Jay Leno's Time On NBC Comes To A Close Following His Garage Fire

Jay Leno has been a staple on NBC for decades now. Of course, he was host of the famous "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" between 1992 and 2009, before making his triumphant return for four years between 2010 and 2014. But he didn't even leave the network in between his time on the iconic late-night show, as he also headed up the eponymous "The Jay Leno Show" during his year away. Quite clearly, Leno is a favorite at the network, so much so that a monologue writer on "The Tonight Show," Jimmy Brogan, even claimed on "The Story of Late Night" in 2021 (via People), "Jay had the secret deal." The secret deal he was referring to? NBC's vice president from 1983 to 2012, Rick Ludwin, claimed, "Jay Leno had just signed a new deal that guaranteed Jay 'The Tonight Show,' whenever Johnny [Carson] stepped down." As fans will remember, there was some surprise when Leno landed the gig over David Letterman.

That seemingly special relationship with the peacock network then transformed into the show "Jay Leno's Garage," which debuted as a web series in 2015 on NBC.com before going on to air on NBC's sister channel, CNBC. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end — and that seems to be no different for Leno's time on NBC.

After decades of seeing Jay Leno's face on NBC and its sister networks, it seems he could finally be parting ways with the company he's called home for so long. The Hollywood Reporter claimed NBC Universal, NBC's parent company, has decided not to continue on with "Jay Leno's Garage," meaning the show, and potentially Leno's work with the network, could be coming to an end. "Jay Leno's Garage" aired seven seasons, though an insider claimed the network is now looking to focus more on primetime shows like "Shark Tank" and "Undercover Boss."

While fans will no doubt be sad to see Leno no longer on NBC, there's no doubting the star has faced a few issues before the cancelation rumors swirled. In November 2022, TMZ reported Leno was left injured after suffering burns from a car fire. "I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet," he said in a statement. Luckily, he appeared to recover well, but Leno then experienced another medical setback in January when he told Las Vegas Review-Journal he broke several bones after being knocked off his motorcycle. "I've got a broken collarbone. I've got two broken ribs. I've got two cracked kneecaps," he said. "I'm OK, I'm working. I'm working this weekend."

As for what Leno gets up to next? Whether it's with NBC or not, we'll have to wait and see.