Jay Leno is recovering after he suffered broken bones in a motorcycle accident this month. Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the former Tonight Show host revealed that he sustained a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and two cracked kneecaps after he was knocked off his motorcycle on Jan. 17. The accident came just two months after Leno suffered serious burns following a fire in his Burbank garage in November.
Leno opened up about the terrifying accident after being asked how he was feeling following the November fire, which occurred as he and his friend David Killackey were working on a 1907 White Steam Car at his Los Angeles home, on Nov. 12. As he was repairing a clogged fuel line, a fuel leak caused gasoline to spray on his face and hands, a subsequent spark triggering an explosion that left him with third-degree burns on the left side of his face. Asked about his recovery, Leno quipped, “That was the first accident. OK? Then just last week, I got knocked off my motorcycle” in an incident that left him with numerous broken bones. The comedian assured the outlet, “But I’m OK,” before he detailed the crash, which he said occurred as he was testing a 1940 Indian motorcycle and noticed the scent of leaking gas.
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“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. So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.” Leno shared. “The bike kept going, and you know how that works out.”
While the accident happened more than a week ago, the interview marked the first time the 72-year-old comedian has publicly spoken on it. He said he decided to keep the accident quiet due to the coverage of the November fire, telling the outlet, “You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free. After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down.”
Leno, however, is proving once again that he isn’t going to let the injury stop him. Just as he returned to the standup stage just days after being released from the hospital in November, Leno plans to get back out there. He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he is currently preparing to return to the Las Vegas strip in March, when he will be headlining for Encore Theater for the first time on March 31.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
