The Comedian List / Comedians / Jay Leno
The Tonight Show · stand-up · Jay Leno’s GarageJay Leno
The stand-up who replaced Johnny Carson as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, and the car collector behind Jay Leno’s Garage.
- Born
- April 28, 1950
- Tonight Show
- 1992–2009, 2010–2014
- TV Hall of Fame
- 2014
- Garage show
- 2014–2022
Who is Jay Leno?
Jay Leno is an American television host, comedian, writer and actor. After years of stand-up, he was chosen in 1992 to replace Johnny Carson as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show.
He hosted The Tonight Show until September 2009, when Conan O’Brien took over and Leno moved to the primetime Jay Leno Show. He returned to The Tonight Show on March 1, 2010, and hosted his last episode on February 6, 2014. That year he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
From 2014 to 2022 he hosted Jay Leno’s Garage, and from 2021 to 2023 he hosted a revival of You Bet Your Life. He writes a regular column about his car collection in Popular Mechanics.
On the Harland Highway Podcast (Oct 27, 2026), Harland Williams remembers the remote segments he shot for Leno’s Tonight Show, including a weekend flight to Vegas with the Victoria’s Secret models.
Timeline
- 1992Takes over The Tonight Show from Johnny Carson
- 2009Hands off to Conan O’Brien; The Jay Leno Show
- 2010Returns to The Tonight Show
- 2014Last Tonight Show; Television Hall of Fame
- 2014Jay Leno’s Garage begins
- 2021You Bet Your Life revival
Specials, TV & more
On the podcasts
Full episodes where Jay is a guest or comes up, newest first.
Jay Leno FAQ
When did Jay Leno host The Tonight Show?
From 1992 to 2009, and again from March 2010 to February 2014.
Who did Jay Leno replace on The Tonight Show?
Johnny Carson, in 1992.
Is Jay Leno in the Television Hall of Fame?
Yes, inducted in 2014.
If you like Jay
More comics on the list who share stages and mics with Jay.
Johnny Carson
Conan O’Brien
Craig Ferguson
Harland Williams
Jerry Seinfeld
Taylor WilliamsonPhotos: Johnny Carson: Photo: NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Conan O’Brien: Photo: Montclair Film, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Craig Ferguson: Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Harland Williams: Photo: We Might Be Drunk Podcast, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Jerry Seinfeld: Photo: Zafrir Keren – צפריר קרן, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Taylor Williamson: Photo: JarJarble, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: US mission to the European Union, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Facts checked Oct 26, 2026.
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