Jay Leno Says He Fell Down a Hill and ‘Hit My Head on a Rock,' Now Has an Eye Patch from Injury

“The great thing about this age [is] you don’t learn by your mistakes, you just keep doing the same stupid thing,” the comedian quipped

Jay Leno is recovering from a fall that left him needing to wear an eye patch.

On Monday, Nov. 18, the former The Tonight Show host spoke to TMZ about an accident that happened over the weekend, explaining why he was wearing an eye patch and his face was bruised. The 74-year-old was staying at a hotel located at the top of a hill when he fell while trying to walk to a nearby restaurant.

“To get to it, I didn’t have a car, so you had to walk about a mile and a half around. I said, ‘Well, the hill doesn’t look that steep. It’s about 60-70 feet. Let me see if I can go down the hill,’” he recalled, detailing how he went tumbling down the hill.

“I fell down. Boom, boom, boom. I rolled down the hill, hit my head on a rock, knocked me in the eye,” he told the outlet.

Leno said the accident happened just a couple of hours before his show at the Yaamava' Casino in Southern California, so he performed and waited until he was back in Los Angeles to seek medical attention.

“The great thing about this age [is] you don’t learn by your mistakes, you just keep doing the same stupid thing,” the comedian quipped, referring to his 2022 burn accident.

Related: Hyperbaric Chambers and Pig Intestines: All the Details of Jay Leno's Treatment for 'Very Severe' Burns

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In November 2022, Leno was admitted to the Grossman Burn Center after suffering second- and third-degree burns on his face, chest and hands in a garage gasoline fire.

The car aficionado and star of Jay Leno's Garage was working on a steam engine underneath a car in his garage when the blaze broke out. The Burbank Fire Department responded to the incident, transporting him to the renowned center, where he underwent a series of surgical excision and grafting procedures for his burns.

"Some of the burns to the face are a little deeper and a little more concerning," Dr. Peter Grossman, medical director at the Grossman Burn Center, said shortly after the accident, noting that Leno luckily hadn't experienced any notable nerve damage. "I do anticipate him making a full recovery. Whether there'll be remnants of this injury, it's still too early to tell. I'd say that his injuries are serious, his condition is good."

Leno was similarly optimistic, speaking two days after the incident in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire," he said. "I am okay. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet."

He did just that, leaving the facility after a 10-day stint and happily smiling with the staff on his way out. He returned the next day to drop off thank-you gifts.

"Jay would like to let everyone know how thankful he is for the care he received, and is very appreciative of all of the well wishes," doctors said in a statement at the time.