Jay Leno is an American television host and comedian. After years of doing stand-up comedy, he became the host of NBC’s The Tonight Show from 1992 to 2009, when Conan O’Brien took over as host.
Bio/Wiki
Age-73 years
Height- 1.8 m
Weight-92 kg
Born- 28 April 1950
Full Name-James Douglas Muir Leno
Birthplace-New Rochelle, New York, United States
Profession-Comedian, Singer, Dancer, TV producer, Talk Show Host, YouTuber
Spouse-Mavis Leno (m. 1980)
Nationality-American
Family
Leno was born on April 28, 1950, in New Rochelle, New York. His homemaker, Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993), was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at the age of 11. His father, Angelo (1910–1994), was a New York-born insurance salesman. Immigrants from Flumeri, Campania, Italy. In 1993, during his first season as host of The Tonight Show, Leno’s mother died at the age of 82; and the next year, his father died at 84.
Wife
Jay Leno’s wife is Mavis Leno. They have been married since 1980.they have no kids.
Education
Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and graduated from Andover High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in speech therapy from Emerson College in Boston, where he founded a comedy club in 1973. His older brother Patrick (May 12, 1940 – October 6, 2002) was a Vietnam War veteran who became a lawyer. Leno’s older brother Patrick, a Vietnam veteran and Yale Law graduate, died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 62.
Career
Jay Leno is a comedian, actor, author, producer, and former late night talk show host. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in the 1970s, performing in clubs and on television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He got his big break in 1992 when he replaced Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. He hosted the show for 17 years, becoming one of the most recognizable figures in American late-night television. After leaving The Tonight Show in 2014, Leno continued to perform stand-up comedy and host television shows, including the classic car show Jay Leno’s Garage. He is also known for his philanthropic work and has donated millions of dollars to various charities.
Leno made his first appearance on The Tonight Show on March 2, 1977, performing comedy.
In the 1970s, he had small roles in several television series and films, first in the Good Times episode “J.J. in Trouble” (1976) and in the Holmes and Yo-Yo pilot the same year. After appearing in 1977’s Fun with Dick and Jane, he had more prominent roles in 1978’s American Hot Wax and Silver Bears. His other films and television appearances from this period include Almost Heaven (1978), Going Nowhere (1979), One Day at a time, Americathon (1979), Polyester (1981), Alice in Wonderland (1981). And “Feminine Mistake” (1979) and “Do the Carmine” (1983) in Laverne and Shirley.
His only major film role was in the direct-to-video Collision Course of 1989 opposite Pat Morita. He also made several appearances on Late Night with David Letterman.
He also appeared on the short-lived NBC game show Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour for three weeks in 1983 and 1984.
Politics
When it came to the presidential election, Leno remained decidedly apolitical, never publicly supporting either side and remaining on good terms with all the various presidents. The public never knew who he voted for.
While hosting the 2014 Genesis Awards in Jerusalem, Leno mocked then-President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State John Kerry, accusing Obama of “breaking” US-Israel relations.
In a 2015 interview with The Jerusalem Post, Leno said, “I’ve always thought of Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East, I think it’s the cleanest, because it seems like every voter in Israel has a party.” added about Israel’s relations with other Middle Eastern countries: “Israel is so effective at defending itself, and so good at it, that it looks like bullying to the rest of the world.”
Charity
In 2001, he and his wife donated $100,000 to the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campaign to End Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan to educate the public about the plight of women under the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.
In 2009, he donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund at Salem State College (now Salem State University) in honor of Lennie Sogoloff, who gave Leno his start at his jazz club, Lennie’s-on-the-Turnpike.
In August 2012, Leno auctioned off his Fiat 500, which fetched $385,000. All proceeds went to a charity that helps wounded war veterans recover by providing them with temporary housing.
Beginning in November 2022, Leno will sponsor two scholarships at McPherson College.
Love Ride
Since 1985, Leno has been the grand marshal of the charity Love Ride, which since its inception in 1984 has raised nearly $14 million for charities supporting muscular dystrophy research, Autism Speaks, and in the 2001 attacks on 9/11. Recovery
Achievement/Awards
- In 1995 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series
- In 1999 TV Guide Award for Favorite Late-Night Show
- In 2006 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host
- In 2009 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short–Format Non-Fiction Program
- In 2011 Hasty Pudding Man of the Year
Net Worth 2023
Jay Leno has an estimated net worth of $450 million and currently earns $15 million a year. Being one of the richest comedians in the world, Leno also owns a huge garage with an extensive collection of rare vintage classics and extraordinary vehicles.
Latest News About Jay Leno
On Celebrity IOU on Monday, Jay Leno helped his former intern, David, who treated him after a garage fire last November.
The 73-year-old comedian enlisted the help of Drew and Jonathan Scott, 45, after meeting in his garage full of vintage cars and motorbikes.
Jay revealed that he met David as a teenager through his father, who restored fire engines, and became an apprentice 14 years ago before becoming a director-producer.