PICTURES ON THE AIR. AND JAY ALSO SURPRISED ME WITH HIS SPIRIT AFTER ALL HE HAS BEEN THROUGH. >> SAME SO HAPPY TO BE SITTING ACROSS FROM YOU. >> THANK YOU. I AM AFRAID I HAD TO GET ON FIRE TO BE ON "TODAY" SHOW. >> I HAVE TO SAY, I WAS, AS THE COUNTRY WAS, EXTREMELY WORRIED. I MEAN -- >> THE COUNTRY WAS. >> PEOPLE WERE LIKE, WHAT HAPPENED TO JAY? >> PEOPLE ARE VERY NICE. I GOT WONDERFUL CARDS AND LETTERS. >> I LOVE WHEN YOUR DOCTOR WAS MEETING YOU WERE LISTENING TO A VOICEMAIL, HEY, THIS IS JOE FROM INDONESIA, AND YOUR DOCTOR WAS LIKE, I PUT TOGETHER WHO IT WAS. >> OH, YEAH. PRESIDENT BIDEN. THAT WAS VERY NICE. YEAH. I HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO, THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I APPRECIATE IT. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. >> OKAY. >> YOU DO WHAT YOU LOVE. >> RIGHT. >> WITH YOUR BABIES, ALL YOUR CARS. >> YES. >> YOU ARE DOING YOUR THING. TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY. >> WELL, WAYS -- IT WAS A 1907 WHITE STEAM CAR. SO THE FUEL LINE WAS CLOGGED. I WAS UNDERNEATH IT. I SAID BLOW SOME AIR THROUGH THE LINE. AND THEN THE LINE, POOF! BOOM, I GOT A FACE FULL OF GAS AND THEN THE PILOT LIGHT JUMPED AND MY FACE CAUGHT ON FIRE. I SAID TO MY FRIEND, I SAID, DAVE, I'M ON FIRE. I SAID, NO, DAVE, I'M ON FIRE. >> HOW LONG ARE YOU BEEN BUDDIES? >> THANKFULLY, JAY'S LONG-TIME PAL DAVE, WAS STANDING A FEW FEET AWAY. >> HE WAS REALLY ENGULFED. I COULDN'T SEE HIS FACE. >> IT WAS ON FIRE? >> IT WAS A WALL OF FIRE. >> WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING YOU DID WHEN SAW HIM ENGULFED IN FLAMES? >> I GRABBED HIM. HE WAS JUST UNDER THE CAR. I GRABBED HIM BY THE HEAD AND PULLED HIS HEAD INTO MY CHEST. >> I THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD TINDER DAY. WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? >> WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HE SAVED YOU. OKAY. YOU KIND OF BROUGHT HIM INTO YOUR CHEST? >> I DID. I STARTED TO SMOTHER THE FIRE. THEN I PUT THE CAR OUT. I TOLD JAY, GO TO THE BATHROOM, YOU KNOW, PUT COLD WATER ON YOUR FACE. >> PUT THE CAR OUT. PUT THE FIRE OUT. WENT INTO THE BATHROOM. >> WHAT DID YOU THINK? >> IT WAS -- HE DOWNPLAYS THAT, BUT IT WAS HORRIFIC. IT WAS A SCARY THING. IT DOESN'T TAKE A GENIUS TO FIGURE OUT CALL 911 AND THAT'S WHAT I DID. >> HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HE LOOKED LIKE TO YOU? >> IT WAS -- IT WAS HORRIBLE. IT WAS HORRIBLE. IN FACT, HE ASKED ME, HOW DO I LOOK? I SAID NOT GOOD. IT'S GOING TO BE A BAD THING. YOU KNOW, THE FIRST TWO LAYERS, WHEN THEY ARE PEELING OFF RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A REAL ISSUE. >> DOCTORS TOOK A LOOK AT JAY AND TOLD HIM TO GO TO A BURN CENTER, BUT JAY HAD OTHER PLANS. >> YEAH. I DROVE HOME RIGHT AFTER THAT. >> YOU DROVE YOURSELF HOME? WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO