When I was growing up, late-night TV viewers were either Jay Leno fans or David Letterman fans, with little overlap. In the early '90s, during the Late Night Wars, the heir apparent to Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, Letterman, was passed over for Leno, leading to a rivalry between the two. Now, over 30 years later, Dave is discussing a possible reunion with his former rival, doing so in true Letterman style.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, the man who helped build The Late Show as direct competition for Leno’s Tonight Show talked about the franchise’s cancellation, the current state of late-night TV and whether he would ever have his former competitor on his Netflix interview series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. When asked about the possibility of a reunion, he said:

That is pure Letterman. Even when he is saying something generous, he cannot resist sanding the sentiment down with a little dry sarcasm. Would he even be David Letterman if he didn’t toss in one perfectly timed verbal elbow?

Still, the former CBS host also made it clear that his feelings about his old rival are not entirely defined by past network drama. He spoke about how much he admired Leno before The Tonight Show, back when the car-loving comic was known first and foremost as a killer stand-up comic. He added:

That gets at the strange, complicated place Leno occupies in comedy history. Before he became the face of The Tonight Show, Leno was widely respected as a sharp, relentless stand-up. A comedian’s comedian, in a lot of ways. But, after the Late Night Wars, fair or not, many people started looking at the stand-up veteran differently, especially within the comedy world.

That reputation only became more complicated years later when the NBC host found himself at the center of another late-night mess. In the late 2000s, he stepped down from The Tonight Show and handed the reins to Conan O’Brien. Seven months later, O’Brien was out, and the denim-loving late-night staple returned to his old time slot, where he stayed for nearly four more years.

During that stretch, Johnny Carson’s eventual successor became the symbol of the company man. He was also the punching bag for just about every late-night host on TV at the time. Jimmy Kimmel famously dressed up as Jay and later agreed to appear on Leno’s show, only to spend the interview taking shots at the whole Tonight Show shake-up.

The king of dry late-night sarcasm did not exactly stay quiet, either. He came out in support of Conan and cracked plenty of jokes at Leno’s expense on The Late Show. If there was a late-night scoreboard back then, Letterman was not pretending to be neutral.

There doesn’t seem to be hard feelings, at least from David Letterman, or at least not hard enough to keep him from imagining a sit-down with Jay Leno on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. Honestly, that would be fascinating TV.

Nothing is set in stone yet, though. Until it is, fans of late-night TV and its messy history will just have to see how Netflix's streaming schedule shakes out. In the meantime, all six seasons of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction are streaming with a Netflix subscription.

At 75 years old, former Tonight Show host Jay Leno doesn’t appear to be making any moves to retire from comedy or entertainment in general, even as his personal life continues to be a meaningful struggle. Leno’s wife Mavis, whom he’s been married to since 1980, was diagnosed in 2024 with advanced dementia, and ever since, he’s been right by her side to offer whatever comfort and support he can. As it turns out, not everyone can so easily grasp his commitment

Appearing on the podcast Life Above the Noise with Maria Shriver, the mostly apolitical comedian talked about life after late night and why he doesn’t like political comedy these days. When the conversation turned to his marriage, Leno shared that reactions from the public can sometimes skew more shocking than expected, particularly by way of questioning his decision to stick it out. As he put it:

Leno implies that fans and followers will jump to the assumption that Mavis' medical condition leaves him available to step outside of the marriage if and when he pleases. But that's not at all how the Emmy winner views things, as it doesn't sound like he could even conceive of seeking a new romance elsewhere. As he put it:

It's unclear if the person Leno referenced was someone he knew or not, but I can only hope it wasn't a total stranger. I can't imagine asking any married celebrities about getting a girlfriend, even if that celebrity happened to be a really close friend of mine. I also can't imagine staying with a partner for 44 years and then jumping ship over a medical diagnosis, but not everyone is so inclined, I guess.

Beyond that, Jay Leno says that people also tend to make the unwarranted assumption that caring for Mavis has been an overbearing burden for him. Countering that idea, he says his life has been so relatively free from burdens that he gets that this is his hurdle to clear. In his words:

One can only hope that Mavis feels the same way, when possible, and appreciates him for sticking around and handling whatever he can.

Leno dealt with his own serious medical issues following massive third-degree burns suffered in 2022, and he then broke his ribs and his collarbone in a motorcycle accident in 2023. Since then, he’s seemingly managed to stay out of the hospital, and here’s hoping that remains the case for as long as can be.

Leno hasn’t exactly stopped working during any of this, either. Even beyond his Shifting Gears guest spot in Season 1, he’s still filming his vehicle-driven show (pun entirely intended) Jay Leno’s Garage for YouTube. Plus, he’s still a mainstay on the stand-up circuit, and continues to perform in clubs all over the country.

Johnny Carson is one of the best modern late-night talk show hosts, and it seemed like anybody who was anybody wound up on The Tonight Show during his tenure. Still to this day, Carson is still talked about, with Jimmy Kimmel revealing what he learned about late-night following Carson’s final show, and it’s that he would never be anywhere near as good as Carson. However, during Carson’s time on The Tonight Show, he allegedly banned a handful of huge celebrities, such as Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Dana Carvey, and even William Shatner.

Recently, Mark Malkoff wrote a book with David Ritz about Carson’s life and career titled Love Johnny Carson. It features interviews with those who knew him best and gives a look at him both during and after his time on The Tonight Show. Allegedly, Carson’s producer for 22 years, Peter Lassally, told Malkhoff that Carson had a ban list (via Fox News). He claimed that “Burt Reynolds and Rich Little have both claimed to have seen a ‘hard copy’ with over thirty names on it,” though to his knowledge, a physical list never existed.

One of the names allegedly on the list was fellow late night host Leno, who made his Tonight Show debut in March 1977 and was once a regular on the talk show. The book claims that after the “audience laughs were so light” during his fifth appearance in February 1978, Carson “decided never to invite him back.” As Malkoff wrote:

Of course, Leno would eventually return to The Tonight Show as host for 22 combined years, from 1992 to 2009 and 2010 to 2014, so he wasn’t permanently banned from the talk show. Just blacklisted (allegedly) during a portion of Carson’s tenure.

He wouldn’t be the only one allegedly banned. Ninety-four year-old Star Trek favorite William Shatner wasn’t asked back after he apparently broke three Tonight Show rules during an appearance in 1983. This included speaking “monotonously for four minutes straight” without letting Carson butt in.

Like Leno, Shatner actually did come back to the show, but only when there were guest hosts and Carson was not in the seat, which seemingly lends credence to this rumor.

Other allegedly banned guests included fellow former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, which came after she reportedly made a joke after Carson told her not to. In addition, popular guest Carl Sagan, who appeared at least 24 times, eventually didn’t return after the scientist corrected Carson twice while he and Carson were discussing Halley’s comet. Finally, SNL star Dana Carvey, was allegedly “permanently banned” from appearing as a guest after he parodied the talk show in a sketch. (I guess he was not turtle-y enough for the Tonight Show's turtle club.)

Orson Welles, Jerry Lewis, and Steve Allen were also allegedly on Carson’s banned list for various reasons. None of this is confirmed officially, of course, though the information around each of the various celebrities and their final appearances is pretty specific.

Even if the banned list is true, Carson was still a respected talk show host, and he certainly seemed to know who was and was not worthy of his own time, though this whole thing does make me wonder if a list like that exists for other talk shows.

Having co-starred opposite Tim Allen for what will be two seasons of ABC's Shifting Gears by the time finales hit the 2026 TV schedule, Kat Dennings is well aware of what working with Tim Allen is like. Something that may surprise upwards of nobody is that the Home Improvement vet likes when cars are on topic, particularly his own vehicles; the sitcom's location wasn't chosen randomly from a hat. A pro tip from Dennings? Maybe don't speak respectfully about Jay Leno's car collection.

To be sure, the 2 Broke Girls vet didn't come right out and say that during her most recent Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance, but she definitely did imply it with her amusing answers and body language after the host brought up the two Last Man Standing vets and their respective wheeled passions. And it all stemmed from a conversation about seat belts, no doubt a part of everyone's daily exchanges. In any case, here's how Dennings addressed Allen's hobby-and-then-some:

It's hard for me to think about having 100 cars in the same area without feeling anxious pangs about not being able to find a place to park, even if they're my own cars. Because then it's like, "Where the hell did I get all these cars?" and the anxiety strengthens.

No such issues for Jay Leno, who appeared in Shifting Gears' first season earlier this year. Jimmy Kimmel knows it, and vicariously poked fun at Tim Allen through the former Tonight Show host, leading to the following exchange:

• JIMMY: Although Jay Leno laughs at Tim Allen’s 100 cars collection.
• KAT: I know, I know. Jay’s more of the type, I know. I’ve heard a lot. I‘ve heard all about this.
• JIMMY: Well, you know, [Tim] is always like, ‘Well, Jay has a few more cars than I do.’ I’m like, ‘This is a world I know nothing about.’

Kat Dennings does look like the wife/daughter/colleague who has heard the same old story about the same old shit time and time again from a husband/father/car-loving colleague without ever having shown all that much affection for it in the first place. But still trying to be genial about it, which makes it that much funnier to think about Allen offhandedly grunting about how many cars Jay Leno has at random points of the day, unable to let that sliver of his brain go unchecked for very long.

Kimmel continued, reveling in the knowledge of the mini-rivalry:

• JIMMY: I like the idea that there is a rivalry there, "Who has 100 cars?" and that’s not enough.
• KAT: I mean Jay did come on the show as himself, which is very cute.
• JIMMY: To brag about how many cars he has.
• KAT: I guess. I can’t relate. This is an expensive hobby that I don’t have access to.

The Dollface vet noted that she only has one car, and she's not interested in owning another 99 anytime soon, even if it wasn't financially impossible. This is a mindset I can get behind. Probably to push it because the battery is dead.

Check out Kat Dennings' interview with Jimmy Kimmel below, which also involves some talk concerning a commercial about bedwetting.

Shifting Gears will continue its Season 2 run on the 2025 TV schedule every Wednesday night on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET.

File this under “celebrity favors I did not see coming.” Jay Leno is known for many things. He’s a comedian, a longtime Tonight Show host, decades-long rival to David Letterman, a car whisperer, and a man who can fix anything with a socket set. But according to a recent revelation by Harrison Ford, the funnyman has another new talent: he can also 3D-print a custom toilet seat. Yes, Leno printed a toilet seat for Han Solo. And honestly? It’s the most wholesome tech-meets-Hollywood crossover of the year.

Per an exclusive report from People, during Leno’s Love Ride Foundation event in Glendale (Sept. 8), the former late-night television host explained how he ended up solving a very specific bathroom emergency for the Indiana Jones star. The saga bubbled up on NPR’s Wild Card with Rachel Martin, where Ford’s phone lit up with a real-time call from comedy veteran and the actor admitted he’d tapped Jay’s shop of nifty machines (plural 3D printers) after years of failing to find a replacement seat for a discontinued model. The comedian told the outlet:

According to Leno, the print didn’t take long, the fit was just right, and Ford—who knows a thing or two about precision gear—was impressed. He continued:

If you’ve followed the broadcast-veteran-turned-car-collector beyond late night, this tracks. The guy runs a world-class garage and treats engineering like a love language. Meanwhile, Ford told Wild Card he’d hunted for a matching seat “for years,” even tapping friends in the plumbing industry. When the search flushed out (sorry), he made the world’s coolest cold call: “Hey, Jay Leno. It’s me, Harrison Ford.”

I love everything about this story: the old-school movie icon discovering a modern maker solution; the car guy who can’t resist a quirky challenge; and the mental image of a shop crew CAD-modeling Han Solo’s… throne. It’s peak dad ingenuity with blockbuster star power. Also, props to the practical lesson here. Who’d have thought 3D printing isn’t just for cosplay Iron Man helmets and Star Wars figurines?

When he’s not crowdsourcing plumbing fixes, the “movie star” label he side-eyes is still busy: at 83, Ford earned his first-ever Emmy nomination with his Shrinking co-stars, quipped about landing on the Batman shortlist, and—because of course—showed off a custom toilet seat courtesy of Jay Leno. You can enjoy Harrison Ford’s work on Shrinking with an Apple TV+ subscription.

As for the legendary TV personality, when he’s not 3D-printing toilet seats—yes, Jay, your hotline clearly works—he’s busy with Jay Leno’s Garage, where new episodes drop on his official YouTube channel.

Harrison Ford has been a beloved movie star (a title he takes issue with) for decades, but he never ceases to surprise us, even now. From the actor earning his first-ever Emmy nomination with his Shrinking co-stars at the age of 83, to having a hilarious reaction to being on the Batman shortlist, or, you know, talking about a custom toilet seat he’s getting thanks to Jay Leno, there’s a reason why the Star Wars star is impossible not to talk about. Anyways, let’s talk about this toilet seat…

Ford was in the middle of an interview with NPR about topics like not fearing death and being part of the 2025 Emmy Awards conversation, when his phone rang, and the call was from Jay Leno. After casually sharing that it must be about his toilet seat, the actor expanded on the curious comment. In his words:

Jay Leno has been retired from his Tonight Show antics for over a decade now, and he famously started his own series called Jay Leno’s Garage, where he mainly talks about restoring vintage and sports cars. So when Harrison Ford had this toilet seat problem, he thought about the former host. As he continued:

We can’t make this up, y’all. Just take a look at the interview clip below:

If you’ve ever wondered what Harrison Ford (or other famous people, for that matter) spends his mental airwaves on, this story reminds us that there’s no way we could realistically guess. I never would have imagined Jay Leno and Harrison Ford would be working on a toilet seat together, but I have to admire the gusto to find the right man to get his dream realized.

I should also point out that Harrison Ford was a professional carpenter, where he made custom furniture and such for Hollywood figures like George Lucas. So all this toilet seat talk actually makes sense! Of course, now we want to know what this sought-after toilet seat is that he’s talking about, but it sounds like we couldn’t find it if we wanted to, given that he’s outsourcing the job to Jay Leno to replace his former one.

Now that you’ve wandered on the internet to read about Harrison Ford’s toilet seat project, you can check out the actor in his Emmy-nominated role in Shrinking with an AppleTV+ subscription.

The cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has added fuel to a discussion that’s persisted for some time now. Media personalities and journalists alike have been debating the future of the late night TV landscape. Someone who’s weighed in amid the conversations is veteran host Jay Leno, who specifically spoke to the presence of political humor within these kinds of shows. While Leno isn’t for hosts laying it on thick with politics, John Oliver has entered the chat, and he’s not holding back about why he disagrees.

When sharing his take on political humor, Jay Leno explained that while he does “love” it, he believes that hosts ultimately start “cozying too much” to a particular side. Leno doesn’t understand “why you would alienate one particular group” and doesn’t “think anybody wants to hear a lecture.” The veteran Tonight Show host was name-dropped during John Oliver’s interview with THR, and the Last Week Tonight headliner kicked off his thoughts with a direct statement:

Although Leno would touch upon political subject matter during his time as a host, John Oliver and many of his own contemporaries dive deeper. What’s worth mentioning is that Last Week Tonight is a satirical news program, whereas The Tonight Show is positioned more as a straightforward variety talk show. Nevertheless, hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers do provide political commentary, particularly during their opening monologues. When addressing Leno’s comments on alienation, Oliver had this to say:

On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver not only discusses politics, but he also doesn’t mind poking fun at corporate entities, including his own employers. He famously blasted his “business daddy,” Warner Bros. Discovery for canceling shows and making other criticized business decisions. Oliver even ripped into Disney and Hotstar due to a censorship situation in 2020. While Oliver approaches topics with biting humor and satire, for him, discussing political and societal subject matter isn’t about skewering a particular political party:

Stephen Colbert continues to discuss politics on his own show in the aftermath of CBS’ cancellation announcement, which came amid the completion of parent company Paramount’s Skydance merger. While the network said the decision to axe the show was purely “financial,” there are people who believe there are other reasons for it. More specifically, some think the move was tied to Paramount’s $16 million legal settlement with U.S. President Donald Trump, and that move had been openly criticized by Colbert.

