Jay Leno Says He Made a ‘Mistake’ Letting Jimmy Kimmel ‘Humiliate’ Him on His Show

Kimmel publicly called out Leno for taking back ‘The Tonight Show’ from Conan O’Brien after handing over the reins in 2010

From left: Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel.

Jay Leno still has regrets about his infamous moment with Jimmy Kimmel.

In 2010, Kimmel made an appearance on Leno’s show and called him out for his decision to renege on his promise to hand over The Tonight Show to Conan O’Brien.

After ratings for the late night show and his 10 p.m. talk show, The Jay Leno Show declined, the comedian returned to the original show while O’Brien refused to switch to a later showtime.

After Leno asked Kimmel about one of the best pranks he’s ever pulled during his then appearance on The Tonight Show, the comedian, 57, quipped, “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.”

From left: Host Jay Leno, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel during 10@10 segment on ‘The Jay Leno Show’ on January 14, 2010.

On the April 23 episode of In Depth With Graham Bensinger, Leno looked back at the moment and revealed why he chose not to cut Kimmel’s digs.

“When Kimmel came on my show and humiliated me on my own show, I let it happen. I didn’t edit it,” he said. “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.”

When host Graham Bensinger asked why he didn’t, Leno simply replied, “Because it happened. It’s real — it happened. It’s my mistake. That’s how you learn.”

Jay Leno.

While others may say that the moment made for “good TV,” Leno admitted that he hasn’t been able to find the 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.”

Though Leno may have regrets, in 2017, Kimmel confirmed that the two had mended their relationship.

“Jay and I have made peace,” he said during an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast. “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 days after he was born to fix a congenital heart disease.

Kimmel also praised Leno, saying, “You can’t argue with [Leno’s] success and his longevity.”