Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host. Jay was born in New Rochelle, New York, on April 28, 1950. His mother, Catherine, a homemaker, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Her schooling was limited and as a result she prized her children's successes. Jay's father, Angelo, who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy. Jay grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of school (can you imagine?), he later obtained a Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973. His siblings include his late older brother, Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran and a lawyer.
On December 8, 2008, it was reported that Jay would remain on NBC and move to a new hour-long show at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. Central Time) five nights a week. This show follows a similar format to The Tonight Show, tapes at the same lot, and retains many of Jay's most popular segments. Late Night host Conan O'Brien was his successor on The Tonight Show.
Jay's new show, titled The Jay Leno Show, debuted on September 14, 2009. It was announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that it would feature one or two celebrities, the occasional musical guest, and keep the popular "Headlines" segments, which would air near the end of the show.
In their new roles, neither O'Brien nor Jay succeeded in delivering the viewing audiences the network anticipated. Because of this, on January 10, 2010, NBC confirmed that they would move Jay out of primetime as of February 12 and intended to move him to late night as soon as possible. TMZ reported that O'Brien was given no advance notice of this change, and that NBC offered him two choices: an hour-long 12:05am time slot, or the option to leave the network. On January 12, O'Brien issued a press release that stated he would not continue with Tonight if it moved to a 12:05am time slot, saying, "I believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show."
On January 21, it was announced that NBC had struck a deal with O'Brien. It was decided that O'Brien would leave The Tonight Show. The deal was made that O'Brien would receive a $33 million payout and that his staff of almost 200 would receive $12 million in the departure. O'Brien's final episode aired on Friday, January 22. Jay returned as host of The Tonight Show following the 2010 Winter Olympics on March 1, 2010.
Jay has been married since 1980 to Mavis Leno; they have no children.
Jay is dyslexic. He claims to sleep only four to five hours each night. He doesn't drink or smoke, nor does he gamble. He spends most of his free time visiting car collections or working in his private garage.
Reportedly, Jay earns $32 million each year. In 2001, along with his wife, he donated $100,000 to the Feminist Majority's campaign to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan, to educate the public regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.
Jay owns approximately 200 vehicles, including about 100 cars. He has a regular column in Popular Mechanics which showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as his jet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid. He also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles for The Sunday Times, reviewing high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on automotive matters.
There isn't anything to indicate if Jay has any faith of his own or what he believes about Jesus Christ. So let's pray for our Father to bring to Jay's attention his need for a personal relationship with the God of the universe through His Son, Jesus Christ!
-- Heidi