Even though he stepped down as host of The Tonight Show more than a year ago, Jay Leno is not stepping away from television.
A noted auto enthusiast, Leno has a new show debuting next week on CNBC, Jay Leno's Garage. In a viral marketing stunt, Leno posed as an UberBlack driver to unsuspecting passengers in Los Angeles.
Leno suits up as a bald-headed, bearded driver named "Rocco" asking passengers if they knew about a certain former talk show host that was known to be a fan of cars. He also poked fun at his decades-long rivalry with another former late-night host, asking passengers who would be the better driver: Leno or Letterman.
Earlier this year, Leno partnered with Shell to help promote its annual Eco-marathon challenge (and promote his show).
The series is Leno’s second attempt at a life after The Tonight Show, following the ill-fated primetime series, The Jay Leno Show, which lead to NBC's very-public firing of Conan O’Brien and Leno’s return to Tonight. Adweek’s Jason Lynch talked with Leno about life after late night. Look for that Q&A next week on Adweek.com. Jay Leno’s Garage premieres Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. ET on CNBC.
This story, by Tim Baysinger, first appeared on Adweek.