Tim Allen and Jay Leno have been close friends for decades, and they share many of the same fans. That’s why it’s so exciting that they are preparing to reunite on television next month on Allen’s hit new show Shifting Gears.
And frankly, you couldn’t invent a better show name for the famous gearhead Jay Leno!
Leno To Appear On Shifting Gears
ABC announced on Tuesday that Leno, 74, will be making a cameo on Allen’s new sitcom Shifting Gears in an episode that is set to air on March 12. Leno will be playing himself in the episode, which will see him bring his car (one of his many, many, many cars) into Parker Customs, the family’s car restoration shop, for a repair.
ABC also released a photo showing Leno and Allen, 71, smiling together on the set:
On top of Leno’s cameo, the March 12 episode will feature Riley (Kat Dennings) being “horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s (Maxwell Simkins) pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt (Allen). Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel (Seann William Scott) and Stitch (Daryl Mitchell) in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.”
Watch Allen talk about Leno’s cameo in the video below.
Leno’s Devastating Fall
Fans will be excited to see Leno back in action. Indeed, this comes just three months after he suffered serious injuries from falling down a 60 feet down a hill while he was staying at a Hampton Inn about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had been in town for a standup comedy performance and thought he was taking a shortcut to dinner.
Spoiler alert: if shortcuts were easy, they’d just be “the way”!
“To get to it (the restaurant), I didn’t have a car, so you had to walk about a mile and a half around,” Leno explained. “I said, ‘Well, the hill doesn’t look that steep. … Let me see if I can go down the hill.”
This turned out to be a big mistake.
“I broke my wrist,” Leno admitted. “Lost my nail on the finger, I’m all black and blue from 60 feet of hitting rocks.”
Leno was left with severe bruising on his face and body in the wake of this fall. Thankfully, judging from his photo on the Shifting Gears set, he seems to have made a full recovery.
Full Story: Jay Leno Breaks His Silence To Address Claims His Facial Injuries Stemmed From Being Beaten Up By The Mob
Allen And Leno’s History
Leno and Allen have appeared on one another’s respective shows before. Leno previously made a cameo in Allen’s sitcom Last Man Standing. Meanwhile, Allen has paid Leno a visit on his show Jay Leno’s Garage.
Back in 2022, Leno opened up about how he met Allen decades ago.
“We go back to, oh god, to the comedy club in the ‘70s. I met him in Detroit… But, yeah, that’s who we first met. I was working,” Leno recalled. “He came in and did a guest set, and we became friends.”
Allen is known to do quite an impression of Leno. When asked about this, Leno replied, “It’s a horrible impression. I mean, people go, ‘Who was that?’ He has to tell them that it’s me and then they go, ‘Oh no, that would be too cruel.’ It doesn’t resemble me in any way.”
Check out Allen appearing in Jay Leno’s Garage below.
Allen Supports Leno
Months after this interview, Allen stepped up to support Leno after he was left with “serious burns” he sustained in a garage gasoline fire. Allen even visited him at the hospital. Afterwards, Allen told TMZ that Leno is “feeling better.”
“He took his car magazines,” Allen continued. “We did some jokes, which is what we do. We commiserated.”
Reporters went on to ask Allen how Leno’s face looked in the wake of the fire. In response, Allen couldn’t help but joke that it “didn’t look all that good to begin with.” However, he quickly clarified that his friend looks “great.”
“He’s going for the George Clooney look, you’re gonna be surprised,” Allen joked of Leno. “He’s handsome and he’s happy and the hospital’s doing a great job taking care of him.”
Full Story: Tim Allen Visits Jay Leno In Hospital After Comedian Is Burned In Fire
Allen and Leno clearly share one fun friendship. We can’t wait to see Leno’s episode of Shifting Gears on March 12!
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