One of Jay Leno’s staples when he hosted “The Tonight Show” involved a segment featuring ridiculous headlines.
The veteran comedian has found himself in a real-life version of that after a November mishap in Westmoreland County. Before a Nov. 15 show at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, Leno said he fell down a hill while walking to a restaurant from his hotel.
Leno, 74, performed that night, wearing an eye patch over his left eye, and later told “Inside Edition” that he broke his wrist, lost a fingernail and had bruising all over the left side of his body.
Internet conspiracy theories instantly popped up as to how the comedian was injured, with some speculating that organized crime may have been involved.
In a recent appearance on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, the topic was broached.
“It’s a conspiracy theory since you’ve had three accidents,” Maher said. “That you actually have gambling debts and you’re being beaten up by the mob.”
Leno, however, laughed off the possibility.
“I love the idea that the mob would drive to Greenburg, Pennsylvania,” Leno said, mispronouncing Greensburg, “wait outside the Hampton Inn in a kind of sleety, rainy day to throw me down a hill.”
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Maher also brought up another recent Leno injury — a motorcycle accident in 2023 where both of his kneecaps were cracked — as “cover stories” for being beaten up by the mob.
“I like the idea that they wouldn’t just take one of my cars for the gambling debt,” Leno said.
