"It's my mistake": Jay Leno on letting Jimmy Kimmel "humiliate" him on his show

Apr 26, 2025

Washington [US], April 26 : TV host and comedian Jay Leno has regret in his life, and it was his infamous moment with Jimmy Kimmel.
In 2010, Kimmel appeared on Leno's show and called him out for reversing his decision to hand over The Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien, as reported by People.
After ratings for the late-night show and his 10 p.m. talk show, The Jay Leno Show, fell, the comic returned to the old show, while O'Brien refused to move to a later time slot.
After Leno questioned Kimmel about one of the funniest pranks he's ever played during his then appearance on The Tonight Show, the comedian said, "I told a guy that five years from now I'm going to give you my show, and then when the five years came, I gave it to him, and then I took it back almost instantly," as per the outlet.
During the recent episode of In Depth With Graham Bensinger, Leno recalled the time when Kimmel appeared on his show, saying, "When Kimmel came on my show and humiliated me on my own show, I let it happen. I didn't edit it," he said, adding,"It was my mistake, I trusted somebody. I went, 'Ah, I made a mistake. Okay, I should pay the price.' And it's fine, it's fine. I mean, we could've edited it out of the show," reported People.
Leno added, "It's real, it happened. It's my mistake. That's how you learn."
While some may argue that the situation made for "good TV," Leno said that he hasn't found a silver lining.
"It's not good TV for me because it started a whole thing that continues to this day, really," he continued. "But it's okay, it's alright. He's a comic -- you do what you gotta do. I mean, I wouldn't have done it, but that's okay. That's alright. It is what it is."
Although Leno may have regrets, in 2017, Kimmel confirmed that the two had worked on their relationship.
"Jay and I have made peace," he said, adding, "After my son had his operation, he called me and he was very nice." That year, Kimmel's youngest son, Billy, had to undergo open heart surgery to fix a congenital heart disease.
Kimmel also praised Leno, saying, "You can't argue with Leno's success and his longevity," reported People.