Longtime talk-show host, car enthusiast and comedian Jay Leno is officially on the mend.
Friends, family and fans alike were shaken when news broke that Leno, 72, had suffered severe burns to his hands, chest and face in a fire on Nov. 12.
The accident occurred at the garage in Burbank, California, where he stores his many cars, and was described as a “gasoline fire.”
On Monday, the former host of NBC’s “Tonight Show” checked out of the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, according to NBC News, which shared a photo of a smiling Leno with medical staff on Twitter.
Jay Leno says goodbye to staff at the Grossman Burn Center after wrapping up a 10-day stay treating his injuries from a car fire earlier this month.
📷 Grossman Burn Centerhttps://t.co/x7y2VZKglR pic.twitter.com/bT6mRDczmt
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 21, 2022
He appeared to have scarring on his famous chin as well as his neck and his left hand, and his doctors said he has some “elements of nerve damage” stemming from the harrowing incident.
Still, the overall prognosis for Leno was very good.
“I am pleased with Jay’s progress, and I am optimistic that he will make a full recovery,” Dr. Peter Grossman, medical director of the hospital, said in a statement, according to NBC News.
In an interview from his hospital bed, Leno told TMZ he was working on his 1907 White Steam Car to fix a clogged fuel line when gasoline sprayed onto him due to a fuel leak. That’s when an errant spark created a small explosion and set him on fire.
Jay Leno was reportedly working on 1907 Steam Car when gas fire erupted. https://t.co/wyN05piwEN pic.twitter.com/t98Qoe159R
— Road & Track (@RoadandTrack) November 16, 2022
If minor nerve damage and scarring are the worst of his ailments, Leno should be thankful. Such an explosion could have blinded him or worse.
The expectation of a full recovery makes Tim Allen’s friendly barbs at him even funnier.
Allen, a fellow actor and comedian as well as a real-life friend of Leno’s, took some light jabs at him during his recovery.
“His face looks great. It didn’t look all that good to begin with, so … no, he’s going with a George Clooney look. You’re going to be surprised,” Allen told the paparazzi after visiting his friend in the hospital, according to Decider.
“He’s handsome and he’s happy, and the hospital is doing a great job taking care of him,” Allen added in a moment of seriousness.
The report quoted Grossman as saying Leno underwent skin graft surgery and was expected to have visible scars “for the foreseeable future.”
While his gig as host of “The Tonight Show” earned Leno the most attention, he has had a long career as a stand-up comic and appeared in numerous television shows and films.
Leno is a huge car enthusiast, even turning that love of cars into a show, “Jay Leno’s Garage,” on CNBC.
He even was featured in the main event of a professional wrestling pay-per-view against Hulk Hogan in 1998.
