Jay Leno Reportedly Seriously Burned in a Car Fire

Jay Leno, stand-up comedian and longtime host of The Tonight Show, reportedly cancelled a scheduled appearance at a conference in Las Vegas today after being seriously burned. Leno, a noted car enthusiast, was reportedly in a Los Angeles garage where he stores his cars, when one of them burst into flames without warning, badly burning the left side of the entertainer’s face. According to a report at TMZ, Leno’s eyes and ears were unharmed, and it does not sound like the injuries are life-threatening.

Leno’s first shot at the bigtime came on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, where he became a fan favorite and eventually a frequent substitute when Carson was not hosting. In 1992, he succeeded Carson as the host of The Tonight Show, where he remained until 2009, when he was succeeded by Conan O’Brien. Not long after, Leno launched a show that aired immediately prior to The Tonight Show, and both series suffered in the ratings. After a tense few months, The Jay Leno Show was cancelled and O’Brien left the network, clearing the way for Leno to return to The Tonight Show for another five years. 

Since the end of Leno’s Tonight Show, he has hosted Jay Leno’s Garage, appeared in a recurring role on Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing, and hosted a revival of You Bet Your Life. The latter, which airs in syndication, has been picked up a second season.

Leno was reportedly set to appear at The Financial Brand’s 2022 forum. Earlier today, news broke via an email to attendees that Leno had suffered “a very serious medical emergency.”

“His family was not able to provide us very many details, but there was a very serious medical emergency that is preventing Jay from traveling,” the email reportedly read. “All we know is that he is alive, so our prayers go out to him and his family tonight.”

The TMZ report now states that Leno has cancelled all planned appearances at least for the rest of the week. Representatives for Leno had not yet responded to either TMZ or People for their articles as of this writing.

Leno’s exact condition is unkonwn, but he has reportedly been admitted to Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, California. The 72-year-old maintains an active schedule, so it’s likely that more updates will materialize quickly, when he either reschedules further appearances, or not.