This morning on The Today Show, Jay Leno revealed for the first time what transpired when he sustained third-degree burns to his face, chest, and hands last month while working on one of his cars. In an interview with Today host Hoda Kotb, the comedian said that his burns were caused by a clogged fuel line on his 1907 White Steam Car.
Leno claimed that he and his friend Dave Killackey were working on the car on November 12 when the tragedy occurred. According to him, the gasoline line was plugged, therefore he was below the vehicle. It sounded blocked, so I instructed Killackey to blow air through the pipe… And immediately, bam, I was overcome with gas. The pilot light then flashed and my face caught fire.”
Killackey, who also appeared on Leno’s Today broadcast, explained to Kotb that he smothered his friend’s face to extinguish the flames, then instructed him to pour cold water on his burns in the restroom. Killackey stated that Leno “plays down” the incident and emphasized that his burns were “horrific” and “terrifying.” Doctors advised Leno to go to a burn center after he dialed 911, but he initially declined and drove home for the night.
He was hospitalized for 10 days at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, where he had skin transplants and was treated in a hyperbaric chamber. When questioned by Kotb if he was concerned about his appearance following skin grafts, Leno joked, “When you look like me, you don’t really worry about what you look like,” before adding, “But they said it would be okay so, you know, my approach is that I trust the greatest people to do what they do.”
Leno told Hoda Kotb, reiterating what he said earlier this week in a Wall Street Journal essay, that he does not want to make a big issue out of his injuries.
“This is a daily occurrence in the actual world,” he explained. “People who labor with their hands are hurt every single day. “I don’t want to be a star who is always complaining.”