Jay Leno Reveals If He Still Fixes Up Cars After Gasoline Fire Left Him Hospitalized With Third-Degree Burns

Jay Leno isn't letting the past stop him from doing what he loves.

Last year, the comedian was involved in a gasoline fire while working on one of his beloved automobiles, but the accident hasn't prompted him to find a new hobby.

At the Sunday, December 3, Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., a reporter asked the 73-year-old if the incident has caused him to have a new outlook on life.

"It hasn't changed it at all," he admitted. "Once a man hits 40, you can't convince him of anything else."

"I'm still riding motorcycles. I'm still falling off, I'm still working on cars," he noted. "No, once a guy learns [something], you can't teach him new tricks."

When questioned what he has in store for 2024, he quipped, "Oh, riding motorcycles and falling off!" He also ensured fans he was feeling just fine despite his recent ordeals.

As OK! reported, in late 2022, Leno was attempting to fix a clogged fuel line on his 1907 White Steam Car when a leak sprayed gasoline across his face and hands.

Seconds later, a spark ignited an explosion, causing flames to pounce on his face. Luckily, his friend was nearby and was able to smother out the fire, but he still had to spend 10 days in the hospital for third-degree burns to his face, chest and hands.

The TV star underwent skin graft surgeries and joked he now boasted a "new face" and a new ear.

Leno had another bout of bad luck in January 2023, when was involved in an accident while riding one of his vintage vehicles. At the time, he pulled over on the street because he smelled gas.

"I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it. So, you know, I didn't see it until it was too late," he recalled. "It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out."

The situation resulted in "a broken collarbone ... two broken ribs [and] ... two cracked kneecaps," the former Tonight Show host revealed in an interview.

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Entertainment Tonight spoke to Leno at the Kennedy Center Honors.