Highlights
- Jay Leno confirmed he never touched his Tonight Show pay, staying disciplined despite his success.
- Leno lived humbly, saved stand-up earnings, even post-Tonight Show salary. Fans laud his attitude.
- Fans share experiences where Jay Leno was approachable, grounded, and gracious in person.
It is one thing to make a fortune in Hollywood, but a completely different beast to maintain that wealth given all the temptation. Late show hosts have done well to maintain their wealth. David Letterman still has an impressive net worth of $400 million.
However, Jay Leno is worth more, and it might have something to do with his ridiculous saving habits.
During a podcast interview alongside Adam Carolla, Leno confirmed a certain rumor about his spending. Not only did this shock fans, but it gave further insight into how disciplined Leno really is.
We'll reveal what was said, and the great fan stories about Leno and how humble the host truly is. In addition, we'll take a look at his early beginnings as a comedian, and the wise way he'd save his money from the gigs.
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Jay Leno Admitted To The Rumor That He Never Touched Any Of His Tonight Show Pays
Jay Leno is worth a fortune today, despite the fact that he even took a pay cut to keep The Tonight Show on the air. Nowadays, Leno has a worth of $450 million and chances are, he was able to retain a lot of that money. Fans have praised Leno for being humble with the way he lives and, in addition, he confirmed a crazy urban legend speaking alongside Adam Carolla. Leno confirmed that he never touched any of his Tonight Show money.
Carolla asks, "The legend is, is that you always kept all those Tonight Show checks. And made your money doing live performances."
Leno did not hesitate when revealing that was completely true.
Leno says, "You got to be hungry. I used to live week to week. I lived on the money I made as a standup. I wanted to be a comedian. I never thought TV was a job that would last you."
Leno went on to confirm that he never touched any of his Tonight Show salary "until the very end."
Carolla was stunned by the response, especially given Leno's habits of spending on cars, and giving back to his Tonight Show employees back in the day.
Leno was able to not only survive, but confirmed that the money is still there in an account.
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A remarkable story of how Leno was able to maintain his wealth all these years later. As far as fans that met Leno are concerned, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Fans Were Glowingly Speaking About Their Experiences With Jay Leno In The Comments Section
After fans watched the moment back on The Rubin Report, they were full of praise for Jay Leno. And in fact, a lot of them shared their personal experiences with the late night host. Not a single negative experience was shared.
Fans wrote, "Lot of people in LA have a Jay story. Bumped into him once at the only gas station in Beverly Hills, he was filling up up an old banged up Indian motorcycle he was riding around on. I commented on his bike and he just chatted with me for 20 minutes like we were bros. Jay is good people."
"I was on a flight with Jay Leno - sat next to him for the entire flight. He was a "regular" guy on the plane. No one to meet him at the baggage claim - got his own luggage got on the same bus to the hotel with everyone else. All while doing the Tonight Show. Wore pretty much what he has on in this video. This man is very down to earth and knows how to stay grounded."
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Another fan had a sense of appreciation for one of Leno's quotes during the podcast interview.
“I don’t have girlfriends or cocaine habits, so you can save a tremendous amount of money!” Truer words were never said! But, it seems like most of those Hollywood types never heeded them which led to divorce and early death. Greatest respect for Mr. Leno."
Fans believe Leno was spot on with that quote.
Jay Leno Was Wise With His Profits From The Very Start Of His Comedy Career
Jay Leno went from minimum wage at McDonald's to making millions. CNBC took a closer look at his rise. One thing that was evident is, from the start, Leno was wise when it came to saving his money.
“Then I got to the point where the comedy money was, like, five times the other money, so I decided to flip it around and save the comedy money,” Leno says. “I would always spend the lesser amount of what the two were.”
Even when he got on The Tonight Show, that mentality stayed the same in order to motivate himself.
“I pretended as if I didn’t even have the ‘Tonight Show’ job. You know, when you start making money, you get lazy. I wanted to make sure I always had that hunger, so I never looked. It would go directly into a bank.”
A great story, and one that is very different compared to other tragic tales in Hollywood of the opposite holding true.
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