Jay Leno Biography, Age, Wife, Cars, Garage Tour, Networth

Jay Leno Biography

Jay Leno (Full name: James Douglas Muir) is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, and television host. Leno was the host of NBC’s The Tonight Show with Leno from 1992 to 2009. He has hosted Jay Leno’s Garage since 2014.

Growing up in Andover, Massachusetts, Leno attended Andover High School. He then attended Emerson College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. He started a comedy club in the school in 1973.

Jay Leno Age

James Douglas Muir Leno was born on 28 April, 1950 in New Rochelle, New York, U.S. He is [agecalc birthdate=1950-04-28]

Jay Leno Parents | Jay Family

Leno was born to a homemaker mother, Catherine (née Muir; 1911–1993) and Angelo (1910–1994), who was an insurance salesman. His mother was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11 while his father was born in New York, to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy.

Jay Leno Brother

Leno has an older brother Patrick Leno who died on 6 October, 2002 as a result of complications from cancer. Patrick was a Vietnam War veteran who worked as an attorney.

Jay Leno Wife | Jay Leno Married |Jay and Wife | Kids | Jay Leno Children

Jay, the American comedian and television host, has been married to his wife Mavis since 1980. They met in the late 1970s when she attended one of his comedy shows. They got married in 1980 in a private ceremony in New York City.

Leno and his wife Mavis do not have any children together, but he is a stepfather to Mavis’ two children from a previous marriage. The couple has been together for over four decades and has a strong and loving relationship. They are often seen together at events and have been known to support each other in their respective careers.

Jay Leno Stand Up | Leno Comedy

On March 2, 1977, Leno first appeared on The Tonight Show, performing a comedy routine. Leno has also appeared numerous times on Late Night with David Letterman.

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno | Jay Late Show | Late Night With Jay Leno

Leno was a regular substitute host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show starting in 1986. He replaced Carson as host in 1992 amid controversy with David Letterman. Leno continued to to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout his term on The Tonight Show.

He signed a contract extension with NBC in 2004 which would then keep him as host of The Tonight Show until 2009. Conan O’Brien signed a contract with NBC later in 2004 under which Conan would become the host of The Tonight Show in 2009 replacing Leno at that time.

Jay Leno Conan

Neither Leno nor Conan succeeded in delivering the viewing audiences the network anticipated in their new roles. Several media outlets reported on January 7, 2010 that beginning March 1, 2010, Leno would move from his 10 p.m. weeknight time slot to 11:35 p.m.

Due to the combination of pressure from local affiliates whose newscasts were suffering, and both Leno’s and O’Brien’s poor ratings.

It was then announced on January 21, that NBC had struck a deal with O’Brien. It had been decided that O’Brien would leave The Tonight Show.

The deal was then made that O’Brien would receive a $33 million payout and that his staff of almost 200 would receive $12 million in the departure.

His final episode aired on Friday, January 22, 2010. On March 1, 2010, Leno returned as host of The Tonight Show following the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Variety reported on July 1, 2010 that total viewership for  Leno’s Tonight Show had dropped from 5 million to 4 million for the second quarter of 2010 and this was compared to the same period in 2009.

The Jay Leno Show |  Leno Show

Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00pm ET, on NBC. The show debuted on September 14, 2009.

It was then announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that it would feature one or two celebrities, the occasional musical guest, and also keep the popular “Headlines” segments, which would air near the end of the show.

The first guests included Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey (via satellite). He also had a short sit-down with Kanye West discussing his controversy at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, which had occurred the night before.

Who Replaced Jay Leno? | Who Took Over For Jay Leno?

NBC announced on April 3, 2013 that Leno would leave The Tonight Show in spring 2014. Jimmy Fallon was his designated successor.

Jay Leno Cars | Jay Leno Car Collection | How Many Cars Does Leno Have? | How Many Cars Does Jay Leno Own?

Leno’s vehicle collection includes approximately 169 cars and 117 motorbikes. Among them are two Doble steam cars, a sedan and a roadster that were owned by Howard Hughes, the fifth Duesenberg Model X known to survive, and also one of nine remaining 1963 Chrysler Turbine Cars.

It also includes three antique electric cars; the 1925 Baker Electric is Mavis Leno’s favorite car.

In Popular Mechanics, he has a regular column which showcases his car collection and also gives advice about various automotive topics.

He also writes occasional “Motormouth” articles for The Sunday Times. In the articles, he reviews high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on motoring matters.

Jay Leno Car Show

Leno has a website and a TV program called Leno’s Garage on CNBC. The show contains video clips and photos of his car collection in detail, as well as other vehicles of interest to him. The show has aired as a primetime series on the cable channel since 2015.

