How much is Jay Leno worth?
| Net Worth: | $350 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Comedian |
| Date of Birth: | April 28, 1950 (age 72) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.8 m) |
Who is Jay Leno
One of only a few emperors of the late night talk show dynasty, Jay Leno’s comedic style and devoted fanbase have kept him relevant through the years, battling head-on both the “shock jock” comedy of hosts like Howard Stern and the left-leaning humor of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Many late night comedians have fallen during this reign, but Leno’s signature standup and unpredictable interviews will have Tonight Show historians laughing for years to come. However, things weren’t always so easy for the man behind the chin…
Jay Leno accumulated his wealth primarily from his tenure at The Tonight Show, although when he first moved to L.A., he had to rely on his wits to survive, often breaking into houses which were advertised by real estate agents for open-house showings to spend a few nights.
Leno is an astute businessman and knows exactly what job offer he should take on in order to achieve better commercial success amongst other competing offers. He told CNBC in an interview that the key to getting rich was to develop multiple income streams for himself.
He also said in the same interview that he would spend the smaller incomes he received and saved up the bigger incomes. Leno earned an estimated $15 million per year when he hosted The Tonight Show. During the height of his popularity, he commanded up to an estimated $30 million per year.
Jay’s talent was not just confined to hosting The Tonight Show. This prolific TV personality does stand up comedies, contributes to newspaper columns on his passion for cars, writes books, and appears in both films and television. Even now, Jay has not stopped working. He still performs over 200 gigs a year as a stand-up comedian, quipping: “if you do something and it works, then keep doing it.”
Jay’s assets include various homes and an incredible collection of prized cars, which are either historically or technically significant. While his appointment as host of The Tonight Show was seized by controversy, Jay’s easy-going style and ability to connect with his audience soon made him the face of The Tonight Show, which he helmed for 22 years, and during which he interviewed countless celebrities and politicians, including President Barack Obama. His ability to connect and forge connections provided him with a great platform for offers of other projects outside his TV show, and which also helped him regain his spot on the show in 2010.
While Johnny Carson did like Leno and found him hilarious, even Carson was surprised when Jay was selected by NBC to be his successor. The majority of the public, as well as Carson himself, had expected David Letterman to succeed and take over The Tonight Show. In fact, the takeover of The Tonight Show was such a turbulent affair that it inspired an HBO movie and a book about it.
At the core, Jay Leno is an extremely talented comedian and this is obvious since he still performs over 200 stand-ups a year. All of this also points to a work-ethic of extremely hard work, setting for himself very high standards, scrupulous saving, and frugality. He once said that he never spent on anything before he has it earned, and never bought anything on time.
Summing-Up
Jay Leno was a child of immigrants who struggled early in his life and in his career. His work ethics and high standards made him one of the most successful and richest comedians and talk show hosts of all time. It’s indeed hard to talk about late-night television shows without mentioning Jay Leno, for he has become an iconic figure in the history of late-night television.
