Jay Leno appears in good spirits despite massive nasty bruise from falling down a hill
Jay Leno seems to be holding up after taking a nasty fall over the weekend.
The former “Tonight Show” host appeared to be in good spirits while out for lunch in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Leno, 74, ditched his eyepatch for the outing, giving a full view of the massive bruise on his face. He also wore a soft cast on his left wrist.
The famed talk show host sustained his injuries on Saturday. Leno was staying at a hilltop hotel when he decided to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant down below before his show.
However, he “didn’t have a car” and instead of making the mile-and-a-half trek around the building, he tried to take a shortcut.
“I said, ‘Well, the hill doesn’t look that steep. It’s about 60-70 feet. Let me see if I can go down the hill,’” he told TMZ.
However, he slipped and fell down the siding.
“I fell down. Boom, boom, boom. I rolled down the hill, hit my head on a rock, knocked me in the eye,” he added.
Along with a swollen eye, Leno also broke his wrist, lost a fingernail and sustained serious bruises on one side of the body.
Despite his injuries, Leno still performed his show at the Yaamava Casino in Highland, Calif. just three hours later.
“It was only a couple of hours of the show, so. It’s not that big of a deal, it’s fine!” he said.
He received medical attention the following day when he returned to Los Angeles.
However, the comedian didn’t take any time off to nurse his injuries and continued with his tour schedule, with the proceeds of his most recent gig going to the burn center that helped him in 2022.
Two years ago, Leno was working on one of his cars when a gasoline fire broke out. He was immediately rushed to the hospital.
Although he was left with third-degree burns on his face, chest and hands, the Grossman Burn Center did its best to reverse the damage via several surgeries and skin graft procedures.
Leno later joked that he had a “brand-new face” and praised the center’s “unbelievable” work.
“You’d think there’d be a zipper here,” the comedian told Kelly Clarkson during an episode of her daytime talk show.
Although he made a near-full recovery, Leno found himself in the hospital once again in January 2023 after breaking multiple bones in a motorcycle accident.
Four months later, Leno told Page Six he was “doing good” and “recovering” well after completing all his physical therapy.