Jay Leno feels 'very lucky' despite burn accident, challenges with wife's dementia battle

Jay Leno isn’t 1 to complain.

The erstwhile "Tonight Show" big has kept a affirmative outlook implicit the past mates of years arsenic he’s faced respective idiosyncratic struggles.

In 2022, Leno was moving connected 1 of his cars successful his store erstwhile an mishap occurred, giving him third-degree burns connected his look and sending him to the ICU. 

But erstwhile asked if helium was ever tense astir returning to his garage, helium responded with a resounding, "No!"

JAY LENO RECEIVES HYPERBARIC CHAMBER TREATMENT AFTER HE SUFFERED ‘SERIOUS BURNS’ IN GASOLINE FIRE

Jay Leno said helium had zero hesitation astir going backmost to enactment successful his store aft an mishap gave him third-degree burns. (Fremantle)

"I got burned successful a fire. I got a look afloat of gas. A spark jumped. [It’s] not like, ‘How did this happen?’ I mean, radical get burned each day," helium told Fox News Digital, joking that radical reacted much powerfully due to the fact that he’s a celebrity. 

Leno noted helium "was retired successful 8 and a fractional days" from the infirmary and "I missed 2 days' work. So it wasn't bad. It was that is amended than the breached leg, judge me."

He needed aggregate tegument grafts for his facial injuries, and conscionable 2 months later, helium broke his limb successful a motorcycle accident.

"I was connected my motorcycle, and the feline had to ligament crossed a driveway but with nary emblem connected it. And I turned, and the prima was successful my eyes. And truthful it tore my look across," the 74-year-old said.

Leno said helium was retired of the infirmary "in 8 and a fractional days" aft his accident. (Fremantle)

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He joked that helium "had to telephone my look feline and go, ‘Listen, retrieve that caller look you gave me? You got different look there? I request different one.’ [He said] ‘All right, travel on,’ and helium went and gave maine different face," adding, "You can't spot the zipper, right?"

"I utilized to look similar Abe Lincoln" helium continued with a laugh. "No, I look precisely the same, conscionable a amended mentation … I’m redeeming face, enactment it that way. Or I’m a two-faced guy, immoderate mode you privation to instrumentality it."

Leno and his household faced different wellness contented erstwhile the quality went nationalist that his wife of 44 years, Mavis, had precocious dementia.

"It's OK. You know, it's life. Everybody goes done it," Leno said of Mavis’ existent condition.

Leno said helium has been "very fortunate successful my life" and cooks meal for his wife, Mavis, who suffers from precocious dementia, "every night." (Nina Zacuto)

JAY LENO, WIFE MAVIS RELY ON FAITH, FAMILY TO OVERCOME LIFE'S HARDSHIPS: 'IT GETS EASIER'

He continued, "I've been precise fortunate successful my life. I don't kick astir everything. We person a batch of fun, and I navigator meal for her each night."

"She's good. She's good, you know? It's changes you person to make, but that's OK. That's OK".

WATCH: JAY LENO SAYS HE’S ‘VERY LUCKY IN LIFE’ AS HE CARES FOR HIS WIFE WITH DEMENTIA

Leno is besides focused connected his different semipermanent love, cars, with a caller play of "Jay Leno’s Garage."

"We bash a caller video each week, thing that rolls, explodes, makes noise. That's beauteous overmuch it. Steam engines, motorcycles," the comedian said of the show.

Leno says his show, "Jay Leno's Garage," covers "anything that rolls, explodes, makes noise." (Fremantle)

JAY LENO AND WIFE MAVIS ENJOY A DATE NIGHT AMID HER ONGOING DEMENTIA BATTLE

But he’s ever looking to innovate connected the bid and cheque retired caller cars and vehicles, careless of complaints from gearheads.

"I emotion however passionate radical – similar radical go, ‘If you bash different EV [electric vehicle], I americium not watching ever again.’ I go, ’OK … you cognize Mark Twain utilized to say, "I similar progress, it’s alteration I don't like."' And car guys are beauteous conservative. They privation to spot the aforesaid happening each week. Well, but you don't turn that way, you know, truthful we effort to … screen each aspects of transportation."

One of the caller episodes covered the Big Boy Steam train, which Leno thought would marque immoderate radical aggravated contempt its awesome stats.

"This happening is similar the Empire State Building turned sideways. It's pulling a bid of cars 5 miles long. It's 5 miles agelong each. Each bid car holds 600 tons. And you go, however almighty is that? You know, it was conscionable a surreal experience. It was built [in] 1941. They built 25 of them. It was a fascinating portion of history. And I thought immoderate radical would beryllium angry. People really similar that one, you know? So that was good," helium said.

"I've been precise fortunate successful my life. I don't kick astir everything."

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As a longtime interviewer, Leno will, of course, person personage guests connected the amusement from the car satellite and Hollywood, similar Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, Tim Allen and Jeff Dunham.

When it comes to Allen, who Leno says is "very knowledgeable connected astir cars," oregon chap comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who’s "go-to" car know-how is for the Porsche, he’s not amazed by their involvement successful cars.

"But past you get radical similar Jon Hamm, who I didn't deliberation of arsenic a car guy, but helium is," Leno said. "You’d beryllium amazed however galore radical truly similar automobiles."

Leno has been well-known for his emotion of classical cars, but according to him, "It’s truthful overmuch amended now."

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"In the '60s, cars were fast, but they didn't stop," helium said. "And they didn’t spell astir corners, and astatine 15 miles an hour, you could dice successful a crash."

He recalled witnessing a superior mishap betwixt a Corvette and a Subaru once, and "both cars were unrecognizable" but "both drivers walked away."

"It’s astonishing however harmless cars person gotten," helium added.

Hosting "Jay Leno’s Garage" has fixed the prima a accidental to person galore of his puerility dreams travel existent arsenic a lifelong car fanatic.

Leno said it's been "pretty cool" to conscionable a batch of the radical successful the car satellite who helium utilized to work astir arsenic a kid. (Fremantle)

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"You know, each these guys you utilized to work astir erstwhile I was a kid, you know, you'd person your Hot Rod mag successful mathematics people beneath the book, and you're speechmaking it, and you work astir each these people. So it was beauteous cool." 

"I mean, it's a large life," helium added with a smile.

"Jay Leno’s Garage" is airing present connected RIG TV.