Jay Leno Cars List | Jay Leno Garage List | Jay Leno Car Collection List

Here is a list of some of the cars in his collection:

1. 1906 Stanley Steamer
2. 1909 Baker Electric
3. 1913 Pierce Arrow
4. 1925 Doble Steam Car
5. 1927 Bugatti Type 38A
6. 1930 Bentley 27-liter
7. 1930 Duesenberg Model J Town Car
8. 1931 Chrysler CG Imperial
9. 1931 Indian Scout motorcycle
10. 1932 Packard Twin Six
11. 1934 Phantom II Rolls-Royce
12. 1936 Cord 810
13. 1937 Fiat Topolino
14. 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic
15. 1941 Tatra T87
16. 1950 Nash Airflyte
17. 1955 Buick Roadmaster
18. 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe
19. 1963 Chrysler Turbine Car
20. 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
21. 1966 Yenko Stinger Corvair
22. 1969 Lamborghini Miura S
23. 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE
24. 1986 Lamborghini Countach
25. 1991 Mazda RX-7

This is not an exhaustive list, as Jay Leno’s collection is constantly evolving and growing. He often showcases his cars on his YouTube channel, “Jay Leno’s Garage.”

Jay Leno Car Garage

Leno spends most of his free time visiting car collections and sometimes working in his private garage. His garage manager is Bernard Juchli. He opened his garage to Team Bondi.

Team Bondi was the company that developed the critically acclaimed 2011 video game L.A. Noire. He allowed the team to recreate their images as accurately as possible in his collection.

Jay Leno Motorcycle Collection | Jay Leno Motorcycle

Leno purchased his first motorcycle, a 350cc Honda that he purchased when he was a student because “it was cheap transportation.”

He bought a Brought in the 1980s, paying $5,000 for a 1939 model that his friends scoffed at. He then began trading up, and acquiring more esoteric examples.

His motorcycle collection include;

• 350cc Honda
• 1918 Pope
• Henderson Four
• 1922 Megola
• 375-horsepower Y2K bike

He also has a set of electric motorcycles and scooters, in a group not far from a rare Nimbus, a rare Rudge and also an early Whizzer.

Jay Leno Book

• How to be the funniest kid in the whole wide world – 2005
• If Roast Beef Could Fly – 2004
• Hot Wheels Cars – 2001
• Jay Leno’s police blotter – 1994
• Headlines IV: The Next Generation – 1992
• Headlines III: Not the Movie, Still the Book : Real But Ridiculous Samplings from America’s Newspapers – 1991

Jay Leno Politics

He made jokes mocking then-President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State John Kerry while hosting the 2014 Genesis Prize award ceremony in Jerusalem. He accused Obama of “trying to break” the U.S.’s relationship with Israel.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post in 2015, he said, “I always considered Israel as not only the only democracy in the Middle East, I think it’s the purest, because every Israeli voter seems to have his own political party.”

He then added about Israel’s relations with other Middle East countries: “Israel is so efficient in defending itself and so good at it, that to the rest of the world it looks like bullying.”

Jay Leno Salary

Depending on ratings on The Show, he could have earned up to $30 million each year.

Jay Leno Net Worth | How Much Is Jay Leno Worth?

Leno is believed to have acquired some great wealth from his wide television career on The Tonight Show. The television personality owns a vehicle collection and an oceanfront mansion in Rhode Island which are worth a handsome good amount. The stand-up comedian has an estimated net worth of $350 million.

Jay Leno Chin

Leno is highly known for his prominent jaw described as mandibular prognathism. In his book, Leading with My Chin, Leno stated that he is aware of surgery that could reset his mandible. He however states that he is not ready to endure a prolonged healing period with his jaws wired shut.

Jay Leno Car Collection Value

Leno’s car collection which is spectacular and pricey is approximately worth $50 million. This is 14% of his $350 million net worth.

Jay Leno Jet Bike

Leno’s 375-horsepower Y2K bike is powered by a helicopter engine, that has been tested at 237 miles per hour. It is basically referred to as a jet.

Jay Leno House | Jay Leno Home | Where Does Jay Leno Live?

Leno is a proud owner of an oceanfront mansion in Rhode Island. It is a $13.5 million home in Newport which was listed by Lila Delman Real Estate. The mansion has a gated entrance and winding drive leads up to the estate. Leno sits on a 9-acre lot and features 15,851 square feet of living space.

It has a 12 bedrooms, 12 full bathrooms and three half-baths, and is also packed with luxe amenities, including a carriage house, walled garden and tennis court. It also comes with access to the beach.

Jay Leno Height | How Tall Is Jay Leno?

The millionaire comedian stands at a a height of 1.8 m.

Jay Leno Movies and TV Shows

He has also appeared in several movies and TV shows throughout his career. Here are some of Jay Leno’s notable movies and TV shows:

Movies:

• “Collision Course” (1989)
• “Americathon” (1979)
• “The Flintstones” (1994)
• “EDtv” (1999)
• “Cars” (2006) (voice)
• “I Am Comic” (2010) (documentary)

TV Shows:

• “The Tonight Show ” (1992-2014)
• “The Show” (2009-2010)
• “The Simpsons” (1999) (voice)
• “The Fairly OddParents” (2004) (voice)
• “Phineas and Ferb” (2011) (voice)
• “Last Man Standing” (2015-2021)
• “Crashing” (2017)
• “Jay Leno’s Garage” (2015-present) (host and executive producer)

Jay Leno Quotes

Some of Leno’s quotes include:

• The reason there are two senators for each state is so that one can be the designated driver.
• How come you never see a headline like ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’?
• Today is Valentine’s Day – or, as men like to call it, Extortion Day!
• Don’t forget Mother’s Day. Or as they call it in Beverly Hills, Dad’s Third Wife Day.