The world has been waiting for updates on Jay Leno since news broke of the injuries he sustained in a garage fire, and the medical director at the hospital treating him initially said he had a long road of recovery ahead of him. Even so, Tim Allen revealed that his friend was doing well and on the mend before he was released from inpatient care on November 21, and now Leno himself confirmed to bystanders that he's doing fine in his first public outing since the incident.
Jay Leno was spotted headed to the same garage where he suffered his burns only two weeks after being hospitalized. TMZ caught up with Leno as he waited for the gate to open to his area, and made small talk with the former host of The Tonight Show. Leno was asked when he expects to get back out and perform, and surprisingly enough, his next public show is soon:
Yeah, I'll be performing Sunday at the Comedy Magic Club.
The actor isn't wasting any time in getting back to what he loves, whether it’s visiting his garage of cars or doing stand-up comedy. Few would’ve faulted Jay Leno for taking some additional time to recover from his injuries considering that it’s been less than a month since the accident occurred. Of course, Leno’s reported optimism throughout the process might’ve been an indication he wouldn’t stay away from the public eye for long, and get back to doing what he loves.
In fact, Jay Leno isn't even shying away from making jokes about his injury, based on a brief exchange with the paparazzi. When one suggested that he needed to go home and rest, Leno responded:
Yeah, I need BBQ.
The joke landed with a collective mix of chuckles and groans from those who heard it, but Leno seemed unfazed after making the joke. It’s possible audiences in attendance at his upcoming sold-out show will hear a lot of similar jokes. I guess it’s only natural he’d want to make light of the situation given his background in comedy and would use humor to help navigate through his recovery.
The fact that Jay Leno is back at the garage where he suffered his accident so soon makes me wonder if it’ll be that long before new episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage are popping up for Peacock Premium subscribers. He may not have been at the garage to do any work, though, and might have just paid a visit to check on his cars and have a look around. Given that he's been handing out cookies to kids at the hospital, taking photos with staff, and driving around town so soon after his injuries, though, it wouldn't be shocking if he was already working on another car!
It’s good to hear Jay Leno is in good health, and hopefully, getting closer to 100% with each passing day. At this rate, I'd say that it's not too soon to start hoping that he'll be back on the small screen in the 2023 TV schedule, so let’s cross our fingers that he continues his progress and doesn’t have any setbacks with healing!
