One of America’s most recognizable comedians will perform in Elmira on Friday, but if you go to the show, don’t expect any lectures or political arguments.
Instead, standup comic and former longtime NBC Tonight Show host Jay Leno simply wants to make you laugh.
Leno will make a one-night appearance at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 at the Clemens Center for Performing Arts in Elmira.
Leno, who grew up in Massachusetts, said he’s been in New York state’s Southern Tier before, but it has been a while, and he looks forward to returning.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years. I’ve been everywhere,” said Leno, 75, who added that the hills of New York’s Southern Tier remind him of his New England roots — where mountains were green with trees and not barren like many California mountains.
Jay Leno performs on stage at Hertz Arena on Feb. 6, 2025 in Estero, Florida. The former host of the Tonight Show on NBC will be performing in Elmira Friday, Aug. 22.
Leno was already an established comedian and actor when he replaced legendary Tonight Show host Johnny Carson in 1992. He hosted the top-rated late night talk show until 2009, earning an Emmy and other awards along the way.
He returned to host the show for four more years from 2010 to 2014.
Like Carson, Leno is an equal opportunity political jokester, poking fun at both Republicans and Democrats. Many late night talk show hosts these days have become too political, he said.
“My point is to get laughs. I don’t try to inflict my views on people,” Leno said. “I don’t try to do politics anymore.”
Leno believes another reason late night talk shows are struggling these days — CBS announced Stephen Colbert’s long running “The Late Show” is being canceled, and others have seen ratings go down — is a sizable increase in advertisements.
“It has to do with the nature of television. They all have way more commercials than they used to,” Leno said. “If I see ‘Jake from State Farm’ again, I’m going to shoot myself in the head.”
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Leno said he does tailor his act to the crowd, but no matter where he goes, he enjoys the excitement of playing to a live audience.
“I love being a live performer. I like a live audience and the idea of connecting with actual people,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Tickets for “An Evening With Jay Leno” are still available. Pricing packages range from $78 to $119 with service charges included.
To check on the latest ticket availability, go to clemenscenter.org/event/an-evening-with-jay-leno.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Jay Leno set to perform standup comedy at Clemens Center in Elmira
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