NEWSJay Leno Returns to TV
Apr. 28 2009, Published 12:30 p.m. ET
Jay Leno wasn't about to let a case of what he calls the chills keep him from his Tonight Show hosting duties, as he returned to TV last night after a brief hospital visit.
"I was freezing and I got chills, and here at NBC we have an `ODN,' overly dramatic nurse," Leno said, who added that he drove to work that day without a jacket in one of his vinatage cars. The nurse took his temperature and pressured him to go to the hospital. He walked over to nearby Providence St. Joseph Medical Centeron Thursday and was checked in for an unspecified ailment, although he revealed he had a 103-degree fever.
He also joked about an incident involving a man claiming to be a Jesuit priest, who tried to enter his hospital room. NBC then posted security outside his hotel room.
"So now I'm like in The Godfather," Leno told the audience, referring to the scene in which Marlon Brando's wounded mob boss is protected from his would-be assassins. "It's so stupid. But anyway, we're back and we're not gonna be canceling any more shows or appearances."
Leno's replacement on the Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien, who takes over in July, also came by. At the hospital, Leno said, "I had a horrible dream that I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was suffocating ... then I woke up and realized Conan was holding a pillow over my face."
