Jay Leno is an American comedian, writer, actor and television personality who is popular for NBC ‘s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” that aired from the year 1992 to 2009. After the show, Leno started a primetime talk show named “The Jay Leno show” however it was canceled due to some controversy in between.
Leno, age 68, is also quite a controversial figure as he has been the central point of several controversies and criticisms. Nevertheless, Leno has an interesting life. Let’s get to know more about his life in detail. You can also read about John Oliver here.
Jay Leno: Early life, career, and education
Jay Leno was born on April 28, 1950, in New Rochelle, New York, the U.S which makes his nationality an American. Leno was born to parents, Catherine and Angelo Leno. His mother who is originally a Scottish was a homemaker while his father whose parents were originally from Italy was an insurance salesman. Leno went to Andover High School after which he attended Emerson College from where he graduated in Speech therapy.
His career began after he first appeared on Tonight Show on March 2, 1977, where he did a comedy routine. After that, he appeared in several TV shows and movies doing minor roles. Leno even appeared on Late Night with David Letterman. The first big move on Leno’s career came with, “The Tonight Show” where he often substituted Johny Carson as a host.
In the year 1992, he finally replaced Johny Carson as the host for the show. This was the cause of a bit of controversy as David Letterman was going to be the successor for the show as a host. Eventually, his contract with the makers of the show exceeded and he became fixed on the show until 2009. As he had the intention to leave the show, Conan O’Brien became the successor of the Tonight Show. Meanwhile, Jay Leno was set to come back with his own show. In the end, the show was canceled for some reasons and ultimately Jay made a comeback as a host.
But he officially left the show in the year 2013 and Jimmy Fallon was the host of the show.
Jay Leno: Wife and personal life
Jay Leno married his wife Mavis Leno in the year 1980. His wife is an American philanthropist and feminist. She was also previously the host of the Tonight Show. Jay Leno wife, Mavis is also a chair in the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan.
Jay and his wife do not have any children by mutual agreement. Leno lost his wife during the first season of “The Tonight Show” in the year 1993 and a year later he lost his father as well. Jay also lost his only brother to cancer in 2003.
Jay Leno: controversies and rumors
Leno was in several controversies through his career. He has received critical backlashes from the media while he defended Michael Jackson in his trial of allegations of child molestation in the year 2005. Later he received accusations of writing his own monologue for the Tonight show and violating WGA guidelines.
Similarly, there were also rumors flowing of Jay’s affair with Ozzy Osbourne’s wife, Sharon Osbourne. Furthermore, there were some rumors of him hooking up with Sandra Bernhard.
Jay Leno: Net worth
Jay Leno has played a vital role in the history of television shows. Leno has also published books about his life. Similarly, he along with wife donated $100,000 to the Feminist Majority Foundation’s campaign. Further, he also donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund at Salem State College. Jay Leno net worth estimation from the latest reports is $350 million. From some reports, Leno’s yearly salary from the Tonight Show was said to be around $30 million.
Jay Leno is also active on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter where he is often sharing posts about his work and personal life as well. Similarly, he also has a car collection of his own.
