43 Facts About Leno

James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer.

Leno writes a regular column in Popular Mechanics showcasing his car collection and giving automotive advice.

Leno's homemaker mother, Catherine, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11.

Leno's father, Angelo, was an insurance salesman born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy.

Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and graduated from Andover High School.

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Leno obtained a bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973.

Leno's older brother, Patrick, was a Vietnam War veteran who became an attorney.

Leno's only starring film role was the 1989 direct-to-video Collision Course, with Pat Morita.

Leno appeared numerous times on Late Night with David Letterman.

Leno appeared on three weeks of the short-lived NBC game show Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour in 1983 and 1984.

Leno continued to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout his Tonight Show tenure.

In 2004, Leno signed a contract extension with NBC to retain him as host of The Tonight Show until 2009.

NBC and Leno claimed there were private meetings with the WGA where a secret agreement was reached allowing this, the WGA denied such meetings.

The illness was not initially disclosed, but Leno later told People magazine that it was for exhaustion.

The gag order was challenged, and the court ruled that Leno could continue telling jokes about the trial as long as he did not discuss his testimony.

Leno celebrated by devoting an entire monologue to Michael Jackson jokes.

Leno's show continued to lead all late-night programming in the Nielsen ratings, the pending expiration of his contract led to speculation about whether he would become a late-night host for another network when his commitment to NBC expired.

Leno's show would be shortened from an hour to 30 minutes.

Leno has maintained an active schedule as a touring stand-up comedian, doing an average of 200 live performances a year in venues across the United States and Canada and at charity events and USO tours.

Leno has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and was a guest on the finale of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Leno appeared in a cameo role drilling and tormenting James Corden in a facetious boot camp for talk-show hosts on the premiere of The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Leno declined an invitation to appear on Late Show with David Letterman despite speculation he would appear on the show's finale.

Leno hosted a one-hour Jay Leno's Garage special on CNBC, and the show has aired as a primetime series on the cable channel since 2015.

Leno had a recurring role in the Tim Allen comedy series Last Man Standing since season 5, playing a mechanic, Joe Leonard, in a store operated by Allen's character, Mike Baxter.

Leno has hosted the third revival of the game show You Bet Your Life since its premiere in fall 2021.

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Leno has faced heated criticism and some negative publicity for his perceived role in the 2010 Tonight Show conflict.

Critics have cited a 2004 Tonight Show clip where Leno said he would allow O'Brien to take over without incident.

Leno's got everything to lose in terms of public popularity by going back.

In 2009, Leno received minor criticism for asking rapper Kanye West how his recently deceased mother, Donda West, would have felt about the incident at the 2009 VMAs, causing West to begin crying live on air.

Leno has been criticized for the perceived change in the content of his monologues from his previous stand-up material.

Jay Leno is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television.

Leno said that the situation was "all business", and that all of the decisions were made by NBC.

Leno has been married to Mavis Leno since 1980; they have no children.

In 1993, during his first season as host of The Tonight Show, Leno's mother died at the age of 82; and the next year, his father died at 84.

Leno is known for his prominent jaw, which has been described as mandibular prognathism.

Leno spends much of his free time visiting car collections and working in his private garage.

Leno has claimed that he has not spent any of the money he earned from The Tonight Show, but lives off of his money from his stand-up routines.

Since 1985, Leno has been the Grand Marshal for the Love Ride, a motorcycle charity event which since its founding in 1984 has raised nearly $14 million for charities benefiting muscular dystrophy research, Autism Speaks, and in 2001, the September 11 attacks recovery.

Leno has a website and a TV program called Jay Leno's Garage, which contains video clips and photos of his car collection in detail, as well as other vehicles of interest to him.

Leno has a regular column in Popular Mechanics which showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as his jet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid.

Leno writes occasional "Motormouth" articles for The Sunday Times, reviewing high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on motoring matters.

Leno opened his garage to Team Bondi, the company that developed the 2011 video game L A Noire, which is set in Los Angeles in the late-1940s.

Leno's collection contains almost one hundred cars from this period, and allowed the team to recreate their images as accurately as possible.