James Douglas Muir "
Jay"
Leno (born April 28, 1950)
is an American
stand-up comedian and
television host. From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of
NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. During his tenure, the show held the top ratings position in its time slot on nearly every weekday. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled
The Jay Leno Show, which airs weeknights at 10:00 p.m. (
Eastern Time, UTC-5), also on
NBC.
Early life
Jay Leno was born in
New Rochelle, New York, on April 28, 1950. His mother, Catherine (née Muir), a homemaker, was born in
Greenock,
Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Her schooling was limited and as a result she prized her children's successes. Leno's father, Angelo, who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York to immigrants from
Flumeri,
Italy.
Leno grew up in
Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he
drop out of school, he later obtained a
Bachelor's degree in
speech therapy from
Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973.
Leno's siblings include his late older brother, Patrick, who was a Vietnam veteran
and a lawyer.
He was raised as a
Catholic.
