He deserves a prolonged standing ovation. Jay Leno is one of America's true icons of comedy, having been the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a prime time talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights on NBC. Leno returned to host The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 1, 2010. Leno hosted his last episode of The Tonight Show on February 6, 2014. That same year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Prior to becoming host of "The Tonight Show," Leno had been the exclusive guest host of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" from 1987 to 1992. Jay Leno first appeared as a guest on the show March 2, 1977. Most recently, Leno hosts CNBC's Jay Leno's Garage. Jay still loves to perform around the country. He does as many as 300 comedy shows around the United States a year. He's a Hall of Famer, first ballot, no doubt about it.