Jay Leno Opens Up About Getting Burned During Garage Fire And Explains Why He Jokes About The Scary Situation

Jay Leno is opening up nearly a month after being badly burned in a garage fire. Shortly after he was hurt, the comedian received surgery and treatment for second and possibly third-degree burns. While it seemed to be a very serious situation at the time, Leno can seem some humor in it. And the actor explained in a newly published op-ed just why he won't stop joking about the matter.

Weeks ago, Jay Leno was spotted out on the town by onlookers and, now, he's written about his post-accident experiences in a piece for the Wall Street Journal. Leno reflected on his accident and his time in the hospital and, as he’s known to do, used humor to break it all down. Those looking for a quick explanation of Leno’s thoughts on his treatment and how he’s feeling won’t get a faster response than this. Here's Leno's brief summation of what happened after his accident (via Yahoo):

Eight days later, I had a brand new face. And it’s better than what was there before.

It should come as no surprise that the former host of The Tonight Show is cracking jokes about what happened. That’s more or less what he's known for as a celebrity and, while I’m sure few would’ve faulted him for taking it easy or even taking a break from the public eye, it doesn’t appear as though he's shying away from the spotlight one bit. 

At this point, it's not clear as to when or if he’ll be filming new episodes of his TV series, Jay Leno’s Garage. However, the 72-year-old star did get candid about how he views his unfortunate accident. Leno equated the garage fire, which happened when he was working on a 1907 White Steam Car, to an occupational hazard that comes with any kind of serious work:

But really, it was an accident, that’s all. Anybody who works with their hands on a regular basis is going to have an accident at some point. If you play football, you get a concussion or a broken leg. Anything you do, there’s a risk factor.

According to him, accidents just tend to happen to those who work with their hands. That’s probably not to say that he expected his own situation to happen to him at some point. Nevertheless, he does seem to be of the thinking that there are risks involved in car repair as can be the case with other jobs that require manual labor. 

So given everything that's happened you may be wondering just how he’s still able to make light of his situation. Well, as the talk show legend explained, that's simply the way that a star must handle such things:

You have to joke about it. There’s nothing worse than whiny celebrities. If you joke about it, people laugh along with you.

It sounds like Jay Leno is absolutely fine with the world laughing along with him and isn't opting to look at things through a grim lens. It’s good to see the celebrity handling the situation so well and that he's already in a place in which he feels comfortable discussing it.

Those with a Peacock Premium subscription can check out episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage right now. While things are winding down when it comes to small-screen content, anyone looking for something new to watch can still browse our 2022 TV schedule to see what’s still to come throughout the remainder of the year. 

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.