Jay Leno fell under social media fire after saying he felt Tuesday’s election marked ‘a great day for democracy’ while adding that he ‘was not a fan’ of President-elect Donald Trump.
The 74-year-old star appeared Wednesday on The Talk, where he shared his comments about the Republican’s presidential election victory over Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris.
‘The nice thing about this election is, it was fair, it was honest,’ the former host of The Tonight Show said.
The comedy icon said he ‘was not a fan’ of Trump, ‘but that’s OK, it’s the president of the United States – let’s all get together, thank you very much.’
Leno hosted NBC’s The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2014, said he feared that a close election could result in ‘name calling,’ but Tuesday’s proceedings were ‘done professionally.’
Jay Leno, 74, fell under social media fire after saying he felt Tuesday’s election marked ‘a great day for democracy’ while adding that he ‘was not a fan’ of President-elect Donald Trump
Leno, who hosted NBC’s The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2014, appeared Wednesday on The Talk, where he said he felt the election was conducted in a professional manner
He added: ‘Everybody says it was honest. I mean, it’s a great day for democracy.’
Leno, who hosted the NBC staple over the course of six presidential elections, recalled his experience in tailoring his routine to election season material.
‘Well, you know, it was different – in my day, you kind of made fun of both sides,’ Leno said. ‘You’d get angry letters from both sides. Now you kind of have to take a side and, yeah, it’s little bit different.’
A number of social media users called out Leno for his remarks on the politically-charged day.
One user said, ‘Jay Leno just told The Talk’s nodding heads that “it’s a great day for democracy.” First time he’s ever been funny.’
One user said Leno ‘lost his moral way’ while another said that Leno’s wealth essentially sheltered him from the consequences of the incoming change in leadership.
‘How nice for the rich white man who will be minimally negatively affected if at all,’ the user said.
One user referred to the January 6, 2021 riots, saying, ‘Why Jay, because the guy who violently threatened the function of government won and there wasn’t a s***show? Pretty low bar you set Jay.’
The comedy icon said he ‘was not a fan’ of Trump, ‘but that’s OK, it’s the president of the United States – let’s all get together, thank you very much’
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday delivered a speech at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida
A number of social media users called out Leno for his remarks on the politically-charged day
One fans of Leno said he felt the comic was out of touch about what Trump’s win over Harris meant for the country
A fan of Leno said he felt the star was out of touch about what Trump’s win over Harris meant for the country.
‘I like you but I don’t think you have your finger on the pulse of what Americans feel tonight!!!’ said one user. ‘We are MORE divided and a good number of Americans don’t feel confident today about another Trump Presidency ….. and our democracy, whether strong or not, is not the focus!’
One user defended Leno’s comments, noting that he specifically said he’s ‘not a fan’ of Donald Trump but thought the election itself was conducted fairly.
