Jay Leno ‘all black and blue’ after falling down a hill

Jay Leno, the former host of The Tonight Show, is recovering after suffering significant injuries from a fall while out for dinner. The 74-year-old comedian and car enthusiast told reporters that he is “black and blue” after tumbling down a 60-foot hill on his way to a restaurant on Saturday night. The accident left him with visible bruising on the left side of his face, a broken wrist, a lost fingernail, and a swollen eye.

Leno, who was wearing a patch over his left eye, spoke candidly about the incident ahead of a performance in Beverly Hills on Monday night. In an interview with Inside Edition, he described how the fall happened while he was staying at a Hampton Inn near Pittsburgh. He was heading to a restaurant close to the hotel before a scheduled performance when he decided to take a shortcut.

“I didn’t have a car, so I thought I’d take a shortcut,” Leno explained in his conversation with TMZ. According to Leno, the hotel staff had recommended a route that would have involved walking about a mile and a half, so he opted to bypass that and take a steep hill down to the restaurant instead. “The hill didn’t look that steep,” he said. “Maybe about 60, 70 feet. Let me see if I can get down there…” Leno then made a dramatic sound to demonstrate his fall: “Boom, boom, boom!”

The comedian recalled hitting several rocks during the fall, but despite the painful mishap, he went on to perform just a few hours later. “It’s not a big deal, it’s alright,” he told TMZ, brushing off the severity of his injuries. Leno didn’t seek medical treatment until he returned to Los Angeles after the show, where he went to the hospital to address his bruising and other injuries. He showed his injuries on camera, revealing that the left side of his body, including his face, was badly bruised from the fall. He also revealed that his eye was swollen shut due to the impact.

The incident is yet another in a series of misfortunes for Leno. In 2022, the former late-night host suffered severe burns to his face, chest, and hands in a garage fire at his home. Leno, who has an extensive car collection, had been working underneath one of his vehicles when the fire occurred. He was treated at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles and spent time recovering from those injuries.

Later that year, Leno was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him with a broken collarbone, two cracked ribs, and two fractured kneecaps. When asked about his string of bad luck, Leno joked to TMZ, “The great thing about this age is that you don’t learn by your mistakes – you just keep doing the same stupid things.”

Despite these setbacks, Leno continues to keep a positive attitude and stay active. He is set to perform at a charity event in support of the same burns hospital that treated him in 2022. His resilience and determination to stay involved in the public eye, even through physical setbacks, demonstrate the same tenacity that he has been known for throughout his career.

The fall down the hill, though painful, serves as yet another chapter in Leno’s unpredictable life. However, his continued spirit to perform and give back, even in the face of adversity, proves that he remains as dedicated as ever to his craft. Fans and colleagues alike admire his strength and unwavering determination to push forward, regardless of the challenges that come his way.