Jay Leno comes to the studio for one of his first interviews since his accident and recounts the true story which was very different from how it was reported. Adam and Jay chat about cars, old Hollywood, relationships, dyslexia, pain killers, karma, Charlie Sheen, self esteem and so much more.
Leno was raised in Andover, Massachusetts. While attending Emerson College in Boston, where he graduated (1972) with a degree in speech therapy, he worked as a stand-up comic in nightclubs. After moving to Los Angeles, he served as the opening act for such entertainers as Johnny Mathis and Tom Jones. Leno debuted on NBC’s The Tonight Show in 1977 and became Johnny Carson’s permanent guest host 10 years later. In 1992 NBC chose Leno over David Letterman to replace the retiring Carson. The selection spawned a rivalry between The Tonight Show and CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman, which competed in the same time slot.
Despite the controversy, Leno soon earned a reputation for his cordial, easygoing manner, strong work ethic, and knack for connecting with his audience. He gave The Tonight Show a trendy, casual image, with edgier musical acts and new comedy segments, including “Jaywalking,” in which people on the street were asked basic questions that they often answered incorrectly, and “Headlines,” which showcased funny newspaper headlines from around the country. Under Leno’s leadership, the program garnered four Emmy Awards (1995–97; 1999), and Leno was awarded numerous accolades, including a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2000. By 2008 the show was attracting more than five million nightly viewers, nearly one and a half times as many as its nearest rival, the Late Show.
Adam Carolla: ADAM CAROLLA is best known as a comedian, actor, radio personality, television host and NY Times best-selling author. He currently hosts THE ADAM CAROLLA SHOW, which holds the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most Downloaded Podcast.”
Launched from his home office in February 2009, THE ADAM CAROLLA SHOW now receives more than 30 million downloads a month and has been featured in Fast Company Magazine, Entrepreneur, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.
In 2010 Adam became a New York Times best-selling author for the first of 3 times when his book, IN 50 YEARS WE’LL ALL BE CHICKS, topped the charts for ten weeks. The audio version went straight to the #1 position on iTunes. He has since released 4 more best-sellers including NOT TACO BELL MATERIAL, PRESIDENT ME, and DADDY STOP TALKING. His latest, 2020’s I’M YOUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL, shot to #2 overall on Amazon.com and held the #1 Political Humor spot for several days.
Adam began his career on the nationally syndicated radio program LOVELINE with Dr. Drew Pinsky. MTV ran a television version of the show for five seasons (1996-2000).
With his partners Daniel Kellison and Jimmy Kimmel, Adam created and starred in two hit Comedy Central shows, THE MAN SHOW (1999-2003) and CRANK YANKERS (2002‐2005).
Adam also co-wrote, produced and starred in two independent feature length films: THE HAMMER (2007) and ROAD HARD (2015), a crowd-funded comedy that raised over a million dollars in a single month. Through his venture Chassy Media he produced the inspirational documentaries WINNING: THE RACING LIFE OF PAUL NEWMAN, UPPITY: THE WILLY T. RIBBS STORY and THE 24-HOUR WAR, which documents the battle between Ford and Ferrari in the 1960’s for racing dominance at Le Mans.
In 2019, Adam began touring his new show, “ADAM CAROLLA IS UNPREPARED”, in which Adam improvises a brand-new stand-up act nightly based on one-word audience suggestions pulled at random and performs live versions of the podcast and stand-up comedy throughout the country.
