Jay Leno and Jeremy Renner both experienced scary accidents to start 2023. The former late night talk show host suffered a broken collarbone and two broken ribs in a motorcycle accident, just a couple of months after being seriously injured in a car fire. The Mayor of Kingstown actor, meanwhile, is on a long road to recovery after a “traumatic” snow plow accident on New Year’s Day, in which he broke more than 30 bones. The incidents were both tragic in their own ways, but some fans didn’t think that made them comparable, and many took issue with a recent joke Leno made to that effect.
As the former host of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno is well-known for cracking jokes at others’ expense, and he’s not afraid to include himself in those jabs. However, some seemed to think it was in poor taste when he tweeted a joke about his and Jeremy Renner’s respective accidents. He wrote:
I was riding my motorcycle up in Lake Tahoe and I came around the corner and bam, I crashed into Jeremy Renner’s snowplow.January 27, 2023
Some fans were not buying into the car enthusiast’s humor, however, as they pointed to the severity of Jeremy Renner’s reportedly life-threatening injuries, which insiders say were even worse than anyone knew. As one Twitter user put it:
Not funny. Renner broke 30 bones in the process of saving his nephew’s life. Respect to the guy. Pure guts.
Others echoed that assessment, with comments to Jay Leno’s post including:
- How is that funny.
- Guy nearly died Jay.
- Aw jay come on. Come on man you can’t say that
However, a lot of people also hit the comments in defense of Jay Leno’s joke, pointing out that as a comedian, making jokes is literally what he does and how he copes with life. The former late night host said as much himself, positing that nobody likes a whiny celebrity. He said he understood there was a “risk factor” to his actions, and you have to laugh through scary situations, because then people laugh along with you. Many on Twitter seemed on board with this logic, with one fan tweeting:
For everyone getting upset with Jay, a couple of thoughts. First Jay was in a real accident, speedy recovery Sir. 2d if we don’t bring some levity to life then life becomes just an angry journey. 3d, anyone ask Jeremy his thoughts on the joke? I’m sure he would smile at Jay Leno
Others agreed that Jay Leno’s joke wasn’t likely to upset Jeremy Renner, who was reportedly pulled under the snow plow in an attempt to save his nephew. More comments in Leno’s defense included:
- I doubt @JeremyRenner is offended by this…he seems like a reasonable guy, he’s prob laughing.
- Jeremy Renner himself is making jokes about his snowplow.. they both have a sense of humor, and that's while they'll heal quicker than most.
Jeremy Renner has certainly appeared to be keeping things positive as he starts his recovery, and it’s true that humor has been a part of the process. When fellow Avenger Chris Evans jokingly wondered if anyone had even bothered to check on the snow plow, Renner seemed to appreciate the sentiment with his own amusing response:
Love you brother…. I did check on the snow cat , she needs fuel. 😉😂
Humor can definitely be an effective coping mechanism after going through things like Jay Leno and Jeremy Renner have. However they are getting through, we at CinemaBlend send our best wishes to both in their journeys to recovery. You can currently see Renner on Mayor of Kingstown, available with a Paramount+ subscription, and see what else is coming up with our 2023 TV schedule.
