Two A-list comedians, Pete Correale and Sebastian Maniscalco, get together once a week to create a tight comedy radio show with stories and comedy bits.
This week on The Pete & Sebastian Show, the great Jay Leno talks about his illustrious career with stories of Rodney Dangerfield’s last days, Frank Sinatra’s temper, Hugh Grant’s incident, a mob stabbing, and of course, cars!
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.
