Leno laughs off sick days, will forge ahead with Comedy Stimulus shows

Laughter seemed to be the best medicine for Jay Leno, who bounced back on The Tonight Show stage Monday full of jokes about his first-ever sick days last week.

The late-night host explained to the audience Monday that he missed two shows last week — his first since he started on The Tonight Show in 1992 — because he had a fever of 39.5 C.

"I was freezing and I got chills, and here at NBC we have an 'ODN,' overly dramatic nurse," he said in his monologue, adding that he declined an ambulance and walked over to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center nearby.

"What happened was — and I think this was a mistake — I ate a raw pig a friend brought back from Mexico," the 58-year-old comedian quipped to the audience.

Leno also joked that the incident revealed that his health-care coverage was "really bad," saying that "for X-rays, they had to take me over to Burbank Airport and put me through the baggage."

NBC also posted security outside Leno's room during his 24-hour stay after a man impersonating a Jesuit priest tried to enter.

"So now, I'm like in The Godfather," Leno said.

He took on a more serious note, however, thanking fans and well-wishers for cards, phone calls and "being so kind."

Leno is set to pass on The Tonight Show torch to Conan O'Brien in June. He won't be leaving the NBC schedule, however, after the network pledged to develop a one-hour show for him airing five nights a week at 10 p.m.

'Comedy Stimulus' still on

Leno also emphasized in his monologue that he will continue with his so-called Comedy Stimulus Plan performance in Ohio next month.

On Monday, organizers quickly distributed about 4,000 tickets for Leno's free Mother's Day performance in the city of Wilmington, Ohio.

Because of this, Leno has decided to add a second, evening performance for the May 10 gig at Wilmington's Roberts Centre.

He had also added a second performance for his initial free comedy show in the Detroit-area after thousands showed up to queue for tickets.

Wilmington, which has a population of about 12,000, has been cited as a prime example of how the recession has hit a struggling small U.S. community.

In 2008, international shipping firm DHL announced plans to withdraw its operations from Wilmington Air Park, leading to 8,000 lost jobs. The company recently announced it is moving its U.S. base for international shipping to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.