Former “Tonight Show” host and comedian, Jay Leno, 74, was severely injured after tumbling down a 60-foot hill close to his hotel in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on November 16, 2024. Notwithstanding his injuries, Leno still fulfilled his scheduled appearance only hours following the incident.
Displaying a black eye, a swollen countenance, and a bandaged wrist, Leno showed up at the Comedy for Koby event in Beverly Hills on the following Monday night. Wearing an eye patch, Leno informed TMZ that he was “holding up fine” and narrated the circumstances of his injuries.
“I was staying at a hotel on a hill,” he explained. “I asked, ‘Where’s a good place to eat?’ They said, ‘Down at the bottom.’ The restaurant was nearby, but I didn’t have a car, so instead of walking a mile and a half around, I thought, ‘This hill doesn’t look too bad. It’s about 60 or 70 feet. Let me try going down.’”
Regrettably, his attempted shortcut resulted in an unforeseen accident. “I rolled down the hill, hit my head on a rock, and it knocked me in the eye,” Leno revealed. Despite the accident, Leno continued and executed a comedy show at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg just a few hours later, only seeking medical attention after returning to Los Angeles.
The fall inflicted Leno with significant injuries, including substantial bruising on the left side of his body and face, a swollen eye resulting in wearing an eye patch, a broken wrist necessitating a cast, and a lost fingernail.
Keeping his typical witty style, Leno remarked, “The great thing about this age [is] you don’t learn by your mistakes, you just keep doing the same stupid thing.”
This incident is another in a series of unfortunate events Leno has experienced over the past two years. In November 2022, he sustained second and third-degree burns on his face, chest, and hands while repairing a steam engine in his garage. This required treatment at the Grossman Burn Center and several surgical procedures.
In January 2023, Leno was involved in a motorcycle accident, which resulted in a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and cracked kneecaps.
On a personal front, Leno has been dealing with his wife Mavis’ dementia diagnosis, for which he was granted conservatorship earlier this year. Despite this, the couple, who were married in 1980, remains closely connected. Leno has voiced his enjoyment in spending time with and taking care of her, admiring her independence, and expressing immense pride in her. Their strong bond continues to provide them support through life’s challenges.
Despite these adversities, Leno has kept his performance agenda. Reflecting on his resilience, Leno stated, “I write jokes, tell jokes, get checked.”