Many continue to mourn the demise of The Late Show, which is set to end in May 2026. John Oliver joined the likes of Jimmy Kimmel and Bowen Yang in speaking out against the cancellation. And, as the late night landscape continues to evolve, time will tell if hosts continue to infuse politics into their content or gradually steer clear as Jay Leno suggests.

The world of late night TV was thrown into sudden upheaval when CBS announced The Late Show’s cancellation, which sparked shocked reactions from Hollywood celebs, and was soon followed by the FCC’s long-gestating approval of Skydance’s merger with Paramount Global. So when Jay Leno’s comments on late night’s reliance on political humor caught my eye, I thought they were made in response to Stephen Colbert’s current situation, but was surprised to learn they actually predated the Late Show news.

Leno sat with Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute’s President and CEO David Trulio for an interview that, among other topics, covered the stand-up comedian’s personal relationship with former President Reagan. The conversation also revolved quite a bit around the car enthusiast’s long-harbored aversion to going hard on political commentary during his run as The Tonight Show’s host. Despite always softballing such comedy, Leno joked that he still managed to stoke anger from both sides, saying:

Leno brought up his professional and personal relationship with the late, great punchline mastermind Rodney Dangerfield as an example of how apolitical his comedy circle has been over the years.

Leno shared that Colin Powell told him during a Tonight Show guest spot that the day he'd decide to run for President would be his last day of happiness, because after that point, one section of the population would automatically go against anything he said. That exchange happened quite a few years ago, and in many ways, social media has only amplified the polarization in the interim.

As the talk show successor to Johnny Carson, Jay Leno understandably would prefer to get an entire audience on his side, as opposed to purposefully only trying to appease a certain group. Sure, not every joke is going to land with everyone, but audiences are generally less likely to get vitriolic about terrible puns and sex jokes, while one-sided political jabs are more likely to rile people up.

Speaking to that, Leno continued, saying he appreciates someone who can take a partisan joke in stride, but that it's not worth taking the risk if comedy is the point. As he put it:

Again, the comedian's comments were all made in an interview that happened before The Late Show's limited lifeline was unveiled, yet it sounds like he could be speaking in hindsight about Stephen Colbert's targeted subject matter on The Last Show reportedly stoking enough ire in Washington D.C. that the talk show's cancellation was a supposed must-do in order for the Paramount/Skydance merger to get the OK. Which isn't to say Colbert's job would have been safe if The Late Show never mentioned politics once.

As well, it's unknown for now exactly what Jay Leno would say in response to CBS cancelling its late-night staple. So I'm not trying to put words in his mouth. The only person who should be putting words in anyone's mouth is the edible cue card chef.

Jay Leno can currently be seen yukking it up in his stomping grounds (or would it be rolling grounds?) on Jay Leno's Garage, streaming on Youtube.

Some people grew up with Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show from 1992 to 2009… and then again from 2010 to 2014. A generation before then knew him as one of the brightest, most energetic stand-up acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Let’s take a look at some of the funniest things that the comedian has said from both eras of his career.

"Let's See How You All Feel In 30 Years"

This is the first thing that Jay Leno said as the host of The Tonight Show after entering the stage to enthusiastic applause from the audience. It is meant to reference how legendary late-night talk show host Johnny Carson emceed the program before him for an unmatched three decades.

"Facebook Was Down Today... People Were So Bored, They Apparently Started Opening Up Real Books!"

In this Tonight Show monologue bit, Jay Leno jokes about how some people might have reacted if they were forced to go without one of the world's most popular social media platforms, Facebook. While I personally wish literary entertainment is the alternative that most people would turn to, I imagine more would just find another phone or tablet app to waste their time with.

"I Was A Philosophy Major For Four Years In College. Had Dreams Of Opening A Little Philosophy Shop When I Got Out"

During his set at the Just For Laughs Festival in Canada in 1978, Jay Leno reflects on his collegiate career as a student of philosophy, and takes the chance to poke fun at what little chance of a professional career such a major often grants people. At least his philosophical expertise contributed to this joke.

"The Economy Is So Bad In California, Parents In Beverly Hills Are Being Forced To Raise Their Own Children"

On some occasions since leaving The Tonight Show (for the second time), Jay Leno would visit 30 Rock to "tap in" and take over the monologue for Jimmy Fallon. One such time in 2016, he told this joke reflecting on the West Coast's economic situation that imagines wealthy Californians not being able to afford a maid to look after their families for them.

"Electronics Experts Say, By The Year 2009, People Will Be Able To Watch TV On Their Cellphones. They Say Their Goal Is To Create The Most Annoying Person Ever To Sit Behind You At The Movie Theater"

It is actually pretty frightening just how prophetic this Tonight Show monologue bit would turn out to be, and not just for the rising number of people who prefer to watch films on their cellphones. The number of people who still use their cellphones at the movie theater is grotesquely astounding.

"It's So Cold That Rapper Ice-T Turned Into Ice Cube"

I imagine that this Tonight Show bit from Jay Leno is not the first pun reflecting on the scientific properties of the items that inspired rappers Ice-T and Ice Cube's stage names. It does not make it any less funny, though.

"A Fishing Pole You Carry Around In Your Pocket. Where Are You Possibly Gonna Use This Thing? Like, You're Standing In Line At The Movies: 'We Got A Few Extra Minutes, Honey. No Sense Buying That Expensive Candy. I’ll Just Catch Some Bass'"

One of the most unusual inventions to come out in the 1970s was the Popeil Pocket Fisherman, which is, indeed, a fishing reel that you can take with you on the go. Of course, in his stand-up routine, Jay Leno can not help but point out how impractical the product is in concept, considering how the only time you would need a fishing pole is on a fishing trip.

"TV Guide Is Now Considered Reading In America. When Did This Happen? I Think It Happened The Same Day Ketchup Became A Vegetable"

In Saturday Night Live's eleventh season (which was the only season for most cast members that year), Jay Leno took to the Studio 8H stage as the host for the first and last time. He opened his monologue with this joke in which he expresses his shock that TV Guide, which mainly consists of television listings, was the most widely read magazine in the United States in the mid-1980s.

"People Who Put Hand Blowers In Washrooms Never Assume That You Might Want To Wash Your Face"

While air blowers may be the more environmentally friendly option to dry your hands with in a public restroom over paper towels, Jay Leno has a great point about why the latter option also has its benefits. In his stand-up routine, he elaborates on the burning effect it might have on a person's face and how it might even melt their retinas if they were to attempt to dry it.

"I'm Jay Leno, Your Host, At Least For A While"

In one of the most infamous debacles in television history, Jay Leno initially left The Tonight Show in 2009 and was succeeded by former Late Night host Conan O'Brien, while he was given his own self-titled show at 10 p.m.. However, after disappointing ratings, NBC asked O'Brien to move to the 12:05 a.m. time slot in order to bring The Jay Leno Show to 11:30 p.m., which he refused, leading to his exit and Leno's return to The Tonight Show. This was the first joke from his night back after the widely covered situation.

"New Jersey Officials Are Encouraging All State Workers In New Jersey To Lead Healthier Lifestyles Because The State Is Spending Too Much Money On Health Insurance. In Fact, They Say The Healthiest Thing You Can Do: Get Out Of New Jersey"

New Jersey has taken a lot of heat from late-night TV comedies, including on Jay Leno's iteration of The Tonight Show, on which he told this joke at the expense of the Garden State and its health insurance budget.

"Most U.S. Automakers Will Begin Equipping Most Of Their Cars Now With Automatic Trunk Releases... They Say This Is Expected To Save The Lives Of Over 2000 Mob Informants Per Year"

I imagine there were many mobsters, and even serial kidnappers alike, who were deeply disappointed by the announcement that modern automobiles would make it easier for their victims to escape from the trunks of their cars.

"This Is What Killed Carl Senior"

In a recurring Tonight Show segment called "Read the Fine Print," Jay Leno reveals (fake) hidden disclaimers on popular products and services. For instance, this punchline is what the fine print says on a Monster Thick Burger from Carl's Jr.

“Tennessee Has Passed This Roadkill Bill. It Allows You To Eat The Roadkill You Run Over. So, Now, If You Go To Tennessee, You Can Not Only Get Fast Food, You Can Also Get Not-Fast-Enough Food”

I must admit, I applaud the writers of The Tonight Show for giving Jay Leno something a bit more clever to say about Tennessee's roadkill bill than just a comment about how disgusting the taste of tire tracks would be in those meals, which was my first thought.

"Why Is It That UFOs Never Land At MIT Or UCLA? They Always Land In The Middle Of A Swamp Where Bob Bookey And His Cousin, Weenie, Are Out Fishing"

In his stand-up routine, Jay Leno points out something that is not only a trope from alien invasion movies but also a commonality among alleged UFO witnesses in real life. I have no doubt that there exists an alien invasion movie where the otherworldly race makes contact with someone outside of any rural areas, however.

"Toyota Announced That They Are Introducing A New Version Of The Popular Prius. They Say This Will Be A Smaller, Less Powerful Version. Thank God For That. That's Why I Didn't Buy The Original Prius. I Was Intimidated By All That Power"

With all the cars that Jay Leno owns, I am surprised there is not at least one Toyota Prius somewhere in his garage.

"They Always Search You For Weapons. I Mean, You Walk Through An X-Ray Machine, They Open Your Luggage, And Then You Sit Down To Eat And They Give Everybody Steak Knives"

Jay Leno adds to this tidbit of airline humor from his stand-up set by mentioning, "You bring your own steak knife, you get 20 years."

"Vanilla Ice Got Punched Out During A Concert... That Was His First Hit in Years"

Jay Leno told this joke about Vanilla Ice back in the late '90s. Still, the rap artist and one-hit wonder agreed to appear on the show in 2010, so I suppose there were no hard feelings.

"My Wife And I Go To The Supermarket. We Buy $128 Worth Of Groceries, And The Clerk Says, 'You Want A Bag For That?' 'No, We're Going To Eat It Here'"

On one occasion, Jimmy Fallon invited his Tonight Show predecessor, Jay Leno, to perform an "angry rant" in the middle of his monologue. One of his funnier comments involves the obvious question that every grocery store clerk is required to ask.

"Really? Is That What I Want? My Car Calling The Cops On Me?"

This is Jay Leno's way of explaining why he has no interest in using OnStar. However, I think a man with as many cars as he has could benefit greatly from it.

"People Were Camped Out To Get An iPad Last Week. I Know, Crazy, But Their Parents Were Happy They Finally Got Out Of The Basement"

Not every tech junkie is an unemployed social outcast still residing in their childhood home. However, one has to wonder how they managed to take off work to get in line for the iPad's release in the first place.

"The Price Of Gas In California Is Going Crazy. In Fact, Today I Did Something Smart. I Bought A Gallon As An Investment"

Jay Leno may be onto something here with harboring gasoline by the gallon. In fact, I imagine this is a decent way of making a personal profit off of gas, as long as you can let go of it before it goes bad.

"According To A Recent Survey, Guys Say The First Thing They Notice About A Woman Are Her Eyes, And Women Say The First Thing They Notice About Guys Is They Are A Bunch Of Liars"

I have no doubt that there are plenty of men who can honestly claim they notice a woman's eyes first. However, I would also agree that many of the men who took the survey Jay Leno mentions here likely stretched the truth.

"If You Pay $250 For Sneakers, Your Feet Are Smarter Than You Are"

As part of The Tonight Show's "Read the Fine Print" segment, this is the finely printed message attributed to Adidas' really expensive Smart Sneakers.

"When U2 Played A Concert In Seattle Over The Weekend, Bono Slept Over At The House Of Bill Gates... That's Something You Don't See Every Day: Screaming Girls Outside Bill Gates' House"

Considering how Bill Gates and Bono have famously been good friends for years, I imagine it is not that unusual to see U2 fans parade around the Microsoft co-founder's estate.

"A TV Psychic In Saudi Arabia May Be Beheaded For Practicing Witchcraft And Sorcery. I Guess He Should've Seen That Coming"

OK, this Tonight Show bit might be a little cruel, but I will admit that anyone living in a place that still outlaws witchcraft might want to seek a profession that does not even remotely resemble magic.

"Dick Cheney Was Hospitalized Monday Because Of Chest Pains. You See This? They Say The Problem Was His Heart Hasn't Worked In Years"

During this stint as the United States Vice President, Dick Cheney's mortality was a regular topic among late night talk show monologues, as reflected in this Tonight Show bit.

"Arizona Recently Passed The Toughest Anti-Immigration Bill In American History. The Idea Behind This Bill Is To Drive Illegal Immigrants Out Of Arizona And Back To Their Homeland Of Los Angeles"

Jay Leno used to host The Tonight Show from Los Angeles, which, essentially, makes him qualified to tell this joke.

"According To The Social Security Administration, The Most Popular Baby Names Of 2016: Noah And Emma. The Least Popular Baby Names: Donald And Hillary"

This Tonight Show joke comes from one of Jay Leno's visits to Jimmy Fallon's set in 2016, during which Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's race to the White House was all the rage.

"Andy Rooney [From 60 Minutes]... Blasted Three Commentators For Appearing On the CBS Evening News Without Wearing Ties. Andy Said When He Started, Reporters Always Had To Wear A Tie And A Powdered Wig And Matching Buckles On Their Hats"

This Tonight Show monologue bit from the early 2000s may be giving Andy Rooney a hard time for his age, but it does accurately reflect his position at 60 Minutes, which was essentially to complain about the differences between modern times and his heyday.

"The UPN Network Has Announced They're Doing A New Reality Series That Will Follow Amish Teenagers... The Network Says, 'The Amish Will Not Find This Show Insulting.' Of Course They Won't Find It Insulting. They Don't Have TVs"

It is curious how people who do not watch television would agree to be subjects of a television show.

"Ted Kennedy Introduced [John] Kerry As The Comeback Kid. That Used To Be [Bill] Clinton's Name On The Campaign Trail... Because Every Time He Would Come Back To A City, He'd Find Out If He Had A Kid Or Not"

No matter how much time passes, I imagine that jokes at the expense of Bill Clinton and his infidelity during his administration will never get old.

Anyone who’s familiar with Jay Leno (who recently cameoed on Shifting Gears) and David Letterman is almost certainly aware of the drama that unfolded between the talk show hosts in the early 1990s. After Johnny Carson retired from NBC’s The Tonight Show, Leno was tapped as his replacement despite the fact that Letterman had been hosting Late Night in the following time slot, and Carson had thought he was his natural successor. In the decades since, Leno and Letterman haven’t exactly been chummy, and though the former recently shared why he thinks a reunion with the latter would be “awkward,” it’s actually making me hopeful that it will actually happen.

During an extensive interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, the title host mentioned that’d been speaking with the executive producer for Jay Leno’s Garage, who said it would “bring him no greater joy in life” then to see Leno and Letterman reunited. Here’s what Leno had to say to that:

Jay Leno and David Letterman were already well acquainted before this Tonight Show saga unfolded, as Leno had appeared numerous times on Late Night with David Letterman. At the same time, Leno started substitute hosting for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show starting in 1986, and evidently NBC felt Leno was the better fit to succeed Carson. But even looking the turmoil that this decision spawned, Leno went on to share how he’s already had an awkward encounter with Letterman: He recalled:

Yeah, that’s practically the textbook definition of awkward, and when you throw in their differing views, that doesn’t make the strongest argument for pairing them back up. That’s not to say Jay Leno would refuse the opportunity if it came along, but he’s also won’t go out of his way to make it happen. As he put it:

Look, I’m not saying we need to see them acting like the best of friends, but I would sincerely like it if Jay Leno and David Letterman sat down together for some kind of TV special. It’s been over 30 years since the conflict between these two concerning The Tonight Show, which was covered in the Bill Carter-penned book The Late Shift, and that in turn was adapted into a TV movie that can be viewed with a Max subscription. I’d like to think enough time has passed that in the right environment, they could have a thoughtful and compelling discussion for others to enjoy.

New episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage can be found on YouTube, while David Letterman’s current talk show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, can be streamed with a Netflix subscription. And hey, if by some chance Leno and Letterman do reunite onscreen, maybe that can help with getting Leno and Conan O’Brien in a room together… or is that asking too much?

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Shifting Gears episode "Gummies." Stream the episode with a Hulu subscription and read at your own risk!

After recently bringing Nancy Travis onto Shifting Gears, Tim Allen welcomed another Last Man Standing co-star in the latest episode. Jay Leno showed up playing himself, and while I expected him to refer to the previous series like Travis did, the ABC comedy hit us with a curveball by referencing another one of Allen's earlier projects: Home Improvement.

In what was his second network television sitcom appearance since his voice cameo in Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Jay Leno played himself as a client of Allen's character, Matt Parker. Their brief conversation made it sound like the two were pretty friendly, at least enough for Leno to rib him about his resemblance to a television character.

Jay Leno Made A Vague Reference To Home Improvement

Jay Leno showed up toward the end of the episode, arriving at the auto shop to pick up one of his cars that he'd "forgotten about." He then briefly talked to Matt, and recalled a voicemail he sent him the night prior where he wasn't making much sense. The voicemail didn't make sense because Matt had taken a marijuana edible, but rather than admit that, he instead said he was doing a comedy bit. Leno bought the excuse, and it jogged his memory of something else he'd seen the night before:

While the series wasn't directly mentioned, Shifting Gears made a pretty clear reference to Home Improvement. It's a fitting nod considering the classic series aired on ABC, for those old enough to remember before it was available with a Disney+ subscription or on other platforms. As someone who was totally expecting another reference to Last Man Standing, it was fun to have my expectations subverted.

Will Home Improvement Stars Make Their Way To Shifting Gears?

Now that Home Improvement has been mentioned, I have to know when we'll start seeing the former stars of the sitcom join Tim Allen and Kat Dennings. After hearing the origins of the "Goth Mark" storyline, I would love to see Taran Noah Smith show up and play a character on Shifting Gears, if only to make a joke about that.

And am I the only one who would love to see Richard Karn play a character that opens up a competing auto shop on the other side of town? After watching Karn play Tim Allen's best friend Al on Home Improvement, seeing the two as bitter enemies in the new series would be hilarious. Let's get these two in a show again because that History Channel series wasn't enough.

We'll see what actors from Tim Allen's past will show up on future episodes of Shifting Gears, which air on ABC on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This sitcom is one of the top shows so far on the 2025 TV schedule, so be sure to catch up if you haven't already.

The 2025 TV schedule welcomed Tim Allen back to the world of sitcoms with the premiere of Shifting Gears, which immediately became a ratings competitor on Wednesday nights. Alongside fellow sitcom vet Kat Dennings, Allen's show seems destined for a Season 2 renewal any day now. (I mean it!) While the wait is on for that piece of good news, ABC has something for fans of Last Man Standing to celebrate: one of Allen's former co-stars will arrive on his new show. Prepare to see Jay Leno himself on Shifting Gears, presumably for some classic car banter!

Yes, the former Tonight Show host will join Tim Allen on a sitcom yet again, making him the second major Last Man Standing alum to reunite with the Home Improvement icon on ABC. Nancy Travis' casting was announced weeks ago. Unlike Travis, however, Leno isn't coming on board to play a new character.

Instead, he'll make a cameo as himself when he brings his car into Parker Customs for some repairs. And it's a safe bet that this means Leno's issue is going to be classic car-related, in a nod to the star's real-life collection of vehicles.

It's also a safe bet that this means Leno won't be recurring on Shifting Gears like he did on Last Man Standing, but it should be fun to see him back in the sitcom sphere... and I already want to know what this version of Jay Leno and Tim Allen's Matt Parker make of each other. The episode featuring him is called "Gummies" and will air as Episode 9 of Season 1 on March 12. Per ABC, here's a taste of what to expect from the installment:

No details are dropped in the episode description about what brings Jay Leno and I can only assume one of his classic cars into Matt's shop. That does make me wonder if the cameo will indeed be just one quick scene or two to spice up the episode rather than Leno playing a key part in the episode. Whatever the reason for Leno to show up and encounter Matt, it should be a blast from the past for Last Man Standing fans. Like Shifting Gears, you can find Last Man Standing streaming with a Hulu subscription.

With their mutual episode of Shifting Gears almost exactly a month away from when Leno's casting was announced, streaming Last Man Standing is the best way to get a fix of the former talk show legend and Tim Allen bantering, sitcom-style. As for the rest of the Shifting Gears crew, keep tuning in to ABC on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes, ahead of Abbott Elementary.

Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage episode "Secrets, Lies and a Chunk of Change.” Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription, and read at your own risk!

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage differs greatly from The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. A lot of that is due to the lack of Sheldon, but even without him, the series found a way to bring that classic energy from TBBT back to CBS. I'm very happy about it, as someone who was getting bummed out by the early signs this marriage won't last.

There may not be many geniuses on Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage like on TBBT, but one thing from the original sitcom carried over. The latest episode delivered an unexpected celebrity cameo, and I assume it's the first of many.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Featured A Surprise Cameo From Jay Leno

Mandy's musician brother Connor is one of the more bizarre characters on the show and is well-connected. Earlier in the episode, he revealed to the family that he was good friends with Jay Leno after writing him a letter to tell The Tonight Show host (remember, the show takes place in the '90s) that they shared a birthday. No one had much to say about his claim, but given her brother is a peculiar guy, I think viewers were meant to question if he was telling the truth or not.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage fans received their answer after Audrey saw a voicemail on the family's answering machine. She pressed play, and it was Jay Leno offering Connor a chance to play with The Tonight Show band if he ever happened to be in Los Angeles. TVLine confirmed it was Leno's voice, as he wasn't shown on-screen. A live-action cameo would be strange unless they can make him look thirty years younger.

The CBS Series Could Continue The Big Bang Theory's Tradition Of Celebrities Playing Themselves

Celebrities appeared throughout The Big Bang Theory during its run and would play elevated versions of themselves for comedic effect. Wil Wheaton had a famous feud with Sheldon Cooper, and he popped in and out of the show in various episodes until his final appearance in a memorable Dungeons & Dragons episode. Those who watched may remember William Shatner was featured in that episode, as well as Joe Manganiello and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Let's not forget that Star Wars vet James Earl Jones also played himself, and Mark Hamill officiated Sheldon and Amy's wedding! Those are just a handful of the big cameos the show was able to pull off, and I think it's possible Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage could do the same. Granted, I'm not too sure how many celebrities are known for casually hanging around Medford, Texas, so we'll see how often something like this happens. The fact we're getting a celebrity cameo so early is encouraging to me, however, and a positive sign we'll see more as time goes on.

You can watch Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage on CBS on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Be on the lookout for more connections between this show and The Big Bang Theory, and for those who can't remember the connection, we have a handy refresher guide.

The Masked Singer is a guessing game, and celebrities rivalries can make for risky choices. For example, when the first round of Group B performances hit Fox's Fall TV lineup, I couldn't help but gasp when panelist Rita Ora wrongfully thought Andy Richter was Jay Leno, former Tonight Show host and rival of Late Night's Richter and Conan O'Brien. CinemaBlend learned directly from the former sidekick how he felt about that guess, along with a wild story about him running into Leno at a diner.

I was lucky enough to speak to Richter after the The Masked Singer Season 12 episode where he was unmasked as Dust Bunny, and asked for his thoughts about being guessed as the comic who played an antagonistic role in the late night debacle that allegedly still bothers his former co-host Conan O'Brien years later. Richter offered his thoughts on the comparison and shared about the time he accidentally ran into Leno a couple of years ago:

It's good to hear he can put it behind him now, especially given how many people are still mad about the cancellation of The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien, which inspired him to lift anchor and strike a deal with TBS. O'Brien and Andy Richter were bumped out of their prestigious roles when Leno decided to walk back on his retirement, forcing O'Brien out. Leno eventually retired again, paving the way for current host Jimmy Fallon to take over.

Conan O'Brien and his wonderful on-air sidekick Richter eventually found their way back to late-night television via Conan, but the host largely avoided talking about it for years. On the other hand, Richter had given several interviews over the years, being critical of both NBC and Jay Leno for deciding to pull them from the coveted late-night program. As he said, it's complicated.

I'm sure that had to play into the awkwardness of their diner meeting, which I'm impressed he committed to. Had I been in the same situation with anyone in a similar position, I would've just walked out the door without a word!

Andy Richter's performance on The Masked Singer Season 12 was impressive, but unfortunately, Group B is loaded with talent. His performance of "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond was about as good as anyone could do, and honestly, I think he would've survived at least a week had he been in Group A. The good news is that his early elimination prevented him from having to suit up as the Dust Bunny again, which he confirmed to CinemaBlend was a hot costume to be in.

With one contestant down, we'll have to continue to tune into The Masked Singer on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET to see who will win Group B.

Jay Leno retired as the host of The Tonight Show nearly a decade ago, and the free time allowed him to really focus on his love for cars and motorcycles. In late 2022 and early 2023, however, the comedian was involved in a couple of accidents related to those hobbies. Jay Leno suffered serious burns in a garage fire and then Leno broke multiple bones in a motorcycle accident a couple of months later. A year after those scary situations, Leno provided an update on how his passion for riding motorcycles and working with cars has changed.

It turns out, the injuries 73-year-old Jay Leno suffered in the accidents weren’t very much of a deterrent when it comes to doing what he loves, as the former talk show host humorously told ET at the Kennedy Center Honors on December 3 that he’s pretty set in his ways. In Leno’s words:  

Jay Leno admitted that the incidents didn’t inspire him to give up riding motorcycles, but possibly more surprising is that none of the subsequent falls he’s apparently suffered have done anything to keep him off the bike either. In fact, he doubled-down on the sentiments when asked how the accidents changed his perspective on working with vehicles or his view on life overall, saying: 

The man knows what he likes, and not even a couple of scares — and apparently continued falls off his motorcycles — can rewire his brain at this point in life.

In November 2022 the retired late-night host was working on a steam car in his personal garage when he got sprayed by some gas and it ignited. The car reportedly burst into flames, burning the left side of Jay Leno’s face. Just a couple of months later, in January 2023, he was riding one of his vintage motorcycles when he was clotheslined by a wire that had been strung across a parking lot. At the time he said that accident had resulted in a broken collarbone, two broken ribs and two cracked kneecaps. 

The former Tonight Show host has spoken before about whether or not those incidents would slow him down, insisting that the only thing that could possibly force him to retire would be a stroke. As it is, he has said he feels fortunate that he has the financial stability to afford the physical therapy and other medical care he needed following the mishaps, saying he’s “luckier than most people.”

His sense of humor has certainly not taken a hit, either, and he drew a mixed bag of responses when he compared his situation to Jeremy Renner’s near-fatal snow plow accident. But that is certainly Jay Leno’s brand of humor, as he gave the media his prediction for his own future, saying:  

It sounds like Jay Leno is determined to continue riding motorcycles and working with cars, so it’s probably a relief that the injuries he suffered in the past year’s accidents didn't prohibit him from pursuing those passions. Hopefully, though, the “falling off” part of the above prediction won’t be a regular occurrence going forward. 

After eight years working within the late-night TV space, James Corden signed off from The Late Late Show for the final time this past April as part of the 2023 TV schedule. And he did so in tremendous fashion, as he enlisted buddy Tom Cruise for one final stunt and had Adele pop in for Carpool Karaoke. CBS subsequently announced the replacement for Corden’s show – @Midnight, a former Comedy Central production. All the while, some may have been wondering what the British presenter’s next career move might be. Well, he found it, as it’s been confirmed that the star landed a radio gig. Now, we can add him to the list of former talk show hosts who found intriguing jobs after their time on the small screen was done.

What Does James Corden Have Planned?

SiriusXM announced in a press release this week that it’s teaming up with the Into the Woods alum for a new program. The show is called This Life of Mine with James Corden and will see the eponymous host chat with major stars, who will discuss the key aspects of their lives. The overall goal of the series is to shed light on different facets of the entertainment industry’s most notable talents. The broadcasting company’s president and COO, Scott Greenstein expressed his excitement over collaborating with Corden, calling him “an incredible talent.” The star also shared some positive sentiments about launching the production: 

This is a major professional step for the 45-year-old London native. He previously explained that he felt it was time to say goodbye to The Late Late Show because he wanted to spend more time with his family across the pond. While the regional logistics for the series weren’t specified, one would think it’ll be recorded in the UK. What we know for sure is that the company is aiming to launch it in early 2024. A radio show feels like a unique gig for the Cinderella alum, but he’s far from the first late-night vet to stick with interviewing after leaving a program. 

Jay Leno, David Letterman And More Found A Variety Of Ways To Keep Working After Ending Their Talk Show Stints

Contrary to popular belief, there is life after late-night TV. Since exiting The Tonight Show in 2014, Jay Leno – who’s said he doesn’t miss having the show – has done a lot. The veteran comic has continued to tour and participate in stand-up engagements. He’s also filled his time with speaking engagements and a few commercials. On top of all that, he had a CNBC show called Jay Leno’s Garage, which was canceled after seven seasons in 2022. 

David Letterman has mostly been leading a chill life in the years since he stepped down from his post at The Late Show in 2015. He has, however, made a few surprise appearances at comedy shows and more. And in 2018, Letterman returned to TV with the now-acclaimed series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (which is available to Netflix subscribers). And even before ending Conan in 2021, the titular Conan O’Brien started a weekly podcast titled Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend. And of course, one has to mention the fact that Craig Ferguson, James Corden’s predecessor, has hosted game shows like Celebrity Name Game and The Hustler and written books since leaving the desk.

So James Corden is in good company when it comes to former late-night stars who’ve had second chapters. I’m interested in seeing just how his radio show pans out and hearing the Hollywood stories that are unearthed because of it. 

Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien share an intriguing connection, and it’s not simply because they’re both famed talk show hosts. In 2010, they were engaged in a highly publicized dispute involving NBC’s The Tonight Show. The situation brought negative publicity to the network at the time and, since everything went down, some have been under the impression that O’Brien and Leno aren’t on good terms. So over a decade after the late-night TV drama, where does their relationship stand? Well, an insider dropped some alleged details on the matter. 

Conan O’Brien, who’d been the host of Late Night since 1993, was ultimately named Jay Leno’s Tonight Show successor and formally took up the position in 2009. All in all, reviews of O’Brien’s turn at the big desk were mostly positive. At the same time, execs sought to keep Leno in the fold and did so by giving him an eponymous talk show that aired after TTS. Because neither show received strong ratings out of the gate, the powers that be sought to fix that by bumping Leno up to 11:35 p.m. ET and O’Brien back to 12:05 a.m. ET. The latter was displeased with that move and, ultimately, he and his staff reached a settlement to depart the program in 2010. O’Brien would move to TBS, while Leno would be reinstated as the Tonight Show host. 

What Did The Insider Claim About Conan O’Brien And Jay Leno’s Relationship?

If a source is to be believed, the former Conan host still isn’t happy with how the matter panned out. The person – who claimed to be a friend of the SNL alum – told Radar Online the business decision still “still sticks in Conan’s craw to this day.” They say that the star allegedly feels that time slot switch-up was prompted not by ratings but by another purported factor: 

These sentiments should be taken with a grain of salt. Jay Leno has never actually admitted to having had second thoughts about exiting his former show. Considering what’s been alleged here, one can’t help but bring what both media personalities have said on the matter more recently.

