension withNBC to retain him as host ofThe Tonight Show until 2009.[12] Later in 2004,Conan O'Brien signed a contract with NBC to become the show's host in 2009, replacing Leno at that time.[13]
During the2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Leno was accused of violating WGA guidelines by writing his own monologue forThe Tonight Show. NBC and Leno claimed there were private meetings with the WGA where a secret agreement was reached allowing this; the WGA denied such meetings.[14] Leno answered questions in front of theWriters Guild of America, West trial committee in February 2009 and June 2009, and when the WGAW published its list ofstrikebreakers on August 11, 2009, Leno was not on it.[15][16]
On April 23, 2009, Leno checked himself in to a hospital with an undisclosed illness.[17] He was released the following day and returned to work on Monday, April 27. The two subsequently canceledTonight Show episodes for April 23 and 24 were his first in 17 years as host.[18][19] The illness was not initially disclosed, but Leno later toldPeople magazine that it was for exhaustion.[19][20]
Michael Jackson trial
During the2005 trial of Michael Jackson over allegations ofchild molestation, Leno was one of a few celebrities who appeared as defense witnesses. In his testimony regarding a phone conversation with the accuser, Leno testified that he was not asked for any money and there did not appear to be any coaching — but the calls seemed unusual and scripted.[21]
Leno in 2006
As a result, Leno was initially not allowed to tell jokes about Jackson or the case, which had been a fixture ofThe Tonight Show's opening monologue in particular. But he and his show's writers used a legal loophole by having Leno briefly step aside while stand-in comedians took the stage and told jokes about the trial. These stand-ins includedRoseanne Barr,Drew Carey,Brad Garrett andDennis Miller.[22] The gag order was challenged, and the court ruled that Leno could continue telling jokes about the trial as long as he did not discuss his testimony. Leno celebrated by devoting an entire monologue to Michael Jackson jokes.[when?]
Because Leno's show continued to lead all late-night programming in theNielsen ratings, the pending expiration of his contract led to speculation about whether he would become a late-night host for another network when his commitment to NBC expired.[23] He leftThe Tonight Show on Friday, May 29, 2009,[24][25] and Conan O'Brien took over on June 1, 2009.
On December 8, 2008, it was reported that Leno would remain on NBC and move to a new hour-long show at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. Central Time) five nights a week.[26] It would follow a similar format toThe Tonight Show, be recorded in the same studio, and retain many of Leno's most popular segments, while O'Brien continued to hostTheTonight Show.[27]
Leno's new show,The Jay Leno Show, debuted on September 14, 2009. It was announced at theTelevision Critics Association summer press tour that it would feature one or two celebrities, occasional musical guests, and keep the popular "Headlines" segments, which would be near the end of the show. First guests includedJerry Seinfeld,Oprah Winfrey (via satellite), and a short sit-down withKanye West discussing his controversy at the2009 MTV Video Music Awards, which had occurred the night before.[28]
In their new roles, neither O'Brien nor Leno succeeded in delivering the viewing audiences the network anticipated. On January 7, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that beginning March 1, 2010, Leno would move from his 10 p.m. weeknight time slot to 11:35 p.m., due to a combination of pressure from local affiliates, whose newscasts were suffering, and both Leno's and O'Brien's poor ratings.[29][30] Leno's show would be shortened from an hour to 30 minutes. All NBC late night programming would also be preempted by the2010 Winter Olympics between February 15 and 26, movingThe Tonight Show to 12:05 a.m., the first post-midnight timeslot in its history. O'Brien's contract stipulated that NBC could move the show ahead to 12:05 a.m. without penalty (a clause included primarily to accommodate sports preemptions).[31]
On January 10, NBC confirmed that it would move Leno out of primetime as of February 12 and move him to late-night as soon as possible.[32][33]TMZ reported that O'Brien was given no advance notice of this change, and that NBC offered him two choices: an hour-long 12:05 a.m. time slot, or the option to leave the network.[34] On January 12, O'Brien issued a press release that he would not continue withTonight if it moved to a 12:05 a.m. time slot,[35] saying, "I believe that delayingThe Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn'tThe Tonight Show."
On January 21, it was announced that NBC had struck a deal with O'Brien: He would leaveThe Tonight Show, receive a $33-million payout, and his staff of almost 200 would receive $12 million in the departure. His final episode aired on Friday, January 22, 2010.[36][37][38] Leno returned as host ofThe Tonight Show following the2010 Winter Olympics on March 1, 2010.
