Jay Leno jokes new face is 'better' than his old one two years after horror accident
Comedian and late night icon Jay Leno reflects on his horror burn accident two years later.
Jay Leno has joked his new face is "better" then his old one two years after his burn accident.
The 74-year-old late night legend suffered burns to his face in a terrifying gasoline fire in November 2022 before breaking his collarbone and two ribs in a motorcycle crash two months later.
Reflecting on the initial incident, he jokingly told E! News: "My recovery was nine days. I missed two days of work, so it was not bad. Better than the face I had, so I'll take it."
The former 'Tonight Show' host teased that he hoped his "next chapter" doesn't include his "next accident", while giving a promising outlook on his life right now.
He said: "It's good. Things are good. I can't complain. I just write jokes, tell jokes, get checked. Very simple process."
Jay also credited his wife Mavis Leon with keeping him happy.
He added: "I've been very lucky. I've been married to the same woman 45 years. [The secret is] don't screw around — pretty simple."
The TV star and comedian appeared at the Daytime Beauty Awards on Monday (30.09.24) to present his surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman with an oustanding achievement in medicine prize.
Speaking on stage, he recalled heading to the burn centre after getting "a face full of gasoline" and catching fire, before realising his wife - who has been diagnosed with dementia - didn't know where he was.
He said: "I drive home, I see my wife and I go to sleep, not realising this is still burning.
"When I wake up, I can’t get the pillow off my face. So, I’m sitting there with scissors trying to cut the pillow off. So, Dr. Grossman took the pillow off my face."
After recovering from successful facial surgery, Jay soon needed more treatment after another brutal accident.
He continued: "I’m riding my motorcycle and a guy had a wire across the road, and boom, it tore my face.
"I called Dr. Grossman and I said, ‘Listen, I need another face. The other face you got was great, but I just need another.'
"So I guess I am officially a two-faced b****** now."
