Comedian and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, 74, sustained multiple injuries after falling down a 60-foot hill near his hotel in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, on November 16, 2024. Despite his condition, Leno proceeded with his scheduled performance just hours later.
Leno appeared with a black eye, a swollen face, and a wrist bandaged as he attended the Comedy for Koby event in Beverly Hills on Monday night. Sporting an eye patch, Leno told TMZ he was “holding up fine” and explained how the injuries happened.
“I was staying at a hotel on a hill,” he said. “I asked, ‘Where’s a good place to eat?’ They said, ‘Down at the bottom.’ The restaurant was nearby, but I didn’t have a car, so instead of walking a mile and a half around, I thought, ‘This hill doesn’t look too bad. It’s about 60 or 70 feet. Let me try going down.’”
Unfortunately, his shortcut ended in disaster. “I rolled down the hill, hit my head on a rock, and it knocked me in the eye,” Leno shared. Despite the fall, the former “Tonight Show” host pushed through and performed a comedy show at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg just hours later, only seeking medical attention afterward when returning to Los Angeles.
The fall left Leno with significant injuries, including extensive bruising on the left side of his body and face, a swollen eye requiring an eye patch, a broken wrist necessitating a cast, and the loss of a fingernail.
Maintaining his characteristic humor, Leno quipped, “The great thing about this age [is] you don’t learn by your mistakes, you just keep doing the same stupid thing.
This incident adds to Leno’s series of mishaps over the past two years. In November 2022, he suffered second and third-degree burns to his face, chest, and hands while working on a steam engine in his garage, requiring treatment at the Grossman Burn Center and multiple surgical procedures.
In January 2023, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that resulted in a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and cracked kneecaps.
Leno has also been facing personal challenges, including his wife Mavis’s dementia diagnosis, for which he was granted conservatorship earlier this year. Despite her condition, the couple, married in 1980, remains deeply connected. Leno has expressed his enjoyment in spending time with and taking care of her, admiring her independence, and feeling immense pride in her. After more than 40 years of marriage, their strong bond continues to support them through life’s challenges.
Despite these setbacks, Leno has maintained his performance schedule. Following the recent hill incident, he performed at a comedy show in Beverly Hills, California, wearing an eye patch. Reflecting on his resilience, Leno stated, “I write jokes, tell jokes, get checked.”
