Leno: From standup to ‘Tonight’ back to stand-up
When you’re one of a few people in television history to have hosted your own late-night show for more than 20 years and then stepped away from it, what do you do now? If you’re Jay Leno, you hit the road. Leno, who succeeded Johnny Carson as host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in 1992 and left the program in 2014 (with a bit of drama in between), is still working the stand-up job he had before his coveted TV gig. By his own estimate, Leno, 67, plays about 210 live shows a year — up from the 150 or so he did annually while still on “The Tonight Show” — at clubs and casinos. His current outing includes a Vegas gig July 7, followed by a swing through Northern California. Leno, who also continues to host “Jay Leno’s Garage” on CNBC, explained in a recent interview that his desire to stay active as a stand-up is rooted in “being an observer.” “Real comics don’t really fit in anywhere,” he said, speaking from Los Angeles. “You’re not really a blue-collar guy anymore. But you’re not comfortable around rich people.” Leno spoke further about his life after late night and challenges of being a political joke-teller in a polarized environment. These are edited excerpts from that conversation. Q What is it like to have once hosted a late-night show five nights a week and then stepped away from it? A People always think, you have a TV show, then it ends. The next night, you go, “Where’s my table at Spago?” “I’m sorry, Mr. Leno, it’s been given to Mr. Fallon.” “What? That’s my table!” It doesn’t exist that way. The real trick is to make show business money but live in the real world. And then you tend to appreciate things a little bit more. Q When you’ve had the kind of career you’ve had, is it harder to make yourself relatable to a middle-class American audience? A If I get any criticism at all — and I certainly get a lot — it’s that, “Oh, you’re not the angry comedian you once were.” Of course, when you’re 25 and broke, and you’ve got an economy ticket and you got bumped, you’re going to be angrier than if you’re in your private plane.” Q Do you worry about maintaining your TV legacy when your show doesn’t live on in reruns? A Luckily, you as a performer don’t live on. You die, eventually. If you’re worried about your legacy? Oh, shut up. Nobody cares. I was in Vegas and they were taking down an Elvis Presley exhibit at one of the hotels. I said, “What’s going on?” They said, “We’re taking this down, the kids don’t really know who this is anymore.” If you don’t know who Elvis is, I don’t think my legacy is something you have to worry about.