Jay Leno breaks bones in motorcycle crash months after garage fire
Jay Leno hurt again FILE PHOTO: Jay Leno attends the private unveiling of the Meyers Manx electric automobile at Little Beach House Malibu on August 08, 2022 in Malibu, California. Leno said he suffered several broken bones in a recent motorcycle crash. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Months after suffering third-degree burns in a fire that erupted while working on one of his antique cars, Jay Leno was injured in a mishap.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal was the first to report that Leno broke several bones in a motorcycle crash last week.
The comedian was speaking by phone with a reporter, telling him that he was “knocked off my motorcycle. So I’ve got a broken collarbone. I’ve got two broken ribs. I’ve got two cracked kneecaps.”
Leno was working on his 1940 Indian motorcycle when he noticed a smell of gas.
“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,” Leno told the newspaper. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.”
He said he didn’t say anything about the crash that happened on Jan. 17 because of the media coverage he received surrounding his burns.
“You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free,” Leno said. “After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down (laughs).”
Ford has had several airplane mishaps: one in 2020 when he had to do a touch-and-go landing after being told to hold his position, another in 2017 when he landed on a taxiway, still another in 2015 when he crashed a World War II-era training plane onto a golf course, in 2000 when his plane was blown from the runway by wind and finally in 1999 when he had to make an emergency landing in a dry riverbed, The New York Times reported.
Leno had been scheduled to return to the Las Vegas Strip in March and said that he was OK and was scheduled to perform this weekend.
The comedian was working on a 1907 White Motor Co. steam-powered car in November when he found the fuel line clogged. He told a friend who he was working with to blow air through the line and gas rained down on his face. The car’s pilot light flickered and caught his face on fire, NBC News reported.
Leno was taken to a local hospital and sent to a burn clinic for treatment. He returned to the stage only weeks after suffering the burns.
News of Leno’s latest injuries came as his reality show “Jay Leno’s Garage” has reportedly been canceled, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show premiered on NBC.com in 2014 and then moved to CNBC the next year. Its cancelation brings Leno’s 30-year run with NBCUniversal to an end. The final season of “Jay Leno’s Garage” aired last fall.
Through the years LOS ANGELES - MAY 10: "The Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Show" featuring (from left) Marilyn McCoo, Jay Leno and Billy Davis, Jr. during a comedy skit, May 10, 1977. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) (CBS Photo Archive/CBS via Getty Images)
Through the years APRIL 5: Jay Leno, one of the stars of "American Hot Wax," poses for a portrait, April 5, 1978. (Photo by Bill Curtis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JANUARY 15: Jay Leno and Arnesio Hall sighted on January 15, 1981 at the Improv in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty)
Through the years LAVERNE & SHIRLEY - "Do the Carmine" - Airdate: March 13, 1983. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
DAVID L. LANDER;EDDIE MEKKA;JAY LENO (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Con)
Through the years 31 Jan 1993: Humorist Jay Leno (center) entertains the Buffalo Bills fans during the Super Bowl XXVII pre-game against the Dallas Cowboys at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Cowboys defeated the Bills 52-17. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /All (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Through the years Julie Cardoza puts one of her parrots on the shoulder of Jay Leno, on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' at the NBC Studios in Burbank, CA., July 31, 2001. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years Comedian and talk show host Jay Leno speaks at a hand and footprint ceremony honoring actor Nicolas Cage August 14, 2001 at the famous Grauman''s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Through the years Tim Allen donated the '56 Chevy Nomad used in his sitcom "Home Improvement" to E-Bay's "Auction for America" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Los Angeles, Ca. October 4, 2001. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years ''Tonight Show'' Host Jay Leno attends Love Ride 18, the yearly motorcycle cruise and concert to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association November 11, 2001 in Glendale, CA. (Photo by Jason Kirk/Getty Images) (Jason Kirk/Getty Images)
Through the years Julie Scardina from SeaWorld and south american sloths on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios in Burbank, Ca. Thursday, June 13, 2002. Photo by Kevin Winter/ImageDirect. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years BURBANK, CA - FEBRUARY 4: TV's "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin (L) wraps an anaconda snake around host Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC studios February 4, 2003 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 10: Mad Scientist David Willey appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios October 10, 2003 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years GLENDALE, CA - NOVEMBER 9: Actress Angie Everhart, comedian Jay Leno and musician Dusty Hill pose backstage at the Love Ride 20 at Harley-Davidson/Buell of Glendale November 9, 2003 in Glendale, California. The yearly motorcycle cruise and concert hosted by Grand Marshal Jay Leno benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Reading by 9 and other charities. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Through the years NEW YORK - MARCH 26: Talk Show host Jay Leno makes an appearance at Barnes & Noble to promote his new childrens book "If Roast Beef Could Fly" March 26, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images) (Evan Agostini/Getty Images)
Through the years SANTA MONICA, CA - AUGUST 28: Host Jay Leno stands by his Mercedes SLR during the Robb Report's "Best of the Best" at Hangar Eight on August 28, 2004 in Santa Monica, California. The event benefits "The Childen's Lifesaving Foundation." (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images). (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Through the years BURBANK, CA - SEPTEMBER 27 - In this handout photo provided by NBC, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tonight Show with a cake commemorating its hosts from past and present (Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno.) (Photo by NBC/Paul Drinkwater via Getty Images.) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
Through the years BURBANK, CA - JANUARY 3: In this NBC Entertainment handout, "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" host Jay Leno looks on as actor Dustin Hoffman signs a Harley-Davidson motorcycle January 3, 2005 in Burbank California. Leno annouced on the show that he will have guests sign the motorcycle which will be auctioned off, proceeds from which will benefit the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. (Photo by NBC Entertainment via Getty Images) (Getty Images/Getty Images)
Through the years BEVERLY HILLS, CA - MARCH 1: Actor Tom Hanks and talk show host Jay Leno arrive at Saks Fifth Avenue's Unforgettable Evening at the Regent Beverly Wilshire on March 1, 2005 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years DAYTONA BEACH , FL - FEBRUARY 19: TV host Jay Leno drives the pace car during the NASCAR Nextel Cup Daytona 500 on February 19, 2006 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) (Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 28: Actor Jerry Seinfeld (L) and talk show host Jay Leno pose at the premiere of DreamWorks Animation's "Bee Movie" at the Mann Village Theatre on October 28, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years HOLLYWOOD - APRIL 21: Actor Hugh Jackman (R) is congratulated by talk show host Jay Leno at the hand and footprint ceremony honoring Jackman in the forecourt of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on April 21, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images) (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 14: Jay Leno (R) kisses the kind of actress Betty White during the American Women in Radio and Television 2010 Genii Awards at the Skirball Cultural Center on April 14, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Through the years BURBANK, CA - FEBRUARY 06: Actor Billy Crystal (L) and comedian Jay Leno appear onstage during a commercial break on the final episode of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at The Burbank Studios on February 6, 2014 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Through the years BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 29: Event host Jay Leno is interviewed by George at Champions for Children's at Seaport World Trade Center on November 29, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images for Boston's Children Hospital) (Darren McCollester)
Through the years NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 11: Lydia Fenet and Jay Leno host the auction during the 20th Anniversary Gala to celebrate Hudson River Park at Pier 60 on October 11, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Hudson River Park) (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Hudson River Pa)
Through the years LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 25: Jay Leno attends a benefit for WeSPARK Cancer Support Center at Skirball Cultural Center on October 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images) (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)