What Conan O’Brien And Jay Leno Have Said About The Tonight Show Debacle In Recent Years

The former host of Late Night opened up about the controversy during an interview with Adweek in 2022. Conan O’Brien explained that he viewed the “screwed-up” and “unjust” situation as being “important” to him. He also opened up about the public outcry that emerged at the time, which saw a number of people coming to his defense: 

He didn’t aim to mention his fellow talk show alum by name during the chat, though the now-73-year-old Jay Leno did mention Conan O’Brien while reflecting on the situation near the end of 2022. He shared his thoughts on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast. During that chat, Leno denied the assumption that he “deliberately sabotaged” O’Brien: 

Jay Leno, who doesn’t miss hosting on late-night TV, eventually departed The Tonight Show for good in 2014, and Jimmy Fallon took over hosting duties. On the other side of the equation, Conan O’Brien’s self-titled series on TBS ended in 2021 with a series of shows featuring major guests like Mila Kunis and Martin Short. We can’t say for sure if there’s still any friction between the two men, but what can be agreed on is that they both managed to move on to other prime professional endeavors. 

Jay Leno was involved in two dangerous incidents only months apart from each other, however, he's back and ready to work. The first was a scary garage fire after an accident involving one of his cars. He suffered second and maybe third-degree burns, however, as he recovered the former Tonight Show host kept his wits about him. Then, a couple of months after that, Leno broke multiple bones in a motorcycle accident. While some may suspect that he’d slow down and maybe retire after all of this, it’s actually the opposite as the comedian opened up the future of his career. 

Despite the fact that Jay Leno was involved in two dangerous accidents in two months, he has every intention to keep working. When it comes to retirement, he explained to Page Six that there’s only one way he’ll stop working, saying: 

Based on how he’s bounced back from these two major incidents, it’s clear that the former Tonight Show host has no intention of slowing down. As the publication reported in November, after Leno was hospitalized for ten days with third-degree burns after the garage fire, a week after he was discharged, he was back on stage doing stand-up. So, his drive to keep doing what he loves is clear.

Then, in January, Jay Leno fell off his motorcycle, and he broke his collarbone, two ribs and had two cracked kneecaps. Literally, just a few days later he was back to work with his cars and his jokes. 

The comedian continued to talk about his recovery, saying he’s doing really well, and doesn’t need to go to physical therapy anymore. After noting that he’s “doing good,” and saying that he was “fine” on multiple occasions, he spoke about how lucky he feels saying: 

He continued to say that “bad things happen to people every day,” and that they might not have the financial stability he was. The former Jay Leno's Garage host said that he's fortunate to be in the position he is. With his cheeky sense of humor, Leno explained that “as long as you look OK, you’re OK in Hollywood,” but based on these updates it really sounds like he’s doing well. 

Despite the accidents, Jay Leno is still enjoying working on his massive car collection and taking his vehicles out for rides. He also noted that his wife has been supportive of his hobby. 

Clearly, Jay Leno has no plans of retiring anytime soon, as he’s set to appear on the 2023 TV schedule as a guest judge on Hot Wheels: The Ultimate Challenge with U.S. Top Gear alum Rutledge Wood. To see the gearhead back on screen, you can stream this reality competition with a Peacock subscription, or catch it on NBC every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET. 

Jay Leno and Jeremy Renner both experienced scary accidents to start 2023. The former late night talk show host suffered a broken collarbone and two broken ribs in a motorcycle accident, just a couple of months after being seriously injured in a car fire. The Mayor of Kingstown actor, meanwhile, is on a long road to recovery after a “traumatic” snow plow accident on New Year’s Day, in which he broke more than 30 bones. The incidents were both tragic in their own ways, but some fans didn’t think that made them comparable, and many took issue with a recent joke Leno made to that effect.

As the former host of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno is well-known for cracking jokes at others’ expense, and he’s not afraid to include himself in those jabs. However, some seemed to think it was in poor taste when he tweeted a joke about his and Jeremy Renner’s respective accidents. He wrote: 

Some fans were not buying into the car enthusiast’s humor, however, as they pointed to the severity of Jeremy Renner’s reportedly life-threatening injuries, which insiders say were even worse than anyone knew. As one Twitter user put it: 

Others echoed that assessment, with comments to Jay Leno’s post including: 

• How is that funny. 
• Guy nearly died Jay.
• Aw jay come on. Come on man you can’t say that

However, a lot of people also hit the comments in defense of Jay Leno’s joke, pointing out that as a comedian, making jokes is literally what he does and how he copes with life. The former late night host said as much himself, positing that nobody likes a whiny celebrity. He said he understood there was a “risk factor” to his actions, and you have to laugh through scary situations, because then people laugh along with you. Many on Twitter seemed on board with this logic, with one fan tweeting: 

Others agreed that Jay Leno’s joke wasn’t likely to upset Jeremy Renner, who was reportedly pulled under the snow plow in an attempt to save his nephew. More comments in Leno’s defense included: 

• I doubt @JeremyRenner is offended by this…he seems like a reasonable guy, he’s prob laughing.
• Jeremy Renner himself is making  jokes about his snowplow.. they both have a sense of humor, and that's while they'll heal quicker than most.

Jeremy Renner has certainly appeared to be keeping things positive as he starts his recovery, and it’s true that humor has been a part of the process. When fellow Avenger Chris Evans jokingly wondered if anyone had even bothered to check on the snow plow, Renner seemed to appreciate the sentiment with his own amusing response: 

Humor can definitely be an effective coping mechanism after going through things like Jay Leno and Jeremy Renner have. However they are getting through, we at CinemaBlend send our best wishes to both in their journeys to recovery. You can currently see Renner on Mayor of Kingstown, available with a Paramount+ subscription, and see what else is coming up with our 2023 TV schedule.

These past few months haven’t been the easiest for Jay Leno. In November 2022, the former Tonight Show host was involved in a garage fire that left him with serious burns. And just this past week, Leno confirmed he was in a serious motorcycle accident. As he explained, the ordeal left him with significant injuries. Though life has already been somewhat tough for Leno as of late, he unfortunately just received a bit of bad news. His car-centric TV series was just given the axe.

CNBC has reportedly cancelled Jay Leno’s Garage, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, which debuted in 2015 and ran for seven seasons, saw the titular host review cars and motorcycles and welcome some special guests while doing so. (The show even included one of the final TV appearances of beloved Saturday Night Live alum Norm Macdonald.) Per the trade, this programming decision is part of a larger move that sees the network using its primetime hours to highlight reruns of popular programs. 

As of this writing, the 72-year-old media personality has not formally commented on the development. The series’ official Instagram account, however, did drop an interesting video on Friday. In the clip, the star is seen talking about having fun with racing as opposed to making money. Again, there’s no way to tell whether this is a direct response to the news, but it’s intriguing that a video expressing such a sentiment would drop at this time. Check it out:

This cancellation news is sure to come as a disappointment to those who’ve enjoyed watching the series over the past several years. However, I would assume that most are just glad that Jay Leno is still around in general after the accidents he’s been involved in. Leno was in his personal garage when one of the vehicles in his massive collection caught fire while he was in proximity. Leno eventually underwent surgeries while at the hospital and was released from the burn unit after a week. Leno’s first public outing after the fact seemed to indicate that he was doing just fine. 

The situation the NBC staple revealed at the end of this past week apparently happened earlier in January. As the star explained, in that instance, he was knocked off his motorcycle,  and broke his collarbone and two ribs in the process. In addition, he said that he has two cracked kneecaps as well. Needless to say, the man has been through the wringer. 

Despite his circumstances though, Jay Leno has remained upbeat, keeping his signature sense of humor. He previously explained that he has no problem joking about the garage fire because the accident is simply a normal hazard that can be experienced by someone who works with their hands. One would think that he has that same kind of lighthearted and honest outlook when it comes to the conclusion of his new show.

While Jay Leno’s Garage is no longer on the air, you can stream past episodes using a Hulu subscription. Viewers can also find other prime offerings by checking out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule.

Back in November, Jay Leno suffered “serious burns” and was hospitalized after a vehicle in his famous garage burst into flames. The former Tonight Show host dealt with extensive burns to his face, hands and chest, and underwent “high pressure oxygen therapy” while hospitalized. He’s been recuperating in the months since, but now we’ve just learned Leno got into a second accident last week in which he broke multiple bones. He was on his motorcycle at the time.  

While the fire news was concerning enough the press got news of his accident and hospitalization rather quickly, Jay Leno managed to keep this second accident under wraps for more than a week.The comedian is expected to return to Las Vegas at the Encore Theater in the Wynn in March. Ahead of that stint, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Thursday that technically he’s now recuperating from two accidents: the fire and a motorcycle crash.

Jay Leno owns a slew of vintage vehicles and he told the outlet he was out testing one –a 1940 Indian motorcycle. He said he was smelling gas, so he decided to stop. Unfortunately, he chose a parking lot that was not marked up correctly, realizing too late the owner had chosen to wire the lot in but had not attached "flags" or any sorts of markers to signal where the wire was located. 

It sounds like the sort of thing that would happen as a gimmick in a comedy movie or a gruesome end in a horror film, but honestly, it’s the type of accident that could have been far worse. While he's not lucky to have been flung off his bike, and a broken collarbone and ribs are no joke, his injuries could have been more extensive.

Meanwhile, you can’t keep Jay Leno down. After he was hospitalized over the fire situation, Leno joked a lot about the experience and even took some good-natured ribbing from Tim Allen. This time around, he’s full of good humor too, noting he kept these injuries on the down low so he wouldn’t garner comparisons to Harrison Ford and his plane crash.

Sure, he's joked about situations like these, but Leno actually seems to have a practical perspective on the matter, noting when a person works with their hands they are "going to have an accident at some point." He's just had more than one of those moments over the last few months. 

Our thoughts go out to the comedian during his now (seemingly) prolonged recovery. Fingers crossed he's hit his accident quota for the year. 

Jay Leno is opening up nearly a month after being badly burned in a garage fire. Shortly after he was hurt, the comedian received surgery and treatment for second and possibly third-degree burns. While it seemed to be a very serious situation at the time, Leno can seem some humor in it. And the actor explained in a newly published op-ed just why he won't stop joking about the matter.

Weeks ago, Jay Leno was spotted out on the town by onlookers and, now, he's written about his post-accident experiences in a piece for the Wall Street Journal. Leno reflected on his accident and his time in the hospital and, as he’s known to do, used humor to break it all down. Those looking for a quick explanation of Leno’s thoughts on his treatment and how he’s feeling won’t get a faster response than this. Here's Leno's brief summation of what happened after his accident (via Yahoo):

It should come as no surprise that the former host of The Tonight Show is cracking jokes about what happened. That’s more or less what he's known for as a celebrity and, while I’m sure few would’ve faulted him for taking it easy or even taking a break from the public eye, it doesn’t appear as though he's shying away from the spotlight one bit. 

At this point, it's not clear as to when or if he’ll be filming new episodes of his TV series, Jay Leno’s Garage. However, the 72-year-old star did get candid about how he views his unfortunate accident. Leno equated the garage fire, which happened when he was working on a 1907 White Steam Car, to an occupational hazard that comes with any kind of serious work:

According to him, accidents just tend to happen to those who work with their hands. That’s probably not to say that he expected his own situation to happen to him at some point. Nevertheless, he does seem to be of the thinking that there are risks involved in car repair as can be the case with other jobs that require manual labor. 

So given everything that's happened you may be wondering just how he’s still able to make light of his situation. Well, as the talk show legend explained, that's simply the way that a star must handle such things:

It sounds like Jay Leno is absolutely fine with the world laughing along with him and isn't opting to look at things through a grim lens. It’s good to see the celebrity handling the situation so well and that he's already in a place in which he feels comfortable discussing it.

Those with a Peacock Premium subscription can check out episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage right now. While things are winding down when it comes to small-screen content, anyone looking for something new to watch can still browse our 2022 TV schedule to see what’s still to come throughout the remainder of the year. 

The world has been waiting for updates on Jay Leno since news broke of the injuries he sustained in a garage fire, and the medical director at the hospital treating him initially said he had a long road of recovery ahead of him. Even so, Tim Allen revealed that his friend was doing well and on the mend before he was released from inpatient care on November 21, and now Leno himself confirmed to bystanders that he's doing fine in his first public outing since the incident. 

Jay Leno was spotted headed to the same garage where he suffered his burns only two weeks after being hospitalized. TMZ caught up with Leno as he waited for the gate to open to his area, and made small talk with the former host of The Tonight Show. Leno was asked when he expects to get back out and perform, and surprisingly enough, his next public show is soon:

The actor isn't wasting any time in getting back to what he loves, whether it’s visiting his garage of cars or doing stand-up comedy. Few would’ve faulted Jay Leno for taking some additional time to recover from his injuries considering that it’s been less than a month since the accident occurred. Of course, Leno’s reported optimism throughout the process might’ve been an indication he wouldn’t stay away from the public eye for long, and get back to doing what he loves. 

In fact, Jay Leno isn't even shying away from making jokes about his injury, based on a brief exchange with the paparazzi. When one suggested that he needed to go home and rest, Leno responded:

The joke landed with a collective mix of chuckles and groans from those who heard it, but Leno seemed unfazed after making the joke. It’s possible audiences in attendance at his upcoming sold-out show will hear a lot of similar jokes. I guess it’s only natural he’d want to make light of the situation given his background in comedy and would use humor to help navigate through his recovery. 

The fact that Jay Leno is back at the garage where he suffered his accident so soon makes me wonder if it’ll be that long before new episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage are popping up for Peacock Premium subscribers. He may not have been at the garage to do any work, though, and might have just paid a visit to check on his cars and have a look around. Given that he's been handing out cookies to kids at the hospital, taking photos with staff, and driving around town so soon after his injuries, though, it wouldn't be shocking if he was already working on another car!

It’s good to hear Jay Leno is in good health, and hopefully, getting closer to 100% with each passing day. At this rate, I'd say that it's not too soon to start hoping that he'll be back on the small screen in the 2023 TV schedule, so let’s cross our fingers that he continues his progress and doesn’t have any setbacks with healing!

Comedian and former The Tonight Show host Jay Leno made news recently when a car fire left him dealing with serious injuries, which he confirmed came from a gasoline fire. Leno is expected to need a week or two of recovery before getting back on his feet, and now he has indeed been released from the Grossman Burn Center. Although the burns were serious, his pal and fellow comedian Tim Allen had some lighthearted comments while Leno was still in the hospital. 

After a visit with Jay Leno at the Burn Center, Tim Allen shared some comments with TMZ that not only indicated that the former Tonight Show host was doing well, but they were already joking about it. After revealing that they shared some jokes and connected as friends, Allen told the outlet: 

Jay Leno going into the hospital looking like himself and coming out looking like George Clooney would certainly be a twist! After cracking the joke, Tim Allen – a TV veteran himself with starring roles in Home Improvement, Last Man Standing, and the recently-released Santa Clauses for Disney+ to his name – confirmed that his friend is getting great care and is in good enough spirits. 

Now, just days after Allen's comments were reported on November 17, THR reports that Leno has been released from the Grossman Burn Center. He's not entirely finished healing aftercare that involved high-pressure oxygen therapy and surgery but will be able to move to the Grossman Outpatient Burn Clinic for some follow-up care. 

