History of Late Night TV

Leno worked for many years as a stand up comedian. He used to appear on Letterman's NBC show on a regular basis. Jay and Dave were both living in Los Angeles in the 1970s as struggling comedians who were eventually discovered by Johnny Carson.

 

He is known for his large collection of classic cars and motorcycles.

 

He was chosen to succeed Johnny Carson in 1992 as the fourth host of the Tonight Show. His show has some popular segments such as Headlines and Jay Walking.

 

From the Boston area originally, Leno is known to be conservative with his money. He still performs stand up gigs to this day and has said that he saved all of his Tonight Show money.

 

Announcers:  Edd Hall from 1992-2004 and John Melendez from 2004-2014.

 

Bandleaders: Branford Marsalis from 1992-1995, Kevin Eubanks from 1995-2010, Rickey Minor from 2010-2014.

 

Leno's final Tonight Show was February 6, 2014. His guests were Billy Crystal and Garth Brooks. There were also brief appearances by Carol Burnett, Jack Black and Oprah Winfrey. Leno said that he was thankful to have the best job in show business for 22 years. He said the Tonight Show staff had become his family. Early in his tenure at The Tonight Show he lost his mother, father and brother.

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From 2015 to 2022, Leno hosted a CNBC called Jay Leno's Garage. I thought it was a very enjoyable show, since Jay's biggest passion is classic cars (other than stand up comedy).