Jay Leno Exposes Mafia Hit Against Late Night Host Johnny Carson Weeks After It’s Speculated Leno’s ‘New Face’ was Busted Up Due to an Unpaid Gambling Debt

Comedian Jay Leno dropped a bombshell about late-night talk show legend Johnny Carson during Leno’s appearance on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” YouTube show. In the episode, Leno recounted how Carson narrowly escaped a mob hit after an incident at a notorious New York bar spiraled out of control. The revelation came after Maher joked about recent National Enquirer speculation claiming Leno’s recent accidents, including falling down a hill in Pennsylvania, might be tied to alleged gambling debts with organized crime. Jay Leno shares a story about the time Johnny Carson had a hit out on his life. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) Though Maher entertained the theory briefly, he quickly dismissed it as ridiculous, considering Leno’s estimated $450 million fortune. Leno used the moment to share a jaw-dropping story that shed light on his “Tonight Show” predecessor’s dangerous encounter with the criminal underworld. According to Leno, the ordeal took place in 1970 at Jilly’s Saloon, a well-known mobster hangout on 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. Carson, accompanied by his then-lawyer Henry Bushkin, unknowingly crossed a line when he flirted with two women at the bar. “They’re having drinks, and they start hitting on these two girls kind of...