In a statement, Dr. Peter Grossman stated that he is "optimistic that he will make a full recovery," and a news release from the Burn Center shed some more light on Leno's state of mind: 

Jay Leno himself has not yet released a statement at the time of writing, but being able to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with his friends and family is a good sign, especially after the optimism seemed more cautious in a previous update. The West Hills Hospital Instagram account also provided a look at Leno to show the comedian's recovery at this point:

While Jay Leno may not be the spitting image of George Clooney in that image, he looks pretty great! He even smiled to pose with staff at the Grossman Burn Center, and fans of the comedian can breathe a sigh of release that he's on the mend enough to be released for outpatient care, look forward to Thanksgiving, and still look like himself.  

Hopefully, more updates about his status will be announced at some point, but for now, the future seems bright for Jay Leno's recovery. Tim Allen's comments (after he shared a BTS look at Jay Leno on the set of Last Man Standing over the summer) gave a window into Leno's state of mind while in the hospital, and he's now well on the road to recovery. 

The world hoped for the best after news broke that Jay Leno was injured by a car catching fire in his garage, but the former host of The Tonight Show was quick to jokingly brush off sympathies. Leno originally stated that he expected to need a “week or two” to recover, and early reports had him cracking jokes, with his overall optimism making it appear as if things weren't so serious. Now, a medical director from the burn center where Leno is recovering has opened up in sharing details about the comedian's injuries, as well as a rough timeline for the future, and suffice it to say, he raised caution over the comedian sounding too optimistic. 

Peter H. Grossman, medical director of the Grossman Burn Center, gave a televised news conference (via THR) that addressed what’s going on with Jay Leno’s injuries. Grossman revealed that Leno is in as good of spirits as advertised, but still had a road to travel with his recovery. Grossman confirmed that Leno sustained burns on his face, hands, and chest, with the burns varying from second-degree to more severe. 

Grossman shared that Jay Leno’s facial burns were a bit more complicated, and described them as “deeper and more concerning,” and were showing signs of progressing to third-degree burns. Treatment for the ailment has included “high-pressure oxygen therapy” to simulate healing, shaving away the damaged burns, and a temporary “biological skin substitute.” Leno has already completed one surgery and will have at least one more in the coming days. 

It sounds like Jay Leno is in good hands with his doctor, but it’s going to take some time for him to truly bounce back to full health. Peter H. Grossman shared the reality of Leno’s injuries is still serious, and that the star himself is aware of the big picture, for all of his optimism. According to the doc:

Jay Leno’s obligation of hosting The Tonight Show has long been over, though he does manage to keep busy elsewhere without sitting behind a desk to chat up celebs about their latest projects. In addition to his series Jay Leno’s Garage,  Leno has appeared on sitcoms like Last Man Standing, The Kominsky Method, and has even provided some voice work for popular children’s shows. He’s also known for sharing his takes on Hollywood drama on occasion, as evidenced by his thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, though usually without much controversy involved.

Right now, there’s nothing that necessarily indicates Jay Leno will stop doing any of that, but he likely will need to take a bit more time to rest and recover before returning to his daily professional obligations. Fortunately, the news from the medical director feels positive, especially considering how scary the situation sounded when the injury was first reported. 

Check out Jay Leno’s Garage on streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription. Here’s hoping that the beloved icon is back on his feet and in better shape soon enough, and hopefully, he'll be just as optimistic as he’s been thus far. 

Though he’s no longer a late-night TV host, Jay Leno has kept himself plenty busy over the past few years. He’s mostly done a number of public engagements that see him perform comedy. This past weekend, the 72-year-old star was set to appear at a convention, though the event organizers later said via email that he had to bow out due to a “serious medical emergency.” Now, according to a new report, Leno missed the convention because he was unfortunately in a car fire and is reportedly facing a serious injury. 

Jay Leno was in his personal garage, where he stores his vast collection of vehicles, this past Sunday when one of the cars suddenly burst into flames. According to TMZ, the fire unfortunately burned the left side of the TV personality’s face. One of the site’s sources also said, however, that the flames did not reach Leno’s eye or ear. Still, the news outlet's report seems to indicate that the injury is severe. It’s said that the Tonight Show veteran was later taken to Grossman Burn Center, which is where he’s reportedly staying, as of this writing. 

George Swift, a 15-year employee of the media giant, spoke to Access Hollywood and provided some insight into the situation. Swift stated that Jay Leno is "going to be fine" and that his injury is "not life-threatening," though he will need some time to bounce back. In terms of what actually happened, Swift -- who was not actually present when the accident happened -- says Leno was working on a steam car when he got sprayed by some gas, and it ignited. Swift reportedly learned all of this when Leno called him.

This past weekend, the comedy veteran was set to appear at the Financial Brand Forum 2022 in Las Vegas on Sunday. After he didn’t show up, the organizers sent out an email (which was obtained by People), in which they detailed what they knew of the situation. At that time, they would only say that the Emmy winner had experienced a “serious medical emergency”:

Jay Leno said goodbye to The Tonight Show back in 2014, though he has returned on a few occasions since then. In one instance, he guest starred and humorously ripped Jimmy Fallon, his late-night successor. At other times, he’s popped in to help Fallon out.

In recent years, the actor and comedian has kept himself busy in a myriad of ways, aside from public engagements like the one he had lined up last weekend. He has most notably served as the host and EP of Jay Leno’s Garage, on which he reviews cars and motorcycles. In addition, he’s had guest spots on numerous shows like Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing –- during which the two stars engaged in a “car duel.” All the while, Leno does plenty of interviews in which he discusses aspects of his career (like his relationship with Jimmy Kimmel) or more recent events like Will Smith’s Oscars slap.

The Hollywood veteran will reportedly be taking it easy over the next several days, as he’s reportedly nixed his public engagements for the remainder of the week. One can only hope that Leno isn’t in too much pain and that he’ll recovery quickly and comfortably.

The late night talk show wars that blew up in the ‘90s are almost entirely absent these days, even if the actual ratings game remains a legitimate struggle for producers and network execs. For proof, just look at Jimmy Kimmel taking over The Tonight Show as Jimmy Fallon hit the Jimmy Kimmel Live! stage as April Fool’s pranks earlier this year. But someone who’s all too familiar with all sides of the talk show Rubik’s Cube is former NBC stalwart Jay Leno, whose so-called rivalries with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien are the stuff of TV legend. Some fans may not remember that Leno even semi-burned bridges with Kimmel during that controversial period surrounding O’Brien’s mishandled Tonight Show takeover, but it’s something that Leno is now apologizing for.

Jimmy Kimmel and Bill Maher discussed Jay Leno and that tumultuous time at NBC during a June episode of Maher’s podcast Club Random, with Kimmel reflecting on it by saying he definitely was not Team Jay, and admitted that he had a feud going at the time, though not anymore. For the latest installment of his podcast, Maher welcomed Leno himself to do a little boozing and schmoozing, and Leno provided some context and clarification for how his own in-network issues spread over to Kimmel and ABC, and actually admitted to unwittingly being in the wrong in that situation. (Though he still doesn’t take responsibility for the fallout with O’Brien.) Here’s how he worded things at the onset before really digging into his memories of how things went down:

When Bill Maher asked about Leno possibly jumping over to other networks, which is what the whole Jimmy Kimmel fiasco is tied to, Leno jumped back to the beginning of the entire affair, five years prior to his temporary Tonight Show hiatus, when NBC execs allegedly demanded Leno foreshadow his eventual exit at the behest of “Conan’s people.” He talked about the conversations that went into his follow-up series, The Jay Leno Show, flipping from late night to primetime, which was reportedly meant to be a cost-saver vs. expensive dramas like Law & Order: SVU. That idea failed — though Leno and his entire staff was apparently paid two years’ salary as a sign of good faith from NBC — and then the conversations returned to how Leno could fit back into the late night lineup. 

At this point, NBC bosses wanted to slot Jay Leno back in at 11:30 p.m. ET for a half-hour program that would precede The Tonight Show, which would be moved back to after midnight. (Which is what sparked Conan O’Brien’s ultimatum press release that led to him lucratively vacating NBC entirely.) And it was apparently also around this time that Leno started getting offers from other networks, specifically ABC, which inspired the car-loving comedian to reach out to Jimmy Kimmel to reportedly get his take on any possible time slot changes. Here’s how Leno put it:

While Jay Leno was obviously right in assuming Jimmy Kimmel would be able to read the writing on the wall eventually, it’s totally understandable why Kimmel might have felt a bit put off by all of it. From his point of view, a competitor called him up out of the blue and presented a wild game-changing situation, and then pulled a ghost maneuver and never talked about it again. Not the most normal behavior in any capacity, and it’s possible that Kimmel felt there was something underhanded and dishonest about the whole thing. (He and Bill Maher did laughingly discuss Leno being a “cunning” individual in that respect, so Kimmel is no stranger to the Tonight Show vet’s shrewdness.)

Speaking to that, in a way, here’s the overall reason why Leno says he ultimately chose to stay with NBC instead of jumping ship to a different network:

In any case, neither Jimmy Kimmel nor Jay Leno seems to be holding onto extended grudges or feud mentality, so maybe fans will one day see them both popping up as guests on Club Random. Does Bill Maher even have enough weed and booze for that? Beyond that, don’t be surprised to find Leno guest-hosting on The Tonight Show every so often, as well as filling in on The Kelly Clarkson Show on occasion, even if he’ll likely never jump back in full-time.

New Club Random episodes are released every Wednesday, while both The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! air weeknights on NBC and ABC (respectively) at 11:35 p.m. ET. Head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what’s hitting primetime in the months to come.

It’s been a little over a year since Tim Allen and Nancy Travis last graced our screens as Mike and Vanessa Baxter in the sitcom Last Man Standing, which wrapped its cancellation-split, nine-season run on Fox in May 2021. Myriad other high-profile series have been cancelled in the meantime, and 2022 as a whole is filled with shows coming to an end. But none of that necessarily makes it any more enjoyable to reflect on LMS not being around anymore, as indicated by Allen himself in one of the stand-up comedian’s more wistful social media posts of late. 

Tim Allen has already been quite busy in 2022 already, with both the Santa Clause streaming series coming to Disney+ and his latest show with Home Improvement co-star Richard Karn hitting History soon. But both of those shows having wrapped filming, and given that neither one of those projects’ formats compared to how Last Man Standing episodes came together, it’s understandable that the actor would feel pangs for the show without the need to go back into Baxter mode for a new season. Here’s how he reflected on missing the show on Twitter:

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “Boy, I haven’t seen a picture of TV legends Hector Elizondo and Jay Leno reading scripts at the exact same time,” then you can put that declaration to bed, because that’s a thing of the past. It’s quite the oddball behind-the-scenes picture to share as a way for Allen to show how much he missed working on Last Man Standing, given how many people would presumably choose to share a massive group shot with everyone posing and smiling. But then that’s never really been Tim Allen’s style. 

In that sense, this is probably the perfect picture for him to have used, since it more properly represents what life was like on the set, where one is far more likely to see actors reading over their lines as opposed to gathering together and staring at a camera lens. Wait, that’s what filming is… You get my point, though. 

A job is only as good as the co-workers one is surrounded by, and given all the talent that walked the Last Man Standing set over the years, it was a good job indeed. Am I talking largely about Paul F. Tompkins, Jere Burns, Reba McEntire, and Robert Forster? Certainly them as much as anyone. 

When CinemaBlend spoke with Last Man Standing's EP and showrunner Kevin Abbott around the time of the series finale, he predicted that there would easily be room for the cast to come back together for more, though only after a few years of being away from it all. Here's how he put it at the time:

Which isn't to say that fans will definitely see Tim Allen yukking it up anew within the Outdoor Man offices, since that would obviously come down to the cast agreeing, as well as a studio to bring it to the small screen. But given Allen's ongoing popularity, it'd be silly to think it'll never happen. Once a show survives one cancellation, it can survive anything. 

Tim Allen will soon be thinking a lot more about his new show with Richard Karn, More Power, which will make its chainsaw-revving debut on History on Wednesday, June 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET. Following that, Disney+ subscribers will likely see the newest chapter of the Santa Clause saga at some point closer to the Christmas season. 

By now we’ve heard a lot of varying takes on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, and even some about the Academy’s response to the matter, but one take we hadn’t heard was Jay Leno’s. The former late night host recently opened up about his own feelings while watching the broadcast, but he also had a candid take on how the members of the Academy responded afterward. 

Jay Leno opened up about his own take on Will Smith’s actions against Chris Rock during the Oscars broadcast earlier this year. He noted the “yelling of the obscenities” was what really stood out to him when the moment aired, but ultimately said he’s found Will Smith to be a “good guy” during previous interactions. In the time since, though, he doesn’t really understand the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which had stated an investigation was underway about the incident before making its final ruling. Jay Leno called out the move, telling the Palm Beach Daily News,

Many of us saw Smith slap Rock live on the air after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Reportedly unbeknownst to the comedian, Pinkett Smith had shaved her head after struggling with alopecia for years. Her husband got mad about a joke Rock made comparing the Gotham actress to a star in a G.I. Jane sequel, harkening back to a time when Demi Moore shaved her head for that film. He stayed for the rest of the Oscars broadcast and ultimately won Best Actor for his work in King Richard, but days afterward Will Smith resigned from the Academy. Afterward, Chris Rock declined to press charges.

The Academy released a statement noting it would be looking into what happened. While Jay Leno called this “investigating,” how the Academy put it was more of a “formal review.” An official statement listed in late March mentioned:

Ultimately, Smith was banned from the Oscars for a period of 10 years. This means he can still be eligible for an Oscars nomination or even a win, but he will no longer be able to vote as a member of the Academy (after resigning) and he won’t be able to attend the awards for a decade (after the Academy’s review). While Leno seemingly takes umbrage with the fanfare over what happened after the broadcast aired, at the end of the day, the matter is seemingly resolving and moving forward. 

Now, we just need to wait and see what happens with the two Will Smith movies that were paused following the incident. Since one of those is the hotly anticipated Bad Boys 4, I’m very interested in what happens on that front. 

When Jay Leno joined Last Man Standing, this was probably a fun addition for the fans, but also for Tim Allen himself. Leno's always been known as a “car guy,” but Allen can hold his own, and now that they are working together, they have been in a bit of a “car duel” of sorts to show off their cool toys on set. This has extended into the ninth and final season of filming Last Man Standing.

The Fox sitcom may have been on hiatus for a while, but now the cast is getting back to work. This week, Tim Allen shared a look at Jay Leno on set (you can see the face shields being used for safety) and asked fans which person they thought drove the faster car into work. Take a look.

That’s not the vehicle Jay seemingly drove in, however, as Tim Allen also took the opportunity to show off a little more about their car duel on the set of Last Man Standing with two looks at their respective vehicles. First, here’s a look at what Jay Leno drove into work.

Then, here’s a look at what Tim Allen drove into work. It’s also a black car -- and a beauty-- but from a whole different era of car manufacturing.

I’m not going to pretend to know enough about cars to identify a slew of background information on either of these beauties, but that’s really not the point. Even if we aren’t a car aficionado website, I do take great joy in the fact Jay Leno and Tim Allen show up to work every day with the express purpose of having a new, different and cooler car solely to one-up one another. It’s become a set tradition, in fact, and we know this thanks to their co-star Nancy Travis.

How Long Have Jay Leno And Tim Allen Been In A Car Duel On Last Man Standing?

Apparently, this “car duel” has basically been going on since Jay Leno joined Last Man Standing back in 2015, popping in for a few episodes each TV season. In an interview this year, Nancy Travis talked about how Jay Leno is a joke machine pretty much all the time… and has taken things to the next level when it comes to his competition with Tim Allen over cars. In fact, she doesn’t even try to compete with the two, as she's always driving a Subaru onto set each day. She noted to Access Hollywood:

Jay Leno's definitely a known car guy already; in fact, after retiring from late night television, he also became the host of his own web series, Jay Leno's Garage. The most recent season of that series ran in 2019 and 2020, with the last episodes airing over the summer.

