US Talk Show Host Jay Leno in Hospital with Burns

Jay Leno, seen here in October 2022, was a late night talk show icon who took over "The Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson retired in 1992 Alberto E. Rodriguez GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Jay Leno, seen here in October 2022, was a late night talk show icon who took over "The Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson retired in 1992 Alberto E. Rodriguez GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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US Talk Show Host Jay Leno in Hospital with Burns

Jay Leno, seen here in October 2022, was a late night talk show icon who took over "The Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson retired in 1992 Alberto E. Rodriguez GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Jay Leno, seen here in October 2022, was a late night talk show icon who took over "The Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson retired in 1992 Alberto E. Rodriguez GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

US comedian Jay Leno said Monday he has suffered serious burns from a gasoline fire after an accident involving one of his cars.

Leno, the former host of "The Tonight Show" and a renowned motoring enthusiast, suffered injuries to his face after one of his vehicles burst into flames in his private garage Sunday, entertainment news outlet TMZ reported.

Leno, who has been admitted to a Los Angeles burns clinic, confirmed in a statement to AFP he would be out of action for up to two weeks.

"I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am ok. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet," he wrote.

Leno's huge collection of rare, vintage and otherwise expensive cars and motorcycles is reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars.

TMZ said one of the cars "erupted into flames without warning," citing unnamed sources who said the left side of Leno's face was affected, but that his eye and ear were not badly injured.

People magazine said the comedian had abruptly pulled out of an engagement in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Leno took over the helm of "The Tonight Show" after Johnny Carson retired in 1992, carrying on a tradition of television that has defined US late nights for decades.

After stepping away in 2009 for a brief stint fronting "The Jay Leno Show," he returned to host "The Tonight Show" until 2014, when Jimmy Fallon took over.

He has also fronted seven seasons of "Jay Leno's Garage."



Mel Gibson’s ‘Flight Risk’ is No. 1 at Box Office, ‘The Brutalist’ Expands

FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
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Mel Gibson’s ‘Flight Risk’ is No. 1 at Box Office, ‘The Brutalist’ Expands

FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
FILE - Mel Gibson, right, interacts with crowd members as he leaves a Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony for actor Vince Vaughn, on Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Critics lambasted it and audiences didn’t grade it much better. But despite the turbulence, Mel Gibson’s “Flight Risk” managed to open No. 1 at the box office with a modest $12 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
On a quiet weekend, even for the typically frigid movie-going month of January, the top spot went to the Lionsgate thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as a pilot flying an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) and fugitive (Topher Grace) across Alaska. But it wasn’t a particularly triumphant result for Gibson’s directorial follow-up to 2016’s “Hacksaw Ridge.” Reviews (21% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “C” CinemaScore) were terrible.
President Donald Trump recently named Gibson a “special ambassador” to Hollywood, along with Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone.
Going into the weekend, Hollywood’s attention was more focused on the Sundance Film Festival and on Thursday’s Oscar nominations, which were twice postponed by the wildfires in the Los Angeles region, The Associated Press reported.
The weekend was also a small test as to whether the once more common Oscar “bump” that can sometimes follow nominations still exists. Most contenders have by now completed the bulk of their theatrical runs and are more likely to see an uptick on VOD or streaming.
But the weekend’s most daring gambit was A24 pushing Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” a three–and-a-half-hour epic nominated for 10 Academy Awards, into wide release. Though some executives initially greeted “The Brutalist,” which is running with an intermission, as “un-distributable,” Corbet has said, A24 acquired the film out of the Venice Film Festival and it’s managed solid business, collecting $6 million in limited release.
In wide release, it earned $2.9 million — a far from blockbuster sum but the best weekend yet for “The Brutalist.”
The audience was downright miniscule for another best-picture nominee: RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys.” Innovatively shot almost entirely in first-person POV, the Amazon MGM Studios release gathered just $340,171 in 540 locations after expanding by 300 theaters.
Coming off one of the lowest Martin Luther King Jr. weekends in years, no new releases made a major impact.
Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence,” a well-reviewed horror film shot from the perspective of a ghost inside a suburban home, debuted with $3.4 million in 1,750 locations. The film, released by Neon and acquired out of last year’s Sundance, was made for just $2 million.
The top spots otherwise went to holdovers. The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” in its sixth weekend of release, scored $8.7 million to hold second place. After starting slow, the Barry Jenkins-directed film has amassed $626.7 million globally.
“One of Them Days,” the Keke Palmer and SZA led comedy from Sony Pictures, held well in its second weekend, dropping just 32% with $8 million in ticket sales. In recent years, few comedies have found success on the big screen, but “One of Them Days” has proven an exception.