Jay Leno has dismissed rumors suggesting he has gambling debts and is “being beaten up by the mob.”

The speculation arose after the former Tonight Show host was spotted wearing an eye patch, with a black eye, a bruised face, and a bandaged wrist following an incident.

Leno explained that he sustained the injuries after slipping while walking down a hill toward a restaurant near his hotel.

This isn’t the first time the comedian has faced injuries in recent years. In 2022, he suffered third-degree burns during a garage fire while working on the undercarriage of a 1907 White Motor Co. steam car alongside his long-time friend, Dave Killackey.

A few months later, Leno endured yet another accident, breaking his collarbone, fracturing two ribs, and cracking his kneecaps during a motorcycle crash.

In a recent appearance on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Maher referenced claims from The Inquirer, suggesting a connection between Leno’s injuries and mob activity. He asked, “It’s a conspiracy theory since you’ve had three accidents that you actually have gambling debts and you’re being beaten up by the mob.”

Leno firmly denied the allegations, saying, “I love the idea that the mob would drive to Greenberg, Pennsylvania, wait outside the Hampton Inn on a kind of sleety, rainy day to throw me down a hill.”

Maher joked that the hill incident was merely a “cover story,” adding, “They just beat you like the mob always does.” He also brought up Leno’s motorcycle accident.

Explaining the crash, Leno said, “What happened was, the guy had a rope across his driveway and it cut me.”

“I got a new face when my face caught fire, and two months later [the motorcycle accident] tore my face. I had to call my face guy, ‘I need another face,’” Leno added humorously.

He further quipped that if he were in debt to the mafia, “I like the idea that they wouldn’t just take one of my cars to pay the gambling debt.”

You can watch Maher’s full interview with Leno above.