Jay Leno criticised for “terrible” Jeremy Renner joke: “Stay retired!”

31 January, 2023

Jay Leno has been criticised for making a “terrible” joke about Jeremy Renner‘s near-fatal snowplow accident.

The comic, who’s been involved in two accidents in the past few months himself, seemed to be trying to make light of his most recent injuries. Tweeting a joke about his January motorcycle accident on Friday (January 27), Leno referenced Renner’s accident.

The comic tweeted: “I was riding my motorcycle up in Lake Tahoe and I came around the corner and bam, I crashed into Jeremy Renner’s snowplow.” You can see Leno’s tweet directly below.

The joke didn’t sit well with a number of people on social media. Many felt that it was a “terrible joke” or that he’d made light of Renner’s accident “too soon”.

“Not funny,” wrote John Dawson in response. “Renner broke 30 bones in the process of saving his nephew’s life. Respect to the guy. Pure guts.” Another added: “Not a funny joke at all.”

Another, Bill Hynes, wrote a scathing response: “Stay retired. That’s a terrible ‘joke’. Maybe your humour went up in smoke [sic].”

However, there were others who thought that Leno had hit comedy gold once more – especially given the joke involved his own unfortunate accident.

“You amaze me, Mr. Leno,” replied one user. “I mean, after such a crazy accident and through all that pain, you can still make jokes about it. You are one of a kind.” Another added that Leno’s comic spirit is why he’s beloved, before wishing him well.

Leno’s controversial joke came after he revealed he’d sustained a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and two cracked kneecaps in an accident. Leno had apparently been riding his motorcycle when he suffered the injuries.

Marvel star Renner, meanwhile, was rushed to hospital at the beginning of January after sustaining life-threatening injuries. The actor had been using his snowplow to clear snow near his Lake Tahoe property when the vehicle fell on top of him.

The Hawkeye star was airlifted to hospital and underwent emergency surgery before being treated in the ICU. Renner has been keeping fans posted on his condition through social media while he recovers.

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