This season on Last Man Standing, it looks like Jay Leno will be back playing Joe as the series preps to take its final bow on the small screen. Hopefully, Tim Allen will keep us updated in regards to their car duel. Meanwhile, we’ll need to be preparing ourselves for the show to go off of the air, as new details continue emerging about what to expect from the final episodes. At least there's that Home Improvement reunion show to also look forward to. Catch Last Man Standing when it returns on January 3, 2021.

In some ways, it's kind of amazing how much the late night talk show world has changed since Jay Leno made his permanent exit from The Tonight Show back in February of 2014. The comedian himself recently spoke about the tonal shifts and why he wouldn't want to return to that. However, that didn't stop Leno from literally returning for a surprise (to viewers) visit to Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. Watch out now, too, because this guy is ANGRY! (Not really.)

Under the guise of being an angry stranger that Jimmy Fallon ran into on the street – which would an interesting failed experiment if attempted as a realistic talk show bit – Jay Leno returned to the Tonight Show stage to say a few things about the state of America.

Not about politics or anything like that. But about how big cell phones are nowadays! And hemorrhoid cream testimonial websites! And cashiers who ask dumb questions! And Sears!

In true hokey Tonight Show fashion, Jay Leno presented himself as the grumpy old man waxing on about everyday gripes that one might hear people complaining about while on the phone in a waiting room. (And what is up with all these people talking on their phones in waiting rooms?!?) It seemed inevitable that he would eventually get to a point where he talked about credit card machines, but his rant kinda outdated the "insert chip vs. scan card" stand-up comedy bits.

But then maybe the outdatedness was part of the bit itself, adding to its potential genius. I maybe can't quite tell where the joke begins and ends here.

In one light, it's clearly Jay Leno presenting a self-aware parody of more rage-minded comics whose acts are grounded entirely on long-form grousing, such as Bill Burr or George Carlin. Only, because it's Leno, the quibbles are with the lowest-hanging fruit of life's grievances.

Yet, Jay Leno is known for being a hammy comedian, with or without Kevin Eubanks or Jimmy Fallon egging him on in the background, and The Tonight Show is the most genial and populist of all the late-night talk show options. So in another light, this looks very much like a genuine and legitimate performance that never finds its edge and fails to recognize the stereotypes being heaped upon themselves.

Had this happened on Stephen Colbert's The Late Show or Conan or something, it would have been a little more clear. Of course, I doubt if Jay Leno would have been the "angry guy" if he would have appeared on Conan, amirite? We all know Jay would never really blow Jimmy off like this, though.

It was indeed amusing to see Jay Leno turn up on The Tonight Show in the same week where he appeared on Today and talked about why he wouldn't want to get back into hosting on late night.

To be fair, there are presumably no bipartisan views when it comes to not wanting to look at other people's hemorrhoids online.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs every weeknight on NBC at 11:35 p.m. ET.

Jay Leno currently works as a spokesperson advocating for people dealing with high cholesteral. He also has his own series Jay Leno’s Garage, but he’s still known as a late night host and likely always will be. During an appearance on Today however, the former host of The Tonight Show revealed that he doesn’t actually miss getting up onstage and telling jokes every day.

In fact, not only did Jay Leno reveal he doesn’t miss late night, he also very directly explained why. Here’s what he had to say:

It was just a few years ago that politics really began seeping into late night in terms of the points of views of the hosts and not just jokes on everyone. In particular, Jimmy Kimmel made his thoughts on healthcare clear after his son was born with a congenital heart defect that required surgical intervention. His monologues in the time since have started to include political stances. (Although he still likes to talk about topics like The Bachelor in addition.)

Stephen Colbert also started out a little more buttoned up and less political than The Colbert Report, but CBS saw his ratings increase after he began adding more political interviews and segments. Seth Meyers has chosen a similar path, as well. Of all of the late night hosts, Jay Leno's successor Jimmy Fallon doesn't get as political on his version of The Tonight Show. Yet despite his prior views, he does get political sometimes.

Speaking on Today, Jay Leno made it clear that before the joke could be framed around a political figure but that the function of his job as a late night host was to give people a space to relax and to sort of step back and get away from the news. That’s not really the case anymore.

Although Jay Leno is aware of the direction late night is trending (and even calls it a “tough” one), he is also far enough removed from late night now that it’s not something he should really have to fret over. While he’s not fully retired from entertainment as a whole, he should be in a much more comfortable position with Jay Leno’s Garage than he was grinding it out on NBC. That show has produced four seasons and 52 episodes since 2015. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon produces somewhere around 200 episodes every single year.

Jay Leno left late night back in 2014, a few years after there was some brouhaha involving Conan O’Brien and shifts in NBC's late night timeslots that very nearly destroyed The Tonight Show as we know it. O’Brien eventually got his own show and Leno shifted comfortably back into late night, eventually retiring in 2014, but it's still a time period that he gets asked about. So, while Leno sees the direction late night is trending as a "tough" one, it's not as if in absence of taking stances with politics everything was always super copacetic on The Tonight Show during his own tenure. Late night is constantly evolving and there were challenges 10 years ago, as well.

As for the late night hosts, trending toward politics has not seemed to decrease viewership and has increased viewership in some' cases, although it should be noted Jimmy Fallon is at least a little less political than his counterparts and still wins the ratings on any given night.

Television legend Jay Leno appeared back in the world of late-night TV recently, only this time, he was the one answering questions. The former host of The Tonight Show was on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and was not afraid to answer questions on the "feuds" he's had with other television personalities over the years. This, of course, meant Leno had to revisit his rivalry with David Letterman, although he insisted it wasn't as spiteful as many have believed over the years.

Years after both men have left the air, Jay Leno is now saying he never hated David Letterman. With that said, their famed rivalry, stemming from who got the vacant seat Johnny Carson left on The Tonight Show is well-documented, and it's kind of hard to believe there weren't some feelings about the change over at one time. In fact, the two late night hosts publicly took jabs at each other quite often over their tenures, and Jay Leno ultimately refused to appear in one of Letterman's final episodes.

Whether he's genuine or it's just good PR, Jay Leno has somewhat romanticized his rivalry with David Letterman in his later years. After all, it's a feud that he ultimately won, as he became the host of The Tonight Show and Letterman was overlooked by NBC. Of course, it ultimately spurred Letterman's move to CBS, and a famous late-night rivalry that entertained audiences for some time. Does it really matter if they didn't get along in real life?

After all, excessive hatred and verbal bashing didn't do much to elevate Howard Stern's feud with Jay Leno. Leno told Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen the feud didn't really exist mostly because he largely ignored it.

The strategy never really prevented Howard Stern from ripping on Jay Leno, but it's fair to say this "feud" never escalated to the level of Letterman and Leno. The former host of The Tonight Show Host handled both questions with grace, and had nothing but kind things to say about both men. It was a classy response, and one that comes from a celebrity probably not wishing to stir the pot in his retirement years.

Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen airs on Bravo Sunday through Thursdays at 11:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is on television in the coming months, be sure to visit our midseason premiere guide.

Generally unless it’s a superhero movie, most audiences don’t pay too much attention to the end credits when they go to see a movie. But if you stayed for the credits after Mary Poppins Returns, you might have noticed a recognizable name that you were wondering why it was there. Jay Leno is thanked in the end credits, which raises the question, why? Well, Lin-Manuel Miranda did some digging to find out the answer, take a look:

Well, that's a great reason for for Jay Leno to be credited, and exactly the response you'd expect of the former host of The Tonight Show. The current host of Jay Leno’s Garage is famed for his love of automobiles and his absurd collection of exotic, historic and generally awesome cars-- including a 1994 McLaren F1, a 1969 Lamborghini Miura and a 1963 Jaguar E-Type to name a few. Apparently one of his illustrious collection was needed for Mary Poppins Returns and he provided, getting himself thanked in the credits.

This is quite the fascinating development, because it doesn’t sound like they needed to show the car at all. The filmmakers simply needed a sound it made, which could not be replicated through any other means. And because it was made from a car in the 1930s and 1930s cars aren’t readily available, Mary Poppins Returns turned to Jay Leno, who had the car they needed. Because of course he did.

While we now know the answer why Jay Leno was thanked in the end credits of Mary Poppins Returns, I only have more questions. In his tweet, Lin-Manuel Miranda does not say what car the production needed to borrow from the automobile enthusiast, and it would be awesome to know.

Jay Leno has multiple cars from the 1930s in his collection, including a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Town Car, a 1930 Bentley G400, a 1936 Cord 812 sedan and a replica of a Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic SC according to Odometer. So perhaps it was one of those vehicles.

We also don’t know what the specific sound effect the car made that Mary Poppins Returns needed. Was it just the sound of the engine or also the horn? And why couldn’t it be replicated? It’s very interesting that the production knew that this sound existed but were unable to replicate it and had to go the practical route and find the actual vehicle to recreate it. Someone must have thought ‘I bet Leno has it!’

This whole thing is kind of funny and admirable, as the film's production went to this level of trouble for a specific car sound. And Jay Leno gets a special thanks credit in the blockbuster family film, because he likes to use his millions on things that go vroom. I sincerely hope this whole Jay Leno car thing is given a dedicated special feature on the Mary Poppins Returns home video release.

Mary Poppins Returns is now playing if you want to see if you can pick out the sound of Jay Leno’s car. Check out our release schedule to see the biggest movies heading to theaters in 2019 and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest in weird and delightful movie news.

Not only has the actor Robert Downey Jr. collected some major cash during his ten years and nine appearance as Iron Man, but RDJ also seems to resemble his alter-ego more and more all the time. Tony Stark is known to roll up in a beautifully badass car, and Downey has a lavish car collection of his own. The Iron Man star shared his love of cars with co-star Chris Evans, by crafting a custom built 1967 Camaro RS for him. With Evans' car soon being featured on an upcoming episode of Jay Leno's Garage, SpeedKore vice president, David Salvaggio, who worked closely with Downey on rebuilding the car, revealed details about Cap's sweet ride. In his words:

The Camaro was shipped to Atlanta, the location where the actors were filming Avengers: Infinity War and was presented to Chris Evans as a gift. David Salvaggio said that Robert Downey Jr. was really involved in the build, with a particular vision about how he wanted the '67 Camaro "Steve Rogers" Special Edition to look. The car is inspired by the iconic character that Evans had played since 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. The color of the car is what David Salvaggio called a "melted army man green" with a distressed brown leather interior reminiscent of the leather jacket Steve Rogers wears while fighting in World War II. Plus the steering wheel features Captain America's shield in the center. Check out Salvaggio showing off the car to Jay Leno ahead of the episode of Jay Leno's Garage:

As Jay Leno tested the car out, David Salvaggio said that Chris Evans wasn't really a "car guy" before, but this tasteful gift from Robert Downey Jr. is turning him into one. The actor drives the Camaro three to four times a week in his home of Massachusetts. On an episode of Jay Leno's Garage, Chris Evans will be learn some stunt driving in the "Steve Rogers" and do an "epic" burnout in the car.

This thoughtful gift from Robert Downey Jr. comes in part from the actor riding high on a long list of heroes who have helped make the MCU a hugely successful franchise. RDJ played the first hero in the MCU when he debuted his Iron Man in 2008. He was reportedly paid $10 million for his supporting role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, so the star is no doubt swimming in cash. When he spreads the love with gratuities like this, it feels strangely close to when Tony upgraded Peter Parker's suit with state-of-the-art Stark technology.

You can catch Chris Evans with the "Steve Rogers" on Jay Leno's Garage on August 30 at 10pm on CNBC.

Conan O'Brien has seen and experienced a lot in his decades in late night TV, and as he prepares for some major changes coming to his current TBS show, the Conan host is opening up about the situation that led him to TBS in the first place. O'Brien spoke up about his short and unsweet stint on The Tonight Show, and why he mostly avoided addressing the controversy that sparked his NBC removal at the time it was happening:

Conan O'Brien compared his controversy to The Tonight Show's previous Battle of the Hosts that went down between David Letterman and Jay Leno, which occurred when Johnny Carson retired. Leno, of course, ended up getting the job, which caused Letterman to jump ship from Late Night to CBS' The Late Show, where he served as Leno's rival for years. There was obviously some bad blood between Letterman and NBC for what had happened, but despite all that, people still reacted to Letterman's jokes and comments with laughter and mirth. While O'Brien thought he'd get the same reaction, he told Vulture he received much more serious reactions when making disparaging jokes regarding NBC taking him out to bring Leno back. Those reactions ultimately drove Conan to abstain from talking about the situation altogether, perhaps in an attempt not to have his feelings misinterpreted, as well as not wanting to cause more drama.

Today, Conan O'Brien is seemingly at peace with his removal as host of The Tonight Show, saying he decided a long time ago he wasn't going to waste time being angry over it. That said, the Conan host did say there were a few people in that fracas who he felt were just not "good human beings," although no specific names were mentioned. Those people's actions, combined with the loss of The Tonight Show, definitely did impact O'Brien at the time, and he said the experience messed with his psyche for a bit:

Indeed, Conan O'Brien is pretty happy these days, despite the recent news that his show Conan would be getting knocked down from an hour to 30 minutes. The host maintained the decision was made to revolutionize the late-night formula rather than an effort by the network to lessen his screen time, and says they'll be filming just as much as they did before, only with some of the material being exclusive for the TeamCoco website. As such, O'Brien doesn't appear to be headed down any other controversial roads akin to his The Tonight Show debacle anytime soon, and he remains passionate about his work in late-night.

Conan airs on TBS every weeknight at 11:00 p.m. ET. For a look at new and upcoming television programming coming out in the next couple of months, head on over to our summer premiere guide.

It's been a few years since Jay Leno and David Letterman retired from their respective late-night shows, and it seems like the infamous rivalry between them may have finally cooled down. Tonight, Letterman will be receiving the 2017 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Leno has written a tribute in honor of his former rival. The piece touches on some different aspects of their complicated relationship, with Leno remembering that some of his favorite moments of his career were appearing on Letterman's show and freaking him out with a meatball sandwich. Leno recalled:

Jay Leno wrote a tribute for David Letterman in The Hollywood Reporter, in which he discussed their relationship as two competing talk show hosts. In the early days of Jay Leno's career, he was a standup comic who, in addition to playing The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. The more outwardly friendly Leno and the more prickly Letterman were opposites, and Leno would -- for some reason -- tease Letterman with a meatball sandwich. This was one of his favorite things to do and he would even bring the sandwich with him onstage.

Of course, soon after this, Leno wouldn't be teasing Letterman with meatballs. The two had a famous rivalry that began when Jay Leno was named the host of The Tonight Show over David Letterman. Letterman had been hosting Late Night following Johnny Carson for some time, while Leno was the regular substitute host for Carson. Many believed -- including Letterman -- that Letterman would be named as Carson's successor. The job eventually went to Leno, and Letterman soon left NBC for CBS to appear on a new late-night show in the same time slot as The Tonight Show. The rest is pretty much history.

The late-night competition has cooled down significantly since the two of them retired. While there is still competing amongst the networks (there was much ado about Stephen Colbert beating Jimmy Fallon in the ratings), the animosity is pretty much gone. The late-night hosts even appear on each other's shows from time to time; Conan O'Brien just recently appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

For more TV updates, be sure to keep it right here at CinemaBlend. Catch all your favorite shows with out fall TV premiere schedule.

