Jay Leno suffered yet another set of serious injuries, just two months after second-degree burns all over his face and upper body sent him to the hospital.
The former late night host revealed during an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Thursday that he is currently recovering from a motorcycle accident that left him with a number of broken bones. He told the publication that he “got knocked off” his vintage bike on January 17, and now, “I’ve got a broken collarbone. I’ve got two broken ribs. I’ve got two cracked kneecaps.” He added, “But I’m okay! I’m okay, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”
Leno explained that he was road testing a 1940 Indian motorcycle when he noticed the smell of leaking gas and pulled over to check it out. “So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” he explained. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out.”
The former Tonight Show host revealed that he didn’t initially want to make details of the accident public due after getting burned while working on his car in November. He joked, “You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free. After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down.”
In November, Leno and his friend Dave Killackey were working on a clogged fuel line on the undercarriage of the comedian’s 1907 White Model G steam car in his 140,000-square-foot Burbank garage when it exploded causing severe second-degree burns all over his face and upper body. Paramedics arrived to the scene within minutes and Leno was taken to The Grossman Center where he was treated for burns on his face, neck, chest, hands, and left arm. He was kept at the facility for nine days during which he received two skin grafting surgeries to help regenerate new skin and was also kept in a hyperbaric chamber to help oxygenate the new tissue. Six days after being released, Leno was already back at work, performing standup at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California.
Following that harrowing experience, Leno told People, “It felt exactly like my face was on fire. Maybe like the most intense sunburn you’ve ever had, that’d be fair to say.” He continued, “I know how bad it could have been. But I’m okay. And I’m sure I’ll continue to do the same stupid things I’ve always done. Just maybe a little bit more carefully!”
