Jay Leno is setting the report straight about his latest string of accidents.

The previous Tonight Present host, 74, appeared on the Dec. 22 episode of Invoice Maher’s Membership Random podcast to debate comedy, performing reside and the early days of their careers as stand-up performers. In the course of the dialog, Maher, 68, requested Leno a few latest rumor that his accidents have been from getting beat up by the mob as a result of playing money owed.

“Effectively, I like the concept that they wouldn’t simply take one among my vehicles for the playing debt,” the New York-born comic shortly quipped in reply. (Leno famously owns almost 200 vehicles, lots of them uncommon collectibles price a number of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.)

Leno then obtained critical, revealing that whereas he personally has no affiliation with the mob, he did have a run–in with a member of the Mafia when he was an up-and-coming comic making an attempt to catch his huge break.

“I used to be fairly sensible,” he instructed Maher. “I keep in mind years in the past, I used to be at [the East Coast-based comedy club] Catch a Rising Star, and I used to be onstage, and this man — a mob man — comes as much as me afterwards and he goes, ‘Hey, you’re a humorous child. You’re a humorous child.’ ”

“He takes $100 and he places it in my pocket,” he continued. ”I say, ‘Oh thanks.’ I say, ‘Look, I don’t imply any disrespect, however, you already know, give it to the church or one thing … I’m okay, however thanks.’ And he says to me, ‘You already know, you’re a sensible child. You don’t take cash from individuals like me. That’s sensible.’ And no one ever bothered me once more.”

Leno then shared that whereas he personally by no means had any bother, he used to see the mob “kick the crap out of comics left and proper” for being “clever a——” onstage.

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Leno additionally stated that the rumors about the reason for his accidents are unfounded for the straightforward motive that he doesn’t like playing. “I don’t gamble,” he insisted, including, “Shedding 100 bucks makes me really feel stupider than profitable one thousand makes me really feel good. As a result of I’m going, ‘I may have taken my spouse to dinner.’ ”

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In November, the previous late-night host was noticed stepping out with extreme bruising on his face, inflicting alarm amongst followers. On the time, Leno instructed TMZ that the accidents have been as a result of a fall down a steep hill, and he later instructed Inside Version that he broke his wrist, misplaced the nail on one among his fingers and bruised your entire left aspect of his physique throughout the tumble. He needed to put on an eye fixed patch throughout his restoration.

The autumn got here one 12 months after the USO Present alum skilled second- and third-degree burns on his face, chest and palms whereas engaged on one among his vehicles when a gasoline hearth broke out. He underwent a sequence of surgical excision and grafting procedures for his accidents and spent 10 days in a restoration facility.