Jay Leno is 74 now, and he’s finally acknowledging what most people spend their lives dodging: time catches everyone. The man has been an institution in American entertainment for decades—workhorse comedian, late-night king, and the guy who could talk cars with the enthusiasm of a kid discovering engines for the first time. But age has a way of shifting priorities, and Leno is making decisions that underline one blunt truth he’s not afraid to say out loud: nobody gets out of here alive.

The accidents and health scares he’s survived didn’t soften him; they sharpened him. They reminded him that even the most relentless personalities hit limits eventually. So he’s doing what practical people do—putting his affairs in order. And in Leno’s world, that means addressing not just the finances and legalities, but the massive, historic, obsessively maintained car collection that defines him as much as his comedy ever did.

He’s setting aside a significant part of his fortune specifically to protect those cars after he’s gone. Not to sell them off. Not to chop the collection into profitable pieces. To preserve them. To keep them together. To make sure they’re treated the way he treated them—with respect, curiosity, and meticulous care. Leno has always insisted he doesn’t “own” these machines so much as he’s a temporary steward of automotive history, and he’s now ensuring that stewardship continues without him.

Anyone who knows his collection understands why he’s doing it. It’s not just a garage. It’s a rolling museum that tracks more than a century of engineering. Steam cars, jet-powered experiments, one-off prototypes, million-dollar supercars, classics restored to better-than-factory condition—he has it all. And he didn’t just stash them away as trophies. He drove them. He understood them. He took them apart and put them back together again. Every car in that warehouse has a story, and most of those stories include Leno’s hands covered in grease.

This isn’t a man passing down toys. This is a man passing down a legacy—one shaped in metal, fuel, and obsession. Cars were never a hobby for him. They were a language. They were the throughline of his life, the thing that grounded him when fame, schedules, and the demands of millions pulled him in a hundred directions. When he wasn’t performing, he was in the garage. That’s where he did some of his best thinking. That’s where he felt like himself.

And even now, long after most people would’ve slowed down, he’s still maintaining the collection with the same energy he had decades ago. But he’s realistic enough to know that at some point, even he won’t be the one behind the wheel. That realism isn’t grim—it’s responsible. He’s aware of what happens when massive collections fall into unprepared hands: they get scattered, neglected, or dumped on the market piece by piece. He won’t let that happen.

The truth is, Leno has never been sentimental in a corny way. He’s sentimental in a practical way. He believes in preserving things that matter. He believes in honoring craftsmanship. And he believes that if you care about something, you don’t leave its future to chance. So he’s building a plan that outlives him, a structure that keeps his life’s passion intact. He’s making sure the engines he loved so much keep running.

His fans aren’t surprised. If anything, they’re reflective. Leno has been a constant presence in their lives—someone who made people laugh every night and showed them that success doesn’t have to mean losing your grounding. He worked nonstop. He stayed out of scandal. He treated fame like a job, not a license to act like a monarch. And through it all, the cars were his anchor.

In a way, this plan of his—this move to safeguard the collection—is the most personal thing he’s ever done. He’s not doing it for applause. He’s not doing it for headlines. He’s doing it because love for something, when it’s real, doesn’t evaporate when the end approaches. It becomes even clearer, even sharper.

Jay Leno has spent his lifetime with engines in his ears, grease on his sleeves, and an encyclopedic knowledge of automotive history in his head. He’s given the world humor and entertainment, but he’s also given it something tangible—machines preserved, stories preserved, history preserved. And now he’s making sure that the roar of those engines keeps echoing long after he can’t hear it anymore.

He’s preparing for the final lap with the same steady confidence he brought to every stage, every show, every project. He’s not afraid. He’s not dramatic. He’s practical, focused, and consistent. And as he sets the foundation for what happens next, one thing is clear: Jay Leno’s legacy won’t be defined by the day he stops breathing, but by the generations who will stand in front of those cars, long after he’s gone, and feel the spark he carried his whole life.

Jay Leno Broke His Collarbone, Ribs and Kneecaps in Motorcycle Crash Last Week

The comedian’s latest accident comes after he sustained second-degree burns in a fire that broke out in the garage of his Los Angeles home in November 2022

Jay Leno is on the mend again!

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal published Thursday, the comedian, 72, revealed that he is recovering from a recent motorcycle accident that left him with several broken bones, only months after he sustained second-degree burns in a fire that broke out in the garage of his Los Angeles home.

Detailing that he “got knocked off” his motorcycle on Jan. 17, Leno told the outlet, “I’ve got a broken collarbone. I’ve got two broken ribs. I’ve got two cracked kneecaps.”

“But I’m okay!” the star — who is returning to Las Vegas in March — added. “I’m okay, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”

A representative for Leno did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

According to Leno, he was on the road testing a vintage 1940 Indian motorcycle when he noticed the scent of leaking gas and decided to pull over to investigate.

“So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” he explained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out.”

