After Jay Leno suffered serious burns to his face at the Burbank garage where he keeps his beloved classic car collection, the former Tonight Show host is speaking out. The 72-year-old said in a statement that he is “OK” after Saturday’s accident and needs a week or so to get “back on my feet.” “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire,” Leno confirmed in a brief statement shared with various media outlets on Monday. “I am ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.” Leno’s long-time mechanic George Swift told Access Hollywood that “he got sprayed with some gas” while working on one of his steam-powered cars, which still use gasoline to run.
On Tuesday, Leno told TMZ that a friend of his saved him from the fire and may have saved his life. Leno said he was fixing a clogged fuel line on his 1907 White Steam Car. He said there was a fuel leak and gasoline sprayed on his face and hands, and almost simultaneously a spark triggered an explosion. Leno said his friend Dave jumped on him and quickly smothered the flames that had broken out from the explosion. He is now dealing with third-degree burns on the left side of his face and may need skin grafts. The burns reportedly did not damage his eyes or ears.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Leno was visiting his car collection on Saturday when one of the cars suddenly burst into flame. Sources told TMZ the flames burned the left side of Leno’s face, but did not reach his eye or ear. He was rushed to the burn ward at Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center. News of his injuries surfaced after Leno canceled a planned performance at a financial conference in Las Vegas Sunday.
Following TMZ‘s report, the hospital staff shared a statement with KTLA, confirming that Leno was receiving treatment there and is in stable condition. “He is in good humor and is touched by all the inquiries and well wishes [and] wants to let everyone know he is doing well and is in ‘the best burn center in the United States,’” hospital spokesperson Aimee Bennett said.
Earlier Monday, PEOPLE reported that Leno had to skip The Financial Brand Forum conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. “His family was not able to provide us very many details, but there was a very serious medical emergency that is preventing Jay from traveling,” event organizers wrote in a statement to attendees. “All we know is that he is alive, so our prayers go out to him and his family tonight.”
Leno is best known for his run on The Tonight Show from 1992 to 2009. His time on the show was infamously broken up by NBC’s decision to give Leno a 10 p.m. talk show so Conan O’Brien could take over The Tonight Show. The move did not work, and Leno was back to hosting The Tonight Show in March 2010. He left the show in February 2014 and was replaced by Jimmy Fallon. Leno has continued working with NBCUniversal, hosting CNBC’s Jay Leno’s Garage since 2015. He also had a recurring role in Tim Allen’s sitcom Last Man Standing.
Leno, 72, has faced medical emergencies in the past. He was diagnosed with high cholesterol after a blockage was discovered in his heart. Since then, he has spoken out to raise awareness of healthy eating and getting routine checkups.
“There’s a lot of people walking around like that, they’re just time bombs. You’ve got all this cholesterol, you don’t realize it until it actually hits, you know?” the comedian said in a 2019 video. “It’s like in a car if even one piece of dirt gets in the eye of the needle of the jet, and boom, and no more gas comes through. And that’s what happens with your heart.”
