Elections

Jay Leno Hails Election as a ‘Great Day for Democracy’

‘THERE WAS NO CHEATING’

The comedian, who rarely shares his political views, said he was glad Tuesday’s election was fair.

Jay Leno.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Comedian Jay Leno, though he’s not a Donald Trump fan, thinks the 2024 election was “a great day for democracy.” The former Tonight Show host, who usually keeps quiet on politics, discussed the election in a Wednesday appearance on The Talk. “The nice thing about this election is, it was fair, it was honest,” he said. “OK, I was not a fan, but that’s OK, it’s the President of the United States—let’s all get together, thank you very much.” Leno added that, in his view, the election “was done professionally—there was no cheating. Everybody says it was honest. I mean, it’s a great day for democracy.” The last time Leno weighed in with his political views, in January, he told Piers Morgan that he was “not a fan” of Trump, referencing his numerous criminal indictments. In both interviews, Leno noted that, as a comedian, he used to be able to make jokes targeting the entire political spectrum, which he feels isn’t an option anymore. “In my day, you kind of made fun of both sides,” he said on Wednesday. “You’d get angry letters from both sides. Now you kind of have to take a side and, yeah, it’s a little bit different.”

Read it at Variety