Jay Leno Expected to Fully Recover From Burns, Needs Another Procedure: Doc

Jay Leno is in good condition and expected to make a full recovery from burn injuries he suffered last weekend, according to his doctor.

Dr. Peter Grossman of the West Hills Burn Center gave the update on the television star's condition during a Wednesday press conference. He said Leno has already undergone one surgery, which was described as a "surgical excision and grafting procedure," and has another one scheduled for this week.

Leno, 72, sustained the wounds on Sunday during a fire in the garage at his home in Burbank, California. The former host of The Tonight Show reportedly suffered deep second-degree and possibly third-degree burns when one of his vintage cars reportedly burst into flames.

Grossman said Leno has been in "good spirits" and has been a "kind and engaging" patient. The doctor added that the funnyman had recently been passing out cookies to children at the hospital.

After news broke on Monday about Leno's injuries, he sent a statement out to numerous media outlets, including Newsweek.

"I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet," Leno said in the statement.

Grossman indicated that he told the star he may need to take more time to recuperate.

"He seems to be a gentleman who really doesn't want to make a big deal of this," Grossman said during the press conference. "He wants to get back to work, that's what he does. I had to tell him that he needs to step back a bit and that these things take time."

However, Grossman said that fe feels Leno "will be back to work sometime soon."

Leno is perhaps best known to American audiences for his long stint as the host of The Tonight Show on NBC. He originally took over the hosting duties from Johnny Carson in 1992 and remained on the popular show until 2009. At that time, he was replaced by Conan O'Brien, but the younger comedian's run proved short-lived, and Leno returned to The Tonight Show in 2010. His second tenure ended in 2014 when Jimmy Fallon assumed the role.

A well-known collector of vintage cars, Leno turned his passion into his next major television project with Jay Leno's Garage. The first season of the program dedicated to the automotive world debuted on CNBC in 2015, and the show frequently features celebrity guests, including President Joe Biden in an episode that aired last month.

Update 11/16/22 3:55 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include more comments from Dr. Grossman's press conference and background information about Leno.