Jay Leno is teaming up with Tim Allen once again!
On Feb. 11, ABC announced that the former Tonight Show host, 74, will make a cameo as himself on the March 12 episode of Shifting Gears. During the episode, Leno will bring his car into Parker Customs, the family’s car restoration shop, for a repair.
In first-look photos from filming, the television personality smiles alongside Allen as they stand by a classic car.
In addition to Leno’s appearance, the episode will chronicle Riley (Kat Dennings) being “horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s (Maxwell Simkins) pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt (Allen). Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel (Seann William Scott) and Stitch (Daryl Mitchell) in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction,” according to an official synopsis.
Leno’s cameo comes nearly three months after the comedian was spotted stepping out with severe bruising on his face in November, causing alarm among fans.
At the time, Leno told TMZ that the injuries were due to a fall down a steep hill, and he later told Inside Edition that he broke his wrist, lost the nail on one of his fingers and bruised the entire left side of his body during the tumble. He had to wear an eye patch during his recovery.
Allen and Leno previously appeared together on ABC’s Last Man Standing. On the sitcom, Leno played the role of Joe Leonard, a retired auto technician who later works at the repair shop at Outdoor Man.
Allen also visited his longtime pal on his show Jay Leno’s Garage, on which they discussed their shared love of cars.
In a 2022 clip shared by the CNBC program, Leno recalled his first time meeting Allen. “We go back to, oh god, to the comedy club in the ‘70s. I met him in Detroit… But, yeah, that’s who we first met. I was working. He came in and did a guest set, and we became friends,” he said.
When asked about Allen’s impression of the comedian, Leno responded, “It’s a horrible impression. I mean, people go, ‘Who was that?’ He has to tell him that it’s me and then they go, ‘Oh no, that would be too cruel.’ It doesn’t resemble me in any way.”
A few months later, the Home Improvement alum showed his support for Leno after he suffered “serious burns” in a garage gasoline fire.
The actor told TMZ that his friend was “feeling better,” adding, “He took his car magazines. We did some jokes, which is what we do. We commiserated.”
When asked what Leno’s face looks like following the accident, Allen joked that it “didn’t look all that good to begin with,” but clarified that he still looks “great.”
“He’s going for the George Clooney look, you’re gonna be surprised,” Allen joked. “He’s handsome and he’s happy and the hospital’s doing a great job taking care of him.”
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Shifting Gears airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.
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