“Jay Leno is doing just fine,” read a statement from NBC spokeswoman Tracy St. Pierre. “He was kidding around with the hospital staff and running his monologue jokes by the doctors and the nurses. He’s expected back to work on Monday.”
The network planned to air a rerun, the first time it had to cover for a sick Leno since he took over “Tonight” in 1992, St. Pierre said. Guests scheduled for Thursday included "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" actor Ryan Reynolds, celebrity animal trainer Jules Sylvester and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Leno, who turns 59 on Tuesday, will leave the “Tonight” show May 29 after 17 years. But he will continue on NBC, with a Monday-through-Friday program at 10 p.m., starting in the fall.
Leno, who turns 59 on Tuesday, will leave the “Tonight” show May 29 after 17 years. But he will continue on NBC, with a Monday-through-Friday program at 10 p.m., starting in the fall.