Will Jay Leno Retire After Recent Accidents, Hospitalizations? What He Thinks

Jay Leno in Jay Leno's Garage on Peacock
(Image credit: Peacock)

Jay Leno was involved in two dangerous incidents only months apart from each other, however, he's back and ready to work. The first was a scary garage fire after an accident involving one of his cars. He suffered second and maybe third-degree burns, however, as he recovered the former Tonight Show host kept his wits about him. Then, a couple of months after that, Leno broke multiple bones in a motorcycle accident. While some may suspect that he’d slow down and maybe retire after all of this, it’s actually the opposite as the comedian opened up the future of his career. 

Despite the fact that Jay Leno was involved in two dangerous accidents in two months, he has every intention to keep working. When it comes to retirement, he explained to Page Six that there’s only one way he’ll stop working, saying: 

[I won’t stop working] unless I have a stroke. Then you slow down. That’s when you retire — when you have your stroke.

Based on how he’s bounced back from these two major incidents, it’s clear that the former Tonight Show host has no intention of slowing down. As the publication reported in November, after Leno was hospitalized for ten days with third-degree burns after the garage fire, a week after he was discharged, he was back on stage doing stand-up. So, his drive to keep doing what he loves is clear.

Then, in January, Jay Leno fell off his motorcycle, and he broke his collarbone, two ribs and had two cracked kneecaps. Literally, just a few days later he was back to work with his cars and his jokes. 

The comedian continued to talk about his recovery, saying he’s doing really well, and doesn’t need to go to physical therapy anymore. After noting that he’s “doing good,” and saying that he was “fine” on multiple occasions, he spoke about how lucky he feels saying: 

Look, when you’re in my position, when you’re any kind of celebrity, you’re luckier than most people.

He continued to say that “bad things happen to people every day,” and that they might not have the financial stability he was. The former Jay Leno's Garage host said that he's fortunate to be in the position he is. With his cheeky sense of humor, Leno explained that “as long as you look OK, you’re OK in Hollywood,” but based on these updates it really sounds like he’s doing well. 

Despite the accidents, Jay Leno is still enjoying working on his massive car collection and taking his vehicles out for rides. He also noted that his wife has been supportive of his hobby. 

Clearly, Jay Leno has no plans of retiring anytime soon, as he’s set to appear on the 2023 TV schedule as a guest judge on Hot Wheels: The Ultimate Challenge with U.S. Top Gear alum Rutledge Wood. To see the gearhead back on screen, you can stream this reality competition with a Peacock subscription, or catch it on NBC every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET. 

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.