A standup stalwart who stepped into the Tonight Show hosting gig when Johnny Carson retired, Jay Leno held that spot for 20 years. So when he finally retired, then unretired, then retired again (after some Succession-worthy intrigue) did Jay pick up the fishing pole? Nope! Instead he continued with frequent standup gigs, became a game-show host (You Bet Your Life), and launched a show about his friends and their cars (Jay Leno's Garage). As always find extra clips below and thanks for sharing our shows!
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Late night television went to war after Johnny Carson retired with battles over his successor. In that scrap, Leno was often pitted against the prickly David Letterman who many felt should have succeeded Carson. That feud led to a memorable ad during the 2010 Super Bowl featuring Jay, Dave, and "mediator" Oprah Winfrey. https://youtu.be/-KSKkmypTZM?si=le0WGVwrG5Fd3FyE
When Jay moved to Los Angeles and became part of the comedy scene there in the late 1970s it was only a matter of time before he scored the Holy Grail of guest spots -- a slot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Here's that first appearance from 1977 (and dig the green leisure suit). https://youtu.be/qvmQZ1jQjQk?si=NkLFMQagKE2sN1Iu
One of Jay Leno's signature bits on The Tonight Show was "Headlines" in which Jay would read real headlines from local papers -- always with some bizarre or inappropriate typos. It was a hit and spawned a number of book spinoffs. https://youtu.be/L-xm_zjXFMw?si=ePezelqI_O89TRts
Jay Leno is a workhorse -- he doesn't seem comfortable unless he has several projects in the fire. After he retired from The Tonight Show, one of those irons involved his love of old cars (he has a huge collection). This episode of Jay Leno's Garage featured Martha Steward reminiscing about her old Edsel station wagon. https://youtu.be/KaGqElpspm0?si=G2tosPABBwNoLmGE