Like old times: Jay Leno subs for ‘injured’ Jimmy Fallon on ‘Tonight’ show monologue

NEW YORK, N.Y. – For a few minutes, it felt like old times back on NBC’s “Tonight” show on Tuesday night. Jay Leno was telling jokes.

Host Jimmy Fallon pretended to pull a hamstring during his monologue, calling for an emergency replacement — his predecessor. Leno, who left the show last year after two decades in charge, is busy promoting a new car-focused show for CNBC.

Leno got rolling right away with political one-liners.

He noted that presidential candidate Marco Rubio is being called the best communicator in the Republican Party, “which is kind of like being the smartest Kardashian.”

If Democrat Bernie Sanders wins, Leno said, “he’ll be the first socialist elected president since 2008.”

And if the Republican race comes down to Jeb Bush against Donald Trump, it will be like “the tortoise and the bad hair.”

Leno, looking slightly paunchier than when regular monologues kept him in fighting shape, even poked fun at neighbours of the former California-based “Tonight” show. Fallon moved the show to New York when he took over.

“The economy is so bad that parents in Beverly Hills are being forced to raise their own children,” Leno said.