On July 1, 2010,Variety reported that total viewership for Leno'sTonight Show had dropped from 5 million to 4 million for the second quarter of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. Although it represented the show's lowest second-quarter ratings since 1992,Tonight was still the most-watched late-night program, ahead ofABC'sNightline (3.7 million) andLate Show with David Letterman (3.3 million).[39][40]
Announcement of successor
On April 3, 2013, NBC announced that Leno would leaveThe Tonight Show in spring 2014, withJimmy Fallon as his designated successor.[41]
Leno hosted a one-hourJay Leno's Garage special onCNBC in 2014,[51] and the show returned as a primetime series on the cable channel from 2015 until 2022.[44] The series was canceled in January 2023 after seven seasons due to a decision by the channel to re-emphasize business-oriented programming.[52]
Leno also had a recurring role in the Tim Allen comedy seriesLast Man Standing since season 5, playing a mechanic, Joe Leonard, in a store operated by Allen's character, Mike Baxter.[53]
Leno hosted the third revival of the game showYou Bet Your Life for two seasons, from 2021 until 2023.[54] The show was renewed for a third season but was cancelled in August 2023 after Leno refused to cross thepicket line during the2023 Writers Guild of America strike, after Fox First Run offered stations two other syndicated game shows to fillYou Bet Your Life's timeslot during the strike, instead of reruns.[55][56]
In 2023, Leno returned to NBC to appear as a celebrity guest judge on the two-episode season finale ofHot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge.[60]
Public image
This sectioncontains apro and con list. Please helprewrite it into consolidated sections based on topics.(July 2025)
Criticism
Leno on set ofThe Tonight Show in 2005Leno discussing the feud withDavid Letterman in 2023
Leno has faced criticism for his perceived role in the2010Tonight Show conflict.[61][62] Critics have cited a 2004Tonight Show clip where Leno said he would allow O'Brien to take over without incident.[62][63] At the time, Leno said he did not want O'Brien to leave for a competing network, adding, "I'll be 59 when [the switch occurs]. That's five years from now. There's really only one person who could have done this into his 60s, and that wasJohnny Carson; I think it's fair to say I'm no Johnny Carson."[63] Leno also describedThe Tonight Show as adynasty, saying, "You hold it and hand it off to the next person. And I don't want to see all the fighting." At the end of the segment, he said, "Conan, it's yours! See you in five years, buddy!"[64]
Jimmy Kimmel discussed his appearance on Leno's show during an interview withMarc Maron for the latter'spodcast in 2012. Kimmel stated that he felt O'Brien was not given a proper chance, but that he was also motivated by his own history with Leno. According to Kimmel, Leno had some years prior been in serious discussions with ABC about the possibility of jumping ship from NBC. During this period, Leno initiated a friendship with Kimmel, wanting to ensure that they would be on good terms if the move was made. (Under that scenario, Leno would have taken Kimmel's time slot and become his lead-in.) However, after Leno made the arrangement to remain at NBC, "those conversations were gone", according to Kimmel. Realizing that Leno's relationship with him had been artificial, Kimmel felt "worked over", reasoning that Leno was using the ABC discussions as a bargaining tactic to try to get his old job back.[65]
Leno has also been criticized for the perceived change in the content of his monologues from his previous stand-up material. Actor and comedianPatton Oswalt was among the celebrities who openly voiced disappointment with Leno, saying, "Comedians who don't like Jay Leno now, and I'm one of them, we're not like, 'Jay Leno sucks'; it's that we're so hurt and disappointed that one of the best comedians of our generation ... willfully has shut the switch off."[66]
In August 2020, Leno faced criticism[by whom?] for expressing support forEllen DeGeneres despite a workplace investigation into toxic behavior and sexual misconduct and harassment claims against producers ofThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.[67][68]
Support for Leno
NBC Sports chairman and formerSaturday Night Live producerDick Ebersol spoke out against all who had criticized Leno, calling them "chicken-hearted and gutless".[69] Jeff Gaspin, then chairman of NBC Universal Television Entertainment, also defended Leno, saying, "This has definitely crossed the line. Jay Leno is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television. It's a shame that he's being pulled into this."[70] Fellow comediansPaul Reiser,Jerry Seinfeld andJim Norton (a frequent contributor toThe Tonight Show) also voiced support for Leno.[71][72][73]
Responding to the mounting criticism, Leno said NBC had assured him that O'Brien was willing to accept the proposed arrangement and that they would not let either host out of his contract.[74] He also said that the situation was "all business", and that all of the decisions were made by NBC.[74] He appeared on the January 28, 2010 episode ofThe Oprah Winfrey Show in an attempt to repair some of the damage done to his public image.[75]
Leno has been married toMavis Leno since 1980.[81] In 1993, during his first season as host ofThe Tonight Show, Leno's mother died at the age of 82; and the next year, his father died at 84.[82] Leno's older brother, Patrick, aVietnam veteran and graduate ofYale Law School, died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 62.[83] In 2024, it was disclosed that Mavis Leno was suffering from an advanced form ofdementia when the Los Angeles Superior Court granted Jay Leno conservatorship of the couple's joint estate as she experiences periods of disorientation and at times does not know who her husband is or her own date of birth.[84][85]
Leno is known for his prominent jaw, which has been described asmandibular prognathism.[86] In the bookLeading with My Chin, he says he was aware of surgery that could reset his mandible, but that he did not wish to endure a prolonged healing period with his jaws wired shut.