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty
The former Tonight Show host told the outlet that he didn’t make his accident public knowledge at first because there was so much chaos and coverage from his prior November incident.

“You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free,” he said, then joking: “After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down.”

Back in November, Leno and his longtime friend, Dave Killackey, were working on a clogged fuel line in the undercarriage of a 1907 White Steam Car parked in the TV host’s 140,000-square-foot Burbank garage when he sustained severe second-degree burns all over his face and upper body.

Within minutes, paramedics arrived, and by the next day, Leno had checked into The Grossman Center, where he was treated for burns across his face, neck, chest, hands and left arm.

Over nine days, Leno — whose wife of 42 years, Mavis, slept beside him at The Center — underwent two skin grafting surgeries (one with human cadaver skin and another with pig intestine) to help regenerate new healthy skin, as well as sessions in hyperbaric chambers to help oxygenate tissue. Within six days after he left the Center, Leno was back onstage, performing standup at the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California.

In an exclusive chat with PEOPLE a month after the accident, Leno described the ordeal in detail, stating, “It felt exactly like my face was on fire. Maybe like the most intense sunburn you’ve ever had, that’d be fair to say.”

As he continued to heal, Leno said he was aware that his situation could have been much worse. “I know how bad it could have been,” he explained. “But I’m okay. And I’m sure I’ll continue to do the same stupid things I’ve always done. Just maybe a little bit more carefully!”

Jay Leno ‘feeling good’ despite suffering bruised face from fall

Comedian Jay Leno sustained significant bruises after he tumbled down a 60-foot hil

Comedian Jay Leno appears to be in good spirits after suffering from a nasty fall.

On Friday, Leno, 74, shared a health update as he hosted a Las Vegas charity event.

“I’m feeling good,” Leno said at the inaugural amfAR benefit event, according to People. “I’ve got a broken wrist, but I’m all right.”

His badly bruised face was reportedly covered in makeup at the charity event which honored Sylvester Stallone and his wife Jennifer Flavin Stallone.

On Thursday, Nov. 21. Leno was spotted grabbing lunch in Los Angeles with half of his face bruised and visible injuries.

The former “Tonight Show” host managed to smile slightly despite his facial trauma. He wore a dark jacket over a gray T-shirt with a car on it. Some bruises were shown on the other side of his face, just below his eye.

Comedian Jay Leno is seen recovering from his recent injuries as he’s spotted in Los Angeles. (Splash by Shutterstock)

Leno’s public appearance came after he was severely injured before his stand-up comedy show in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Greensburg is approximately 45 minutes from Pittsburgh.

The former late-night talk show host reportedly stayed at the Hampton Inn and stepped out for dinner at the Dino’s Sports Lounge, according to CBS.

Although the dining establishment was 200 yards from the Hampton Inn, the fastest way to get to the destination was to walk down a steep, grassy hill.

 

Leno’s hotel fall comes after a string of traumatic incidents left the comedian injured.  (Jeff Kowalsky via Getty Images)

Leno explained it was difficult to navigate the slope, and he lost his footing. He tumbled down a 60-foot hill into the parking lot.

After Leno took the traumatic fall, he broke his wrist, sustained significant bruises on his face and body, and lost a fingernail after he fell down the steep hill. He wore an eye patch to cover his injuries during his comedy show.

Despite being severely hurt, Leno continued to perform a stand-up comedy show for more than 1,500 people.

 

In January 2023, Leno was “knocked off” his motorcycle. The “Cars” star broke two ribs, two kneecaps and a collarbone. (Fox Nation)

The comedian waited until he traveled home to Los Angeles to have his injuries checked at a hospital. Leno brushed off his choice not to break his show schedule as no big deal.

Reps for Leno did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

 

Leno’s hotel fall comes after a string of traumatic incidents left the comedian injured.

He’s kept a positive outlook over the past couple of years as he’s faced several personal struggles – including a motorcycle accident and suffering from third-degree burns in a gasoline fire.

After comedian and classic car collector Jay Leno suffered from “serious burns” in a gasoline fire while working on one of his vehicles, he underwent treatment.  (Getty Images/Inside Edition)

“I got burned in a fire. I got a face full of gas. A spark jumped. [It’s] not like, ‘How did this happen?’ I mean, people get burned every day,” he told Fox News Digital in October, joking that people reacted more strongly because he’s a celebrity.

Leno noted he “was out in eight and a half days” from the hospital and “I missed two days’ of work. So, it wasn’t bad. It was… better than the broken leg, believe me.”

 

In January 2023, Leno was “knocked off” his motorcycle. The “Cars” star broke two ribs, two kneecaps and a collarbone.

“I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” Leno told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

“I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clotheslined me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out.”

In 2022, Leno underwent multiple surgeries after suffering third-degree burns in a gasoline fire. He suffered significant burns to his face and hands, as well as his chest, while working underneath a car in his Burbank-area garage.

 

 

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