Jay Leno Description

Leno leaves audiences laughing

By Caroline Fontein

Out of the television and onto the stage - Jay Leno's jokes resonate even more in person. The cleft-chinned comedian comments on everything from growing older to being a cat owner and current events as part of his stand-up comedy routine.

"Hey it's a different time we're living in folks. White collar crime is up, and that's just in the church," jokes Leno.

Wearing a suit, he casually moves about the stage talking to the crowd just like he does on television. Most people are familiar with Leno's every-man style from his work as the host of the Emmy Award-winning "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." His comedy touches on topics that audiences of all ages can relate to, and he doesn't use a lot of profanity. Seeing Leno live is an opportunity to experience everything you love about Leno for an uninterrupted 90 minutes.

Before "The Tonight Show," Leno worked as a stand-up comedian headlining in clubs across the country. He performed as an opening act for well known entertainers including Tom Jones and John Denver. Leno eventually moved to Los Angeles and started his career in television and film as a writer and actor. In 1977 Leno made his debut on "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson." He was later recognized as a permanent guest host in 1987.

Leno started his tenure as the main host for "The Tonight Show" in 1992 and went on to host the show for 17 years. During that time the show had the highest ratings of any show in that time slot on almost every weekday. Along with hosting the show, Leno continued to tour as a stand-up comedian and still averages more than 150 shows a year.

When Leno's contract as "The Tonight Show" host came to an end, he passed the torch to fellow late night comedian Conan O' Brian. Leno's new talk show, "The Jay Leno Show," debuted in September 2009. After the show ended Leno returned to star as the host of the "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in March 2010.

Apart from making people laugh, Leno is known as a car and motorcycle collector and enthusiast. He owns about 100 vehicles and about 90 motorcycles. People can read about his car collection and get advice from Leno about various automotive topics in “Popular Mechanics” where he writes a regular column called “Jay Leno’s Garage.” He also sometimes writes "Motormouth" articles for "The Sunday Times."

Cars are also a topic of discussion in his stand-up routine. He talks about things like how Smart Cars really aren't that smart with so many other bigger vehicles on the road. The majority of his topic matter is based on things that most people probably think about every day, but Leno puts his funny twist on it. Near the end of this routine Leno breaks away from his material and talks to people in the audience. He uses their answers to simple questions like, "Where are you from?" and "What do you do for a living?" to create off-the-cuff comedy, and the crowd loves it. Despite his primary gig as a late-night TV host, it's clear that Leno's prowess for performing as a stand-up act is still well intact.