HOME FOR THAT NIGHT? >> BECAUSE MY WIFE DOESN'T DRIVE ANYMORE AND I DIDN'T WANT HER STUCK AND NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON. IT JUST SEEMED LIKE THE RIGHT THING TO DO. AND I THINK IT WAS. >> SO YOU LOVED YOUR WIFE MORE THAN YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF? >> YEAH, THAT'S IT. >> IS THAT IT? >> WELL, I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING TO THAT. >> JAY AND WIFE MAVIS HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOUR DECADES. WHAT DID YOUR WIFE SAY WHEN SHE SAW YOU? OH, THRILLED. >> DID SHE SAY GO TO THE HOSPITAL? >> OF COURSE. >> THEY SPENT THE NEXT NINE DAYS AT THE GROSSMAN BURN CENTER. DOCTORS HAD TO SCRAPE AWAY LAYERS OF BURNED SKIN, A PAINFUL PROCEDURE, BUT SAY JAY NEVER COMPLAINED. HE WAS MORE WORRIED ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE, SENDING PIZZAS TO THE NURSES AND CHEERING UP OTHER PATIENTS. WERE YOU WORRIED WHAT YOU MIGHT LOOK LIKE? >> WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE. LOOK, IF I'M GEORGE CLOONEY, THAT WOULD BE A HUGE PROBLEM, YOU KNOW? BUT THEY SAID IT WOULD BE ALL RIGHT. YOU KNOW, MY ATTITUDE IS, I TRUST PEOPLE WHO ARE THE BEST DOING WHAT THEY DO. >> THEY HAD TO FIX YOUR EAR? >> YEAH. >> IS THAT A BRAND-NEW EAR? >> NO, NO THEY SAVED THE ORIGINAL PARTS. THEY REMOLDED IT. THIS IS LIKE THE THINNEST SKIN ON THE BODY. SO IT BURNS PRETTY -- >> SO THAT HAD TO BE RECONSTRUCTED. >> IT'S LIKE FLASH PAPER. THEY FIX THAT. >> AND THIS PART? >> THIS WHOLE THING HERE. AND THEY PUT THAT NETTING THING ON THERE AND I GUESS THE SKIN -- >> WHAT ABOUT YOUR HANDS AND FINGERS? >> AS YOU CAN SEE, THOSE GOT BURNED PRETTY BAD. >> HE ALSO SPENT EIGHT HOURS A DAY ISOLATED IN A HYPERBARIC CHAMBER. THE PURE OXYGEN HELPED HIM HEAL. >> IT'S BASICALLY A GLASS COFFIN. THEY SEAL IT. PEOPLE KEEP AN EYE ON YOU. I KNOCK ON THE GLASS. YOU SEE PEOPLE TALKING AND I'M -- I AM LAUGHING BECAUSE I CAN'T GET THEM -- IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE. OH, HEY, WHAT'S UP JAY? IT'S ALL THIS GLASS COFFIN. IT'S SEALED. >> YOU ARE JUST IN THERE. THEY ARE GOING ABOUT YOUR LIVES. >> VERY FUNNY. >> WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING WHILE YOU WERE IN THERE? >> WELL, YEAH. YOU THINK ABOUT JOKES. YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR ACT. YOU THINK ABOUT, YEAH. >> NEVER THOUGHT OF MYSELF AS A ROAST COMIC. >> A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER HIS RELEASE JAY WAS BACK DOING STAND-UP WITH A SLEW OF HOT NEW JOKES. >> THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART OF THE OPERATION WAS THE GASOLINE. WE'RE IN CALIFORNIA. IT'S SEVEN BUCKS A GALLON. >> YOU ARE SO BAD. