SUNDAY WITH ...
AFTER BEING MARRIED 31 YEARS, I’M NOT TRYING TO SHOW OFF. I CAN COME HOME REEKING OF TRANSMISSION FLUID.”
Jay Leno The Tonight Show host on comic highs and lows, his many cars, and the secrets of a successful marriage
he late-night landscape is dramatically different than it was when Jay Leno took over from Johnny Carson in 1992, but the Tonight Show host is sticking to his program’s tried-and-true format. “I love Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, but they’re doing a very specific kind of comedy,” says Leno, 62. “I’m doing this broad thing of a smart joke, a silly joke, and then a joke unrelated to politics. That’s what The Tonight Show is—it’s big-tent comedy.” He discusses stand-up and career longevity with Mary Margaret.
T
Long Term Benefits Before
After
Dramatically lifts, tightens and firms the appearance of aged skin within 5 minutes, significantly reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin, for a beautiful, more youthful complexion. Before
Instantly reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet. Lifts the brow and reduces the appearance of under eye circles and puffiness for smoother, younger-looking eyes.
After
AS SEEN ON THE
TODAY SHOW
PARADE Did you always want to work in entertainment? When I was 7, I went to the movies and watched Elvis Presley in Loving You. The girls went crazy when he sang “Teddy Bear,” and I thought, “This is the way to make a living.” I even took guitar lessons, but when that didn’t work, I decided to tell jokes instead.
What was your first joke? In fourth grade, the teacher was talking about how cruel the Sheriff of Nottingham was and something about Friar Tuck, and I said, “Do you know why they boiled them in oil? Because he was a fryer.” It got a laugh. You had some lean years starting out. What was your low point, and what advice do you give to struggling comics? My low point was sleeping in an alley off of 44th Street and Ninth Avenue in New York, right near the Improv. It was awful. I always tell comics, do what you have to do and take every gig that’s out there, no matter how demeaning, because you learn something. Has the digital age affected how you approach comedy? You know, humor doesn’t change a whole lot. If you watch a comedy from the 1920s, the fat rich man stepping out of a Cadillac and into
PHOTO: SANDY HUFFAKER/CORBIS. ILLUSTRATION: GRAFILU
DRAMATIC RESULTS
6 • May 20, 2012
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