TV feuds are nothing new, as competition between networks and entertainers has been around for as long as the medium has. And one of the biggest small screen rivalries of all time involved late night icons Jay Leno and David Letterman, which spawned the popular book The Late Shift (which later became a made-for-HBO film). Now that both Leno and Letterman retired from The Tonight Show and The Late Show, respectively, the dust has mostly settled, and Leno can now step back and say that he never really let Letterman's insults both him over the years. Why? Because they were funny. In his words:

Now, it's certainly possible that Jay Leno is speaking only in hindsight, and that he was extremely pissed off back whenever he saw David Letterman greeting people behind Plexiglas. But regardless, Leno can take a joke. In his Letterman-lauding post for THR honoring the former Late Show host for earning his upcoming 2017 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Leno says that if someone calls him an "asshole," that wouldn't be the kind of criticism that he would take kindly to. But that once humor gets brought into it, that makes things all the more acceptable. Cleverness always wins in my book.

Not that Jay Leno is necessarily playing down the fact that the rivalry existed, or that it wasn't as big of a deal as people made it out to be. He knows what happened and he knows how people reacted to all the stories, as well as the ones about his fallout with Conan O'Brien. But at the end of the day, those were stories about two men in similar positions within the very small circle of late night TV, and even if they were butting heads every night after primetime TV was over, each was in a place to understand the other person in a way that no one else necessarily could. Such is the case with all comedians, really, since they look at life in different ways than most people.

Here's what else Jay Leno had to say about why, even though they weren't similar in many other ways, that he and David Letterman could still see eye to eye.

If only all the world's rivals were able to get a bird's-eye-view of a situation like that, then things might not be quite so harrowing out there. (Well, they probably still would be.) But for anyone hoping to see Jay Leno take offhanded swipes at David Letterman in the years after their late night heydays, there's only disappointment to be found. Now, let's see if Letterman's Mark Twain Prize acceptance speech offers up anything juicy.

While you can't see Jay Leno or David Letterman offering up nightly monologues anymore -- Leno will still stop by The Tonight Show from time to time, and Letterman does have a new Netflix show in the works -- you can catch a whole bunch of new and returning shows coming soon by checking out our fall TV premiere schedule.

Jay Leno was a key figure on the NBC late night scene for many years, and he remains one of the most iconic modern late night hosts thanks to his tenure as leading man of The Tonight Show. For a brief stint back in 2009-2010, however, Leno gave up The Tonight Show for The Jay Leno Show, which aired in primetime rather than late night. He was replaced on The Tonight Show by Conan O'Brien, but low ratings saw O'Brien booted from The Tonight Show with hosting duties returned to Leno. It was a mess at the time, and Leno came off looking like the villain. Now, he has shared his feelings about his status as the bad guy:

When the key time slot of 11:35 p.m. ET was offered back to Jay Leno in 2010, Conan O'Brien actually had the option of staying on as host of The Tonight Show, with the caveat that its time slot would be bumped back to 12:05 a.m. O'Brien chose to leave NBC rather than take the later time slot, and so Leno regained The Tonight Show and O'Brien ultimately moved to TBS. At the time, however, it seemed more like NBC and Leno were determined to get the 11:35 p.m. slot back for Leno, no matter what, and O'Brien seemed like the wronged party. Leno's comments to THR indicate that he's made his peace with the reactions, but he clearly hasn't forgotten them.

Of course, Jay Leno didn't actually stay at NBC all that much longer after regaining The Tonight Show in 2010. He remained on board for only another four years, departing in 2014 and handing hosting duties over to Jimmy Fallon, who has enjoyed (mostly) dominant ratings in the years since. For his part, Leno has been able to dedicate himself to Jay Leno's Garage, although he has returned to The Tonight Show a few times and made a shockingly energetic appearance on Spike's Lip Sync Battle. He's done just fine for himself, despite some of the bad press he got during the NBC shakeup.

Conan O'Brien has done well for himself as well. He landed a show of his own at TBS, and while it doesn't give him quite the reach that he would have gotten with a place on NBC, he has thrived there. Late night on network TV now belongs to a new generation of comedians.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest in late night TV news, and don't forget to swing by our summer TV premiere schedule to discover what you can watch in primetime nowadays.

In 2017, The Tonight Show hasn't been quite the juggernaut it's been for decades, as Stephen Colbert's Late Show has consistently pulled in larger audiences, so what better time than now to bring back a familiar face from the show's history? That's right, Jimmy Fallon welcomed back his hosting predecessor Jay Leno, who looked completely natural in the spotlight once more, rattling off goofy jokes for the Tonight Show monologue. Check him out!

As soon as Jimmy Fallon started acting like something was wrong with his leg, audiences seemed to know exactly what was happening, as this is basically how things played out last year when Jay Leno stopped by to prove his comedy skills were still intact. Regardless, the monologue was still a pretty fun bit, and it was once again strange to hear jokes about Donald Trump and the modern D.C. era coming out of Jay Leno's voice, which is more familiarly suited to jokes about Obama and the Clintons. Thankfully, he did get to poke some fun at Bill Clinton's morals, so the old times were felt.

With that "pussy" joke, Jay Leno quite possibly made the most adult joke in Tonight Show's recent history, so his monologue cameo was worth it just for that. Plus, who can hate on classic Johnny Carson schtick like the "How bad is it?" gag that both Leno and Fallon ran through at the end? Simple as it is, it's one of my favorite joke set-ups, and just about every punchline seen here worked. Especially the Netflix one and the Kendall Jenner RC Cola one.

Jay Leno hasn't been missing from the spotlight just because he left The Tonight Show behind some years back. He's still pimping out his massive car collection, and other automobile treats, on Jay Leno's Garage on CNBC. As well, he appeared on Lip Sync Battle and has popped up in Ted 2 and ABC's sitcom Last Man Standing. Not to mention the biggest gig of all, a recurring voice role on Disney's Mickey and the Roadster Racers. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the biggest.

The Tonight Show is currently on location in Orlando, as Universal Studios just opened up the new ride "Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon," which obviously features the comedian and SNL vet. Jay Leno is actually performing a stand-up set tonight at Orlando's Hard Rock Live as part of a charity event for the CECF Wish Foundation. He might not be making the same kind of jokes that he made on The Tonight Show though, at least about Trump.

You can watch The Tonight Show weeknights on NBC at 11:35 p.m. ET. And head to our midseason premiere schedule and our summer TV guide to see all the shows coming to the small screen in the near future.

Jay Leno has been away from the late night circuit for the last couple of years, however, he is still pretty skilled at monologues and last night Jimmy Fallon had him on to remind us how witty and humorous he can be. During last night's episode of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon claimed he had "pulled something" before he brought Jay Leno out from the audience to finish out the monologue. The whole thing is pretty great, and you can give it a watch, below.

People were really pumped to see Jay Leno back at NBC, and it took him a few tries before the audience calmed down enough to let the former late night host talk. Of course, we are getting pretty close to the election, which means there were plenty of directions Jay Leno could go, and he kicked off with a well-timed Hillary Clinton barb. He didn't stop there, however, also cracking a Halloween-oriented Donald Trump joke before hopping to cracks about pumpkins, Halloween costumes and more.

This monologue actually went pretty hard, as Jay Leno went after Billy Bush (although that joke is less timely now, it was still pretty hard-hitting) and even made fun of the American electorate in a statement joke that was delivered perfectly by Leno.

It's actually kind-of great to see Jay Leno back and doing a monologue. He dealt with a lot of issues during his tenure at NBC, notably egging on a rivalry with David Letterman and briefly being forced to cede his position to Conan O'Brien on The Tonight Show. Things were not always perfect in the world of late night during Leno's run, but it's nice to see that he can come back to the small screen and bust out jokes that keep our attention, all while looking like he's having a blast. It's also a big reminder of how sharp late night monologues could be before the likes of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert turned late night into a different sort of entertainment.

This isn't the first time Jay Leno has made an appearance on The Tonight Show during Jimmy Fallon's tenure, and it's unlikely to be the last. In fact, Jay Leno has been vocal about liking Jimmy Fallon and what NBC has been able to do with The Tonight Show since her formally left the late night game. Still, although he has appeared before, it doesn't lesson how fascinating moments like these can be, when two popular late night names are both able to showcase their skills during the same broadcast.

New episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon air on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET, only on NBC. If you'd like to catch Jay Leno in action, new episodes of Jay Leno's Garage will hit CNBC on November 9 at 10 p.m. ET. More premiere dates can be found, here.

For years, David Letterman had to be on all the time. As the host of The Late Show on CBS, the late night host had to bring the funny even when his guests were decidedly unamused. He had to be funny even when he was feeling under the weather. He had to do a lot of things he didn't really love doing in order to keep his ratings up over the years, and he always did these things with a smile and a wry understanding of comedy. Now, he's retired and he's looking back at his career---with a big beard replacing his clean-shaven look, to boot.

In a recent interview with the New York Times, David Letterman stated that he has been looking back on his time with CBS, noting that he doesn't really miss late night television. Letterman also says that when he looks back, it was his idea to who fuel the rivalry between himself and other late night host Jay Leno. Here's why it happened, according to the former late night host:

It must be a little crazy to look back at a career that spanned 33 years in the public eye and not have a few regrets. David Letterman's feud with Jay Leno was one of the defining moments of his career. The feud actually lasted for decades, kicking off when Johnny Carson left The Tonight Show and David Letterman was considered a shoe-in for the job. NBC gave it to Jay Leno, instead. Later, the two took digs at one another live on the air and in interviews, with Letterman recently even calling Leno insecure in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Leno even famously refused to appear on one of Letterman's final episodes. The rivalry between the two men is legend at this point, even if much of it stemmed from NBC's decision with The Tonight Show. Now, Letterman seems to be trying to reconcile with how and why it happened.

To everyone's credit, the new brand of late night doesn't seem to be going the feud route, unless you count Jimmy Kimmel, who has an adorable and long-standing feud with a-lister Matt Damon. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are pals and have appeared on each others' programs on numerous occasions. Kimmel and Stephen Colbert showed chummy rapport for two relative strangers when the former appeared on the latter's program just a few months ago. There is a rivalry in the sense that they are all competing in the ratings, but it doesn't extend into late night barbs.

The Late Show is still thriving without David Letterman. Stephen Colbert took over a year ago, and this season the show revamped quite a bit to try and bring a few more eyeballs in. You can catch new episodes on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET. In addition, you can find out which fall shows have yet to premiere with our fall TV premiere schedule.

There are few superheroes who are as universally loved as Bruce Wayne aka The Batman of Gotham City. Batman represents more of an everyman in a universe full of superpowered individuals. Rather than flying around and shooting lasers out of his eyes, Batman relies on his martial artistry and genius intellect to fight crime. And his toys, all of his wonderful toys. Perhaps the favorite of these Bat-gadgets would be his primary mode of conveyance: The Batmobile.

Every incarnation of the Bats has a new version of the Batmobile, and now we can finally take a closer look at the whip which will be transporting Battfleck around the DC Extended Universe. And the new footage was brought to us by none other than comic and late night great Jay Leno. Check it out.

Pretty cool, right? Sure, we've gotten to see the new Batmobile in action during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but this video is first time that we've really gotten to slow down and check out all the nooks and crannies that are in Battfleck's ride. And Jay Leno even gets to jump in and sit in Batman's seat. Lucky him.

There are some bits that are confusing about the above video. For one, Jay Leno says that it's the new Batmobile. However, it looks like the exact same vehicle that Ben Affleck used to shoot at and attempt to run over Superman in Batman v Superman. It's got the same wheels, weapons, and overall design. Here's an image from Dawn of Justice for your reference.

They're pretty much identical models. This begs the question: was Jay Leno mistaken and he actually has an older version of The Batmobile, or does Batman in the DCEU have a few different versions of the same vehicle in the Batcave?

Since the DCEU Batman is a true veteran to the world of crime-fighting and vigilante behavior, I wouldn't be surprised if he had more than one identical Batmobile at his disposal. While we only saw one during the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Bats had a ton of other vehicles and gadgets at the ready. Because we didn't see an origin story movie or watch Batman slowly accrue resources, we truly don't know how many rides Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne has at his disposal.

Alternatively, Jay Leno may have misspoke when he introduced the above Batmobile as the newest one. Sure, it was the most recent ride we saw on the big screen, but that doesn't mean that a new one hadn't been constructed since. If a new version of the Batmobile is used during Batman's scenes in Suicide Squad, it would quickly make this "new" Batmobile into the old one.

It is important to note that the Batmobile that the press got to see up close while on the set visits for Justice League appears to match Jay Leno's. So it seems that Batman may be staying consistent in his vehicular adventures in the DC Extended Universe.

Be sure to keep your eyes peeled on which Batmobile makes an appearance when Suicide Squad finally drives into theaters on August 5th.

While many networks have a late night talk show or two that compete against each other, the men behind them have built something of a little fraternity together. They publicly support each other when a new one starts out, and they often say goodbye when one of them leaves. So some were a little surprised when David Letterman recently made his exit and the other titan of the era, Jay Leno, was nowhere to be seen. It turns out the reason for Leno’s absence was simple. Letterman bailed on him first.

In an interview with Adweek, Leno says he asked Letterman to make an appearance when his run on The Tonight Show ended, but the man once spurned by NBC declined. So when Letterman asked him for the same thing, he didn’t feel too bad about saying no.

The saga of Letterman and Leno is the stuff of tell-all books and made-for-TV movies. Letterman was originally promised the Tonight Show chair when Johnny Carson left, but it was instead given to Leno. Letterman then left NBC for CBS and competed directly against Leno in what became the most heated battle for late night ratings in the history of television. While the war calmed down years ago, it’s possible there was still some bad blood there, at least on Letterman’s part, as his was the first refusal. Leno at least implies he might have been willing to do something for Letterman if he hadn’t been denied first.

What’s interesting, however, is that while Leno turned down Letterman’s request for a send off, he was perfectly willing to do it for Craig Ferguson. When the man who followed Letterman was leaving last year, Leno appeared on his final show. Although to touch upon one of Leno's points, Ferguson’s show was taped in Los Angeles, not New York, so the fact that Leno didn’t have to get on a plane may have helped. Ferguson left late night after also not getting promoted to the earlier time slot, though according to him, he doesn’t actually care.

You could look at Leno’s refusal as petty, but at the same time you have to wonder why The Late Show people even asked after they refused to do the same for him. The battle for late night supremacy is now a younger man’s game, as Leno’s successor Jimmy Fallon now goes head to head with Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, who took over for Letterman last month.

Jay Leno has had some tiffs in the late night realm with David Letterman over the years, but now the former late night host has come out of retirement to take some pot shots at ABC’s late night host Jimmy Kimmel. After having pretty sweet things to say about NBC’s Fallon, NBC’s Seth Meyers and CBS’ upcoming late night host Stephen Colbert, in a recent interview Leno said that Kimmel has a “mean streak” to blame for being lower in the ratings than Fallon.

I find it a little bit ridiculous that Leno is taking his own “nice guy” attitude and using it to trash one of the other late night hosts in this interview with TV Insider, but he certainly has a point. While I personally love Kimmel segments—especially “Liewitness News” and “Mean Tweets”—not everyone can get behind the fact that those sketches are a little more vicious than the other late night hosts' segments. For instance, Fallon mostly loves to play games with celebrities, and Meyers often loves to rehash stuff that happened during his SNL days.

Kimmel, unlike some of the other late night hosts, is an edgier and more acquired taste in comedy. He’s the guy that’s willing to take pot shots at anti-vaccinators. He’s the guy that’s willing to get into ridiculous prank wars with Rihanna. And yes, he’s the guy that’s willing to let parents steal candy from their kids on Halloween and serve dads food in the showers on Father’s Day.

If Kimmel is one end of the late night spectrum than Jimmy Fallon is the other. He’s so overwhelmingly energetic and positive, you can’t help but buy into his humbled perspective. Still, I’d argue there’s room for both types of personalities on the networks, and I really hope that Colbert will land somewhere in between the two personalities when his show hits CBS this September.