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS AN INTERVIEW ABOUT YOUR RECOVERY AND THIS IS WHAT IT IS. >> THE FACT THAT I HAVE SMOOTH SKIN, POUTY LIPS AND A TIGHTER BUTT, THAT WAS ALL SECONDARY. MY FIRST NIGHT ON STAGE, OH, WE YOU WOULD BE MORE BURNED UP. PEOPLE ARE DISAPPOINTED YOU ARE NOT A BRIQUETTE, YOU KNOW? >> "THE ENQUIRER" -- >> LENO'S FIREBALL HORROR! LOOK AT THIS. BRAVE TV LEGEND IS WORSE THAN YOU THINK. TURNED INTO A HUMAN TORCH. [ LAUGHTER ] I MEAN, IT'S, YEAH, YOU HAVE TO LAUGH AT IT. IT IS KIND OF FUNNY. >> THIS IS SO REMARKABLE TO ME. >> YOU KNOW SOMETHING? THE REAL WORLD THIS HAPPENS TO PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE DAY. PEOPLE WORK WITH THEIR HANDS GET INJURED EVERY SINGLE DAY. I DON'T WANT TO BE SOME WHINE ANY, BOOHOO IS ME. I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE, OH, I HAVE ALL THESE CARS AND THIS BEAUTIFUL HOUSE AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. PEOPLE ARE, SHUT UP! >> I KNOW THAT WORKING UNDER CARS AND WITH CARS HAS BEEN YOUR HAPPY PLACE, YOUR SAFE PLACE. >> RIGHT. >> DO YOU HAVE NOW ANY SKITTISHNESS? >> NO. DID I LEARN FROM THIS? OF COURSE NOT. >> I MEAN, DO YOU KNOW WHO TO SAY? >> COULD YOU LOVE HIM ANY MORE? WHAT AN AMAZING SPIRIT AND HIS HUMOR. I MEAN, LOOK, IT'S WORKING FOR HIM. >> EVERYTHING WORKS FOR HIM. I MEAN, THE GUY, I WAS, LIKE, WHEN WE BURN OUR THUMB ON THE A FRYING PAN WE ARE IN AGONY. HE SAID HE DIDN'T TAKE A SINGLE PAIN PILL, HE SAID, BECAUSE HE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS GETTING BETTER. HE SAID THAT WAS THE POINT OF IT. BY THE WAY, HE GOT SO MANY FLOWERS AND GOOD WISHES FROM TONS OF CELEBS. THE ONE HE LOVED MOST, A GUY, HEY, JAY, YOU HELPED ME ON CANYON BOULEVARD AND HELPED ME FIX-A-FLAT TIRE, THAT'S THE OUTPOURING OF LOVE. THEY ARE GETTING FLOWERS. JAY IS OUT ON THE ROAD AND THE OTHER COOL THING WAS -- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW THAT LAST SHOT HE WANTED TO DRIVE ME IN A CAR. I WAS LIKE, OKAY. I HOP IN THE CAR WITH HIM. WE ARE DRIVING. HE GOES, THIS CARTELS THE STORY. WHAT'S THE STORY IS? THIS WAS JOHNNY CARSON'S DAD'S CAR. HE USED TO BUFF IF WHEN HE WAS A KID AND JOHNNY DROVE HIS PROM DATE TO -- DATE TO PROM IN THIS CAR AND GIFTED IT TO JAY IN HIS WILL. SO WE ARE CRUISING IN THIS GREEN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, IT WAS AMAZING. THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT. ISN'T HE UNBELIEVABLE? >> BY THE WAY, THANK GOD FOR DAVE. >> YEAH, DAVE -- >> HE SAVED HIS LIFE. I MEAN, YOUR FRIEND ON FIRE AND YOU BRING HIM TO YOU, YOUR HEART, TO QUENCH THE FIRE. MIRACULOUS. >> YES. JAY HAD THE SAME CIRCLE OF FRIENDS FOR DECADES. IT TELLS YOU EVERYTHING ABOUT THAT GUY. BY THE WAY, HE IS ALREADY BACK ON THE ROAD. >> OF COURSE HE IS. >> AND YOU CAN'T SAY ENOUGH. A LOVELY HUMAN. I AM SO GOOD -- I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW GOOD HE LOOKS. WHAT A TESTAMENT TO HIS DOCTORS, TOO. >> BY THE WAY, EVERY TIME, A JOKE -- I ALMOST COULDN'T GET HIM TO TALK ABOUT LIFE. HE IS GOING TO BE BACK ON THE AIR ON CNBC'S "JAY LENO'S GARAGE" FIVE DAYS A WEEK.
