Jay Leno explains how Staffer’s reaction to the trans joke had him vowing to never tell anyone again

Meanwhile, controversy over comedians making jokes about trans people follows a long-established pattern.

First trans people protest, then the comedian doubles down, then other comedians and the far right back them up by saying a variation of “You can’t joke about anything anymore,” wash, rinse, repeat.

But comedian and former The Tonight Show Host Jay Leno is an exception to what has become a rule lately.

During an appearance on Bill Maher’s Club Random with Bill Maher podcast, Leno explained how a co-worker’s reaction to one of his trans jokes made him understand the issue and inspired him to vow never to tell such a joke again.

Jay Leno told Maher about the incident while discussing what he believes was the key to his success: “Shut up and listen” whenever he realized he might not be the “smartest person in the room.” ” is.

This led to him hiring employees he described as “brutally honest”. The Tonight Show‘s Writers Room during his 20-year tenure.

As he explained to Maher:

“When they told me the show sucked, I said, ‘Why did it suck?’ And they told me why it sucked.”

Leno’s policy of listening to criticism apparently applied to crew members as well, because when a technician criticized Leno for a joke he once told about trans people, it changed Leno’s mind forever.

Leno said:

“I remember once we had a guy in the basement that I didn’t know.”

“I had made a transgender joke at the time, and I heard that guy was really hurt. So I went down to see him and he explained the situation to me.”

Leno then promised the technician that he would never again include jokes about trans people in his act, which Leno says had a major impact on the employee.

“He was so taken with the fact that he was able to bring this show to a halt over his only complaint.

You can see the exchange below:

Jay Leno | Club Random with Bill Maheryoutube

Many on Twitter applauded Leno for his confidence and openness to changing his act.

For his part, Maher responded to Leno’s story with a joke of his own about transgender people. Maher has frequently made statements about transgender and LGBTQ+ people who the community has labeled as transphobic.