Aside from getting handy at a young age or playing or sketching with toy cars, another medium that has influenced most gearheads at a young age, has got to be some proper adrenaline-fuelled car shows on Television.
One of these shows which definitely captivated and hooked audiences around the globe is Jay Leno’s Garage which as the name suggests saw the former host of ‘The Tonight Show’ taking center stage to talk about motorcycles and cars alike. The show not only featured his entire car collection at his garage in Burbank, California but also included numerous interviews with celebrity guests like President Joe Biden, Actor Tim Allen, and former ‘STIG’ from TopGear UK Ben Collins to name a few.
The Inception Of The Show And Its Rise To Popularity
Before we talk about the show ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ let’s take a brief look at the man himself in order to get to know him. Jay Leno decided to launch his comedy career while pursuing a bachelor’s in speech therapy at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduation, he made his move to the city of Los Angeles in order to work as a writer and comedian, eventually making regular appearances on the renowned “The Tonight Show.” His fame and stardom came when was crowned the host of “The Tonight Show” in 1992 which lasted until February 2014, when he was eventually succeeded by Jimmy Fallon.
During the same time as he announced his retirement from ‘The Tonight Show’ in 2013, Leno conceptualized and created a web series named ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’. After premiering as a web series on NBC.com and a post a special episode that aired in the summer of 2014 was deemed a hit, the show was picked by the news channel CNBC.
The now weekly prime-time series premiered on the channel in October 2015, with the pilot episode having amassed close to a million viewers. The hourly episodes featured several segments consisting of stunts, challenges, reviews, and celebrity interviews, all focussing on the rich and vibrant history of the automotive industry.
Along with these features, another major focus was on Leno’s esteemed car and bike collection, which is one of the largest in the world. The collection not only includes vehicles representing the birth of the industry such as a 1912 Stanley Steamer, a 1913 Mercer Raceabout, and a 1918 Stutz Bearcat but also iconic supercars such as a 1963 Jaguar XK-E, a 1994 McLaren F1, a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Coupe, a McLaren P1, 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400, and a 2017 Ford GT among others. Not only did the show get solid TRPs and ratings, but also in 2016, it won the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Nonfiction Program".
Jay Leno also has a YouTube channel of the same name which currently has over 3.5 million subscribers and a total viewership count of over 857 million. Created back in 2008, the YouTube version of the show is much more focused as it typically sees Leno talking about a sole car of focus whilst also conducting an interview with distinguished individuals consisting of other owners and industry experts. Post this, he also ensures to drive the cars in order to give a more in-depth look at how exciting or special they are.
Reasons Behind The Cancelation Of Jay Leno's Garage
As you may have already heard by now that the ‘Jay Leno’s Garage’ television series was canceled back in January by NBC. According to Hollywood Reporter, a CNBC source claims that the network intended to turn its focus to more business-related and reality TV shows. Therefore, it appears as though this is not related to Jay Leno per se as these decisions are part of a giant schedule change within NBC. Jay Leno’s Garage became a landing pad for Leno and ran for seven seasons until its eventual cancelation, in turn also ending the lengthy 30-year association between the network and himself. This news also adds itself to a string of unfortunate incidents that Leno has gone through recently.
Back in November of last year, Leno encountered a rather grizzly incident wherein he suffered third-degree burns to his face while working on his 1907 White Model G steam car in his aforementioned garage. Leno was trying to fix up the clogged fuel line in the vehicle along with his friend Dave Killackey when it suddenly combusted into flames. Upon being suggested by the doctors to visit a hospital, Jay Leno admitted himself at the Grossman Burn Center for nine days in order to get his injuries treated.
The other incident was the motorcycle crash that occurred in January 2023 which left Leno with a broken collarbone and two broken ribs and cracked both of his kneecaps. He went on to describe the accident in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, stating
“So I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it. So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike.” -Jay Leno
What Comes Next For Jay Leno?
The silver lining amidst all these sad incidents is the fact that the Jay Leno Garage YouTube channel still lives on, with constant uploads coming in every week. This will definitely act as an alternative means of entertainment for Jay Leno enthusiasts and automotive fans alike who want to get an in-depth and fun look at some of the coolest and most unique vehicles on the planet.
Even though the cancelation of the show feels like an end of an era, Jay Leno continues to be the host of the show syndicated game show You Bet Your Life, on the Fox channel. The now 72-year-old comedian and automotive enthusiast is still energetic despite the setbacks, and we can hope that the future holds bright for him.