On November 12, 2022, Leno suffered "serious burns" to his face and hands when a vehicle at his Los Angeles garage burst into flames.[95] As part of the treatment, he received a "new ear".[96] On January 17, 2023, he sustained multiple broken bones after falling off a motorcycle.[97] On November 16, 2024, Leno broke his right wrist, including tearing the fingernail off his right index finger, and sustained several bruises on his left side, acquiring aperiorbital hematoma after he accidentally tripped while walking to go have dinner at Dino's Sports Lounge outside theHampton Inn inGreensburg, Pennsylvania causing him to roll straight down a hill landing on the curb.[98]
Charity
In 2001, he and his wife donated $100,000 to theFeminist Majority Foundation's campaign to stopgender apartheid in Afghanistan, to educate the public regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan underTaliban rule. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.[99][100]
In 2009, he donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund atSalem State College (later Salem State University) in honor ofLennie Sogoloff, who gave Leno his start at his jazz club, Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike.[101]
In August 2012, Leno auctioned hisFiat 500, which was sold for $385,000 with all the proceeds going to a charity that helps wounded war veterans recover by providing them with temporary housing.[102]
Leno owns an extensive collection of vehicles, including at least 181 cars and 160 motorcycles as of late 2024.[107] He also has a website and a TV program calledJay Leno's Garage, which contains video clips and photos of his car collection in detail, as well as other vehicles of interest to him.[108] Leno's garage manager is Bernard Juchli.[109] Among his collection are twoDoble steam cars, a sedan and a roadster that were owned byHoward Hughes, the fifthDuesenberg Model X known to survive, and one of nine remaining 1963Chrysler Turbine Cars. The collection also includes three antiqueelectric cars — the 1909Baker Motor Vehicle is his wife Mavis's favorite car.[110] The collection includes at least two tanks.[111] The most expensive car in the collection is a 1994McLaren F1 sports car, the first McLaren to be imported to the US,[107] which Leno says he purchased for approximately $800 thousand in the late 1990s, and is worth at least $20 million today.[111] The value of the entire collection is at least $52 million.[107]
He has a regular column inPopular Mechanics which showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as hisjet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid. Leno also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles forThe Sunday Times,[112] reviewing high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on motoring matters.
Leno opened his garage toTeam Bondi, the company that developed the 2011 video gameL.A. Noire, which is set in Los Angeles in the late-1940s. Leno's collection contains almost 100 cars from this period, and allowed the team to create their images as accurately as possible.[113]
Hosting the 2014Genesis Prize award ceremony inJerusalem, Leno made jokes mocking then-PresidentBarack Obama and then-Secretary of StateJohn Kerry, accusing Obama of "trying to break" the U.S.'s relationship withIsrael.[114]
In a 2015 interview withThe Jerusalem Post, Leno said, "I always consideredIsrael as not only the only democracy in the Middle East, I think it's the purest, because every Israeli voter seems to have his own political party."[115] He also added about Israel's relations with otherMiddle Eastern countries: "Israel is so efficient in defending itself and so good at it, that to the rest of the world it looks like bullying."[115]
In a 2024 interview onPiers Morgan Uncensored, Leno said that he is "not a fan" of then-former PresidentDonald Trump. Of PresidentJoe Biden, Leno said: "I like him. I think he's a good guy. And, you know, the economy's doing pretty good!"[116]
^"Carson cuts appearances".Rome News-Tribune. Rome, Ga. Associated Press. June 2, 1987. p. 14.Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. RetrievedOctober 26, 2008.
^"Viewers still in Letterman's corner".CNN.Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2022."Is this David Letterman's Hugh Grant moment?" In 1995, Jay Leno pulled ahead of Letterman in ratings thanks to his much-watched "What were you thinking?" interview with a contrite Hugh Grant.
^"Leno's last 'Tonight' announced".CNN. Associated Press. July 21, 2008. Archived fromthe original on July 24, 2008. RetrievedJuly 21, 2008.Leno's last show was Friday, May 29, and O'Brien started the following Monday, June 1, NBC executives told a Television Critics Association meeting Monday.
^Seinfeld, Jerry. "Jay Leno: Comedy Is A Concealed Weapon".Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. Season 3. Episode 3. 5:59 minutes in.Ya know, Jay, when I met you in the 70's, and I used to come to your house every night (we'd always hang out), you formed my whole professional attitude as a young man, and I always tell people that I learned comedy from Jay.
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