For the second time in two months, Jay Leno has suffered an accident, with the former Tonight Show host and comedian breaking multiple bones in a freak accident last week.
Jay Leno breaks multiple bones in freak motorcycle accident
Comedian Jay Leno may be taking the old show business adage of “breaking a leg” a little too literally just as he was poised to make his return to Las Vegas.
During an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the former late-night talk show host was asked about his previous accident two months ago in which he was burned while repairing a fuel line on one of his classic cars at his Los Angeles garage.
“That was the first accident, okay?” Leno said, joking about how he literally “roasted himself,” the New York Post reported.
“Then just last week,” Leno explained, “I got knocked off my motorcycle.”
“So, I’ve got a broken collarbone,” Leno added, elaborating on his injuries. “I’ve got two broken ribs. I’ve got two cracked kneecaps.”
However, Leno insisted that, despite his injuries, his upcoming shows wouldn’t be impacted.
“But I’m OK!” the entertainer declared. “I’m OK. I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”
What caused Leno’s motorcycle accident?
Jay Leno went on to describe how he was injured while riding his vintage motorcycle in Las Vegas on January 17, the Daily Mail reported.
“I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot,” the 72-year-old comedian explained. “And unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it.”
From a distance, the wire was essentially invisible.
“So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late,” Leno said. “It just clotheslined me and – boom – knocked me off the bike.”
“The bike kept going, and you know how that works out,” Leno added.
Leno was lucky, as a strung wire has the capacity to decapitate someone.
Leno suffered burns only two months prior
Leno’s latest injuries come on the heels of another accident in November 2022, in which his head caught fire while he was repairing his vintage 1907 White Steam Car in his Los Angeles garage, with the assistance of friend David Killackey, whom he credits with saving his life.
“The fuel line was clogged, so I was underneath [the vehicle],” Leno explained. “It sounded clogged and I said, ‘Blow some air through the line,’ and so [David] did.”
Leno said the noise came from the fuel line, “and suddenly – boom – I got a face full of gas.”
“And then the pilot light jumped and my face caught on fire,” Leno recalled.
Leno credits his friend David for saving his life by taking immediate action and wrapping his arms around him to smother the fire.
The former Tonight Show host was taken to the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, where he was treated for third-degree burns on his face, chest, and hands. Leno remained hospitalized for 10 days, while also receiving skin grafts and another surgical procedure.
After his recovery, Leno poked fun at himself over the accident during a standup set at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California.
“I never thought of myself as a roast comic,” Leno quipped. “We have two shows tonight: regular and extra crispy.”