Here's Why Jay Leno Relied On Humor To Get Through Fire Incident That Caused Face Burns

Jay Leno's impressive humor is not only a source of joy to his huge fanbase but also to him when he is going through a difficult time.

The renowned comedian suffered an unfortunate fate in November after he was involved in a car fire that resulted in brutal second-degree and third-degree burns to his face. While Leno is out of the woods and much better, the television host is opening up about how he survived the trying time in good spirits.

Almost a month after the headline-making accident, Leno opened up about his stellar recovery in a touching essay. The former host of "The Tonight Show"  revealed that the incident wasn't that big a deal the way the media made it out to be. "But really, it was an accident, that’s all," he declared.

Downplaying the effects of the fire incident, Leno wrote, "Anybody who works with their hands on a regular basis is going to have an accident at some point. If you play football, you get a concussion or a broken leg. Anything you do, there’s a risk factor."

It is no news that the stand-up comedian has a deep love for cars, as evident in his massive collection of cars — consisting of 181 cars and 160 motorcycles — and his award-winning show, "Jay Leno's Garage." In fact, the accident happened while he was working on a 1907 White Steam Car, and fire erupted after he was sprayed with gas by a fuel leak.

As we reported, the comedy writer was rushed to the hospital following the incident and endured severe burns on the left side of his face that required face graft surgery. Luckily, the surgery was successful, and Leno was treated for third-degree burns at the Grossman Burn Center.

While addressing his speedy recovery, the 72-year-old revealed that making fun of himself helped him to take the accident in strides. In his words, "You have to joke about it. There’s nothing worse than whiny celebrities. If you joke about it, people laugh along with you."

Leno is quite intent on making people laugh about his facial burns, as he mentioned that the accident is already material for his next collection of jokes. The Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee gave fans a tease in the exclusive column for the Wall Street Journal, writing, "'Eight days later, I had a brand new face," before adding that his new face is "better than what was there before."

As previously reported, Leno's good friend Tim Allen, confirmed that "The Jay Leno Show" host kept his mind occupied with jokes while in the hospital waiting on his full recovery. The Blast shared that Allen, during his visit to Leno in the hospital, revealed that had a fun time making jokes.

"We did some jokes, which is what we do. We commiserated," the actor admitted. He also poked fun at his pal, noting that the face graft surgery will change Leno's facial structure to look like that of George Clooney.

Leno's column for WSJ comes weeks after he got into a minor fender bender while riding a car for the first time after the fire incident. Per The Blast, Leno and his wife, Mavis, hit a cop car upon arriving to the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA.

The comedian was driving his Tesla when the minor accident happened, but it was quickly resolved as the police officers and Leno were able to quickly laugh it off. Also, there was no noticeable damage on either vehicle.

While at the club, Leno did what he does best — make fun of himself — by dropping hilarious one-liners about the accident to roaring laughs from the crowd.

The former show host underwent a rigorous recovery which involved spending time in a hyperbaric chamber.

Per reports, hyperbaric oxygen therapy "involves breathing 100% (pure) oxygen while in a special space called a hyperbaric chamber. The air pressure inside is raised to a level that is higher than normal air pressure. The increased air pressure in the chamber helps the lungs collect more oxygen. Getting more oxygen to the tissues that need it can help the body heal and fight certain infections."

Luckily, all of that is in the past now and Leno is back like he never left!