The late night realm is a wily beast, hard to tame and even harder to master. When Jay Leno was the big game on the air, he was the most popular of the late night hosts, so he knows a thing or two about bringing in the biggest numbers. Then again, he didn’t have the late night sendoff or the longstanding good wishes that David Letterman received when his oddball CBS series finally made its last bow. As such, it's not surprising he would prefer a late night host who uses good vibes to bring in big numbers, rather than the one who uses a meaner, edgier tone to please hardcore comedy fans.

The world of late night talk shows isn’t often one of fluid tumultuousness and frequent reorganization, but the last couple of years have seen nearly constant changes on all fronts. Some desk-bound stalwarts are leaving, some have already left, and new faces are here to take their places. It’s a far different time from the days when Jack Paar and Steve Allen were the cream of the crop, and so we thought we’d pay tribute to the after-hours hosts by ranking the 15 greatest late night personalities of the modern era.

No, you won’t find the still-in-its-youth Last Week Tonight here, nor the ridiculously short-lived Chevy Chase Show. But we’ll certainly be seeing another Saturday Night Live vet in here somewhere.

15. Tom Snyder

Because of his newscasting background, Tom Snyder could sometimes come across as the driest of all the late night hosts, but it also meant that he was capable of delivering an interview that you just wouldn’t see on anyone else’s program. As the chainsmoking host of Tomorrow with Tom Snyder, he interviewed the Sex Pistols, John Lennon and Charles Manson. And when he debuted as host of the newly-formed Late Late Show in 1995, he kept the no-audience interviews going, perhaps most notably with a pre-arrest Robert Blake. Nobody did cool like Tom Snyder.

14. Joan Rivers

Joan Rivers became a household name as a Tonight Show guest, certainly a feat on its own, and ended up becoming the first female late show host in 1986 with Fox’s The Late Show with Joan Rivers. (A show that essentially ended the close friendship between Rivers and Johnny Carson.) The ratings were unfortunately abysmal, since Fox was still struggling at that time, and she and her producer husband were soon fired and replaced by others. And though she went on to host other successful series, I always wished Rivers would return to late night in some way.

13. Craig Kilborn

Can’t you just hear that opening lick of “Play that Funky Music?” Starting out as a Sportscenter anchor, Craig Kilborn brought Comedy Central’s The Daily Show to national prominence in 1996, leaving that show behind to take over The Late Late Show in 1999. With segments like “5 Questions” and “Yambo,” Kilborn tried to spice up the late night scene by keeping things playful, and he was pretty successful at it, depending on who you talk to. He exited the show rather abruptly in 2004, and has yet to return to the late night format. Or any longterm hosting format, really.

12. Bill Maher

Arguably the most “love him or hate him” entry on this list, the sarcasm-spewing Bill Maher is undoubtedly the King of Opinionated Late Night. With the long-running Politically Incorrect, Maher mixed politics and comedy years before The Daily Show would excel at it. Maher then wisely jumped from broadcast TV to HBO for the even more pointed talk show Real Time with Bill Maher. Despite not having a closet full of Emmys to go along with his plethora of nominations, Maher remains as pundit-ly poignant as ever, since the political machine will never stop whirring.

11. Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Fallon, who left Saturday Night Live in 2004, took over NBC’s Late Night after Conan O’Brien went off on his shortlived Tonight Show stint. Oddly enough, Fallon also followed in O’Brien’s footsteps (and Jay Leno’s) when he took over The Tonight Show in February 2014. Though his signature style of laughing at everything grates some viewers’ nerves, there’s no denying that he turned The Tonight Show into a celebrity-drenched viral phenomenon, bringing a slew of younger viewers to the late night crowd.

10. Jay Leno

Jay Leno is a prime example of how a job can change a man, as his run on The Tonight Show turned him from a genius stand-up comic into a rounded-out showman. A genial and supremely talented showman, to be sure, since honing oneself to an audience is probably the best way to keep a hosting gig for over 20 years. Removing personal opinions about how his shortlived Tonight Show exit went, Leno seems like the kind of guy that could walk into any room imaginable and win at least most of the audience over. And if all else fails, there’s always “Headlines.”

9. Chelsea Handler

It’s a damned crime that there aren’t more women in the late night host annals, but I’m pretty sure Chelsea Handler would have run them all out of the room anyway. When she started up E!’s Chelsea Lately in 2007, Handler was an instant firecracker, mixing lewdness and pop culture with a revolving door of promising new comedians and performers beyond her celebrity guests. We can’t wait to see what she does next with her Netflix-exclusive series coming next year. We’re going to watch it late at night, so that she still fits on this list.

8. Arsenio Hall

With a seemingly endless abundance of energy, Arsenio Hall broke out in the late night game taking over The Late Show after Joan Rivers’ run, soon getting his own Arsenio Hall Show, which ran in syndication from 1989-1994. He got a second chance to achieve post-primetime fame with the revived series of the same name, but it only lasted a single season from 2013-2014, despite a Season 2 renewal. It’s a shame, as Hall’s interview style was enjoyably relaxed and often silly, with a selection of guests – Jim Henson, Jason Voorhies, Bill Clinton – that rivaled any other show.

7. Stephen Colbert

The one person on this list whose hosting persona is a fictional extension of his own personality, Stephen Colbert stepped out of his Daily Show correspondent spot to make some Eagle-wing-shaped waves as the host of the satirically conservative Comedy Central series The Colbert Report. With an unwinking smile and a reliance on The Word, Colbert often used hyperbole to make his points; it sometimes led to awkward interviews, but they were almost always memorable. He’ll be taking over for David Letterman as the Late Show host starting in September, and we’re optimistic he’ll make a smooth bear-free transition.

6. Jimmy Kimmel

As the former host of Win Ben Stein’s Money and The Man Show, Jimmy Kimmel seemed destined for late night stardom, and it came in 2003 when he brought Jimmy Kimmel Live! to audiences on ABC. (It’s not actually live, as Thomas Jane’s filthy mouth put an end to that fairly quickly.) Though it took Kimmel a while to fully adjust himself to the gig, the show has become an online sensation in recent years, with nearly every episode producing viral videos, often involving people reading Mean Tweets about themselves.

5. Craig Ferguson

Stand-up comic and actor Craig Ferguson wasn’t necessarily the most obvious choice to take over The Late Late Show following Craig Kilborn’s departure, but he immediately made it his own. Who needs a human sidekick when you can use a skeleton named Geoff and a pantomime horse named Secretariat? Though the series had its fair share of jokes and silliness, Ferguson was a master storyteller, and often worked more serious subject matter into his interviews and segments to accompany the product plugging. His presence on late night, which came to an end after Stephen Colbert landed the Late Show job, has been missed.

4. Jon Stewart

With pointed flabbergast and anger-tinged sarcasm as his biggest weapons, Jon Stewart turned The Daily Show from a humorous talk show into a nightly social studies lesson. By honing down the most important events plaguing 24-hour news cycles, Stewart has given a flashy education to his series’ younger demographic, and he’s seemingly one of the few hosts out there whose form of self-editing is largely absent. His upcoming departure from The Daily Show will be almost as hard to take as (insert joke about any Presidential administration), and I can’t foresee anyone as a suitable replacement.

3. Conan O’Brien

With a head full of red hair and The Simpsons on his resume, Conan O’Brien was tapped to take over as host of Late Night when David Letterman shot out for CBS. With Andy Richter and drummer Max Weinberg’s band (and a masturbating bear) by his side, O’Brien became an instant jolt of offbeat comedy and absurdity. Though it seemed like his Tonight Show snafu might derail the host completely, O’Brien changed things up for TBS’ Conan, which is arguably an even more enjoyable series than Late Night was. Viva la Cuba!

2. Johnny Carson

There’s no way to sum up what Johnny Carson meant to the world of late night hosting, as he serves as the clear connection between the format’s early years and the modern era. As the host of The Tonight Show from 1962 until 1992, Carson was a towering benchmark for many hosts to come, and inspired just about anyone who ever sat behind a talk show desk, late night or otherwise. Beyond the stellar bits like Carnac the Magnificent, The Tonight Show created careers for comedians and other entertainers, and Carson was the man to impress in those situations. His career and influence are unparalleled.

1. David Letterman

Yes, Johnny Carson may be the most inspirational talk show host who ever lived, but he bowed out in 1992, when the late night scene was started to thrive. (Because of age, but still.) David Letterman got his big break in 1982 on NBC’s post-Carson Late Night, for which he served as the kooky young guy running around Rockerfeller Plaza until 1992, when he was surprisingly passed over for the Tonight Show gig so that Jay Leno could achieve stardom. From there, Letterman hopped ship to CBS for The Late Show, created just for him. With only a minimal insertion of calmness, Letterman has been rocking the Late Show stage ever since, and over the years has run the emotional gamut from hilarious to sincere to pissed off to sardonic to saddened. He lived to see late night explode, and will presumably leave an enormous crater when he steps down from the Late Show desk in May. We’ll all just have to start contacting the home office in Sioux City, Iowa to get our own Top Ten lists from now on.

It’s hard to believe that Jay Leno has been gone from The Tonight Show for almost a year. The longtime host of The Tonight Show seems very much at ease with his post late night life and still gets to do what he loves: make people laugh albeit on a smaller scale. New host Jimmy Fallon has seemingly taken the late night world by storm redefining The Tonight Show brand and making his show very different than Leno’s old LA-based gabfest. So what does longtime host Jay Leno think of his heir apparent? "Terrific" is the word he uses.

Leno seemed completely at ease with his post-Tonight Show life when he sat down with People backstage at the Florida Hospital Golden Gala, a charity event that raised money for the Children's Epilepsy Program. Leno was the host of the late night staple for a whopping 4610 episodes after taking the reigns from Johnny Carson in 1992.

It was a special moment seeing that the two hosts are simpatico after Leno paid a recent visit to Fallon earlier this month. Seeing the old workhorse jab the young upstart about the finer points of purchasing an ”old-timey car” is pure late-night magic. While Leno’s Tonight Show and Fallon’s iteration are very different shows, it is good to see that the torch has been firmly passed without any bad blood.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is very much geared toward the social media generation and continues to do a great job of making staple bits become water cooler fodder the next day. Even the mishaps like mega-band U2 canceling turned a negative into a positive for Fallon just a couple weeks back. Many complaints about Leno’s show over the years were regarding the silver haired comic's desperation to be liked by all celebrities and guests. Despite the rumblings about the need to be loved, Leno always kept a smile on his face and went at the show with his fervent work ethic and dedication. However, Fallon seems to realize that having every guest love you is an impossibility and has taken any growing pains he has had so far in stride.

The Tonight Show will always be the gold standard of late night TV and an American tradition. Now, with Fallon firmly comfortable in his own shoes as NBC’s top dog, it is nice to see Leno give the old “OK” sign that he received from Carson so many years ago.

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon had a very special guest on last night. Former host Jay Leno was interviewed on the late night program for the first time since leaving The Tonight Show, and he spent the majority of the interview poking fun at his predecessor. You can catch the clip, below.

In the video, Leno and Fallon discuss a time Fallon tried to enlist the older comedian’s help in buying a classic car. Restoring old beauties to their full glory is a pastime for Leno, but he had to tell Fallon why owning an "old-timey" car would probably be more of a headache than an investment. Fallon, apparently, doesn’t know anything about cars, much less fixing classic cars when they break down. Leno also pokes fun at Fallon’s tiny hands, and has some uncouth expenses he forces the younger comedian to cover.

Leno’s comedic ‘tude during the segment is amusing, and it shows how dominating Leno is in any room. Not that Leno’s doing it to prove he has hard feelings about retiring. In fact, the switchover from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon was an amicable one on NBC last year—far different from the Conan disaster a few years back. Leno and Fallon seemed fairly chummy throughout the transition, joking about it and even teaming up to sing about The Tonight Show rumors to make sure the PR around the transition was all positive. That’s bowing out with grace.

Jay Leno may no longer be a late night host, but in many ways, he’s more impressive on the other side of the desk, where he doesn’t have to reign himself in or react in a listening capacity. His brief appearance on The Tonight Show certainly proves he’s still in fine form.

Luckily, if you are interested in what Jay Leno is up to now that he’s retired from late night TV, the man’s got plenty of projects in the works. He’s set to host his own show on CNBC called Jay Leno’s Garage, which will be about those classic cars Fallon knows nothing about. He’s also scheduled to pop up again on a late night program, soon. This week, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson announced Jay Leno will appear during Ferguson’s last episode as a host. That episode will air on December 19, and will also feature a slew of other big names.

Late Late Show fans sadly only have around six weeks left with longtime host Craig Ferguson, as he is packing up and shipping out of the host chair on Friday, December 19. For his last show, he’s bringing in someone very familiar with departing the late night world: former Tonight Show host Jay Leno. That’s a pretty stellar way to go out, don’t you think?

Jay Leno last hosted the Tonight Show on February 6 of this year – after previously “last hosting it” in May 2009 during the Conan O’Brien debacle – and he’s actually returning to The Tonight Show on Friday night to chat it up with current host Jimmy Fallon. He’s been on the Late Late Show before, as seen in the video below, so it should be a pretty good time, especially if Ferguson is manically treating it like the last day of school.

Chances are, the discussion will center on Leno’s new show Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBC, which will presumably be just like his web series of the same name. Ferguson may also develop another series for himself in the future, but for now, he’s hosting Celebrity Name Game. Perhaps neither of their future projects will come up, and they’ll just do keg stands and try to ride Secretariat around the set. Perhaps not.

All of Ferguson’s December guests have been revealed, and he’s got a host of superstars lined up, many of whom have made his quirky show their home multiple times in the past. The early weeks of the month will see actors like Steve Carrell, Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Carrie Fisher show up to talk about their projects. (I cannot wait to see Fisher in particular.)

For the final week, he’ll have on Tim Meadows, who holds the title of most appearances on Late Late Show, with 41. Later we’ll see Thomas Lennon, who’s been on the show 30 times, and Betty White, who’s shown up for 23 appearances. That last week also has Jon Hamm, Angela Kinsey, Larry King and Jim Parsons. Go big or go home. Or in this case, go big AND go home.

Following Ferguson’s departure on December 19, CBS will be handing over the Late Late Show reins to James Corden. Perhaps he’ll have Arsenio Hall or some other former talk show host as his first guest.

It’s hard to believe at this point that it’s been less than a year since Jimmy Fallon took over The Tonight Show on NBC. The new late night host has settled comfortably into the role that was vacated by Jay Leno, but this week, Leno plans to appear on the Tonight Show stage for the first time since he left last February.

Considering Jay Leno’s history with The Tonight Show, an appearance might seem a little forced to those unfamiliar with Leno’s transition story. The late night host was displaced once by Conan O’Brien and then later by Fallon, although NBC allowed the longtime host to bow out with a little more grace the second time. In fact, Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon were pretty chummy throughout the whole transitional phase, singing about The Tonight Show rumors together and more.

The transition was made even easier by Fallon, who has shown great respect for the late night host. Shortly night before he was officially signed on to host The Tonight Show, he appeared on an episode of Leno’s version, writing thank you notes for the late night great. Since he took over in February, he also asked Leno to appear in "House of Cue Cards," one of the sketch segments he routinely likes to run. Clearly, there is no bad blood between the two men, especially now that Leno has moved on to a new project.

According to THR, Leno is headed to The Tonight Show on Friday. It’s likely he’ll be talking about the two recent milestones in his life, including earning the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and landing a brand new series with CNBC. The latter will be called Jay Leno’s Garage and will follow the car enthusiast as he waxes poetic about classic cars. The show will focus on everything from test driving these classic vehicles to restoring them to mint condition. It’ll be a great show for car enthusiasts, but also should be a total change of pace for Leno, who spent a good chunk of his career under studio lights working the late night grind.

I’m sure we’ll get some fun stories from the man when he pops up on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In the meantime, you can catch new episodes when they air on NBC, weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET.