Jay Leno facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jay Leno |
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Leno in 2019
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| Birth name | James Douglas Muir Leno |
| Born | April 28, 1950 New Rochelle, New York, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Education | Emerson College (BA) |
| Genres | Observational comedy, black comedy, surreal humor, insult comedy, deadpan, satire |
| Subject(s) | American culture, American politics, everyday life, pop culture, current events, human behavior |
| Spouse |
Mavis Nicholson
(m. 1980) |
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| Signature |  |
James Douglas Muir Leno (born April 28, 1950) is a famous American television host, comedian, and writer. He is best known for hosting The Tonight Show on NBC for many years. He first hosted from 1992 to 2009. After a short break, he returned to host the show from 2010 until 2014.
Besides The Tonight Show, Jay Leno also hosted The Jay Leno Show and Jay Leno's Garage. He also hosted a game show called You Bet Your Life. Jay Leno is also known for his love of cars and motorcycles. He writes articles about cars for Popular Mechanics and The Sunday Times.
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Jay Leno's Early Life
Jay Leno was born on April 28, 1950, in New Rochelle, New York. His mother, Catherine, was from Scotland. His father, Angelo, was an insurance salesman whose parents came from Italy. Jay grew up in Andover, Massachusetts.
He went to Emerson College in Boston. There, he earned a degree in speech therapy. While in college, he started a comedy club in 1973. Jay also had an older brother named Patrick, who was a lawyer and a Vietnam War veteran.
Jay Leno's Career Journey
Starting in Comedy and TV
Jay Leno first appeared on The Tonight Show on March 2, 1977. He performed a comedy routine. In the 1970s, he had small roles in TV shows like Good Times and One Day at a Time. He also appeared in movies such as American Hot Wax and Polyester. His only main movie role was in Collision Course in 1989. He also appeared many times on Late Night with David Letterman.
Hosting The Tonight Show
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In 1986, Jay Leno became a regular guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. In 1992, he took over as the main host. This was a big moment in TV history. He continued to perform stand-up comedy while hosting the show. In 1995, an interview with Hugh Grant helped Leno's show get higher ratings than other late-night shows.
In 2004, NBC decided that Conan O'Brien would take over The Tonight Show in 2009. This meant Leno would leave the show then.
During a writers' strike in 2007-2008, Leno was accused of writing his own jokes. This was against the rules for writers on strike. However, he was later cleared of these accusations. In April 2009, Leno had to cancel two shows due to exhaustion. These were his first canceled shows in 17 years as host.
Michael Jackson Legal Case
During a legal case involving Michael Jackson in 2005, Jay Leno was a witness. Because of this, he was not allowed to tell jokes about Jackson or the case on his show at first. To get around this, other comedians would come on his show and tell the jokes instead. Later, the court allowed Leno to tell jokes about the case again, as long as he did not talk about his own testimony.
Changes in Late-Night TV
Jay Leno left The Tonight Show on May 29, 2009. Conan O'Brien then became the new host. However, Leno stayed with NBC. He started a new hour-long show called The Jay Leno Show at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. This new show began on September 14, 2009. It had a similar style to The Tonight Show.
Returning to The Tonight Show
Neither Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show nor The Jay Leno Show got the high ratings NBC hoped for. In January 2010, NBC decided to move The Jay Leno Show to a later time slot. This caused a conflict with Conan O'Brien, who did not want The Tonight Show to move to an even later time.
On January 21, 2010, NBC reached an agreement with O'Brien. He left The Tonight Show. Jay Leno then returned as the host of The Tonight Show on March 1, 2010. Even after his return, the show's viewership dropped compared to previous years. However, it remained the most-watched late-night program.
Leaving The Tonight Show Again
On April 3, 2013, NBC announced that Jay Leno would leave The Tonight Show in spring 2014. Jimmy Fallon was chosen to be the next host.
Jay Leno's final episode as host of The Tonight Show was on February 6, 2014. Many famous guests appeared, including Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks, Jack Black, and Oprah Winfrey.
After The Tonight Show
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After leaving The Tonight Show, Jay Leno continued to perform stand-up comedy. He does about 200 live shows each year. He also appeared on other late-night shows, like Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
From 2014 to 2022, Leno hosted a show called Jay Leno's Garage on CNBC. This show featured his amazing car collection. The show was canceled in January 2023.
Leno also had a recurring role in the TV comedy series Last Man Standing. He played a mechanic named Joe Leonard. From 2021 to 2023, he hosted a new version of the game show You Bet Your Life. This show was canceled in August 2023.
Jay Leno also does voice acting. He voiced The Crimson Chin on The Fairly OddParents and Billy Beagle on Mickey and the Roadster Racers. In 2019, he was a guest judge on America's Got Talent. In 2023, he was a guest judge on Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge.
Who Inspired Jay Leno?
Jay Leno was inspired by many famous comedians. Some of his comedic influences include Johnny Carson, Robert Klein, George Carlin, and Rodney Dangerfield. Other comedians like Dennis Miller and Jerry Seinfeld have said that Jay Leno inspired them.
Jay Leno's Personal Life
Jay Leno has been married to Mavis Leno since 1980. His parents passed away in the 1990s. His older brother, Patrick, passed away in 2002. In 2024, it was shared that Mavis Leno was experiencing a form of dementia. A court granted Jay Leno control over their shared finances to help manage things.
Jay Leno is known for his distinctive jawline. He has said he chose not to have surgery to change it. He is also dyslexic. He says he only needs about four or five hours of sleep each night. He does not drink alcohol or smoke. He spends a lot of his free time with his car collection.
Leno has stated that he lives off the money he earns from his stand-up comedy shows. He reportedly did not spend the money he made from The Tonight Show. In 2014, he received an honorary degree from Emerson College. He also received another honorary degree from Academy of Art University in 2021.
In November 2022, Jay Leno was seriously burned in a garage accident. A vehicle caught fire, causing injuries to his face and hands. In January 2023, he broke several bones after falling off a motorcycle. In November 2024, he broke his right wrist and got bruises after tripping and falling.
Charity Work
Jay Leno and his wife are very involved in charity work. In 2001, they donated $100,000 to a group working to help women in Afghanistan. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.
In 2009, he donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund at Salem State University in honor of Lennie Sogoloff, who helped Leno start his comedy career. In 2012, Leno auctioned off his Fiat 500 car for $385,000. All the money went to a charity that helps wounded war veterans. As of November 2022, Leno sponsored two scholarships at McPherson College.
Love Ride Event
Since 1985, Jay Leno has been the Grand Marshal for the Love Ride. This is a motorcycle charity event that has raised almost $14 million for different charities. These charities help with things like muscular dystrophy research and Autism Speaks. In 2001, money was also raised for the September 11 attacks recovery efforts.
Amazing Vehicle Collection
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Jay Leno owns a huge collection of vehicles. As of late 2024, he has at least 181 cars and 160 motorcycles. He has a website and a TV show called Jay Leno's Garage where he shows off his collection. His collection includes rare cars like two Doble steam cars and a 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car. He also has three old electric cars. The most expensive car in his collection is a 1994 McLaren F1 sports car, which he bought for about $800,000 and is now worth over $20 million. The total value of his collection is at least $52 million.
He writes a regular column in Popular Mechanics about his cars and gives advice. He also writes "Motormouth" articles for The Sunday Times, where he reviews fancy sports cars. Jay Leno even opened his garage to the creators of the video game L.A. Noire. This helped them make the cars in the game look very real.
Views on Politics
When hosting an event in Jerusalem in 2014, Jay Leno made jokes about then-President Barack Obama. He joked that Obama was trying to hurt the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
In a 2015 interview, Leno said he sees Israel as a strong democracy in the Middle East. In a 2024 interview, Leno said he was not a fan of former President Donald Trump. He also said he liked President Joe Biden and thought he was a good person.
Filmography
Images for kids
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Jay Leno's signature
See also
In Spanish: Jay Leno para niños
