There are two sides to Jay Leno. There's the poor kid that worked two jobs. In his teenage years, he started performing stand-up comedy and his life went in a new direction. He quickly became one of the most talked-about comics in the world. In the 90s, he became the host of The Tonight Show. Numerous comedians dreamed of getting that job, but it was Leno who ended up as the host. Leno served as host of the iconic show from 1992 to 2009, and again from 2010 to 2014. To some people, Leno is the beloved Tonight Show host that made America laugh every night.

However, there's another side of Jay Leno. He was at the center of two high-profile controversies involving The Tonight Show. He showed a ruthless side; he would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. He's been in celebrity feuds as well. In fact, Leno's been at the center of several controversies. At the same time, he won't let anything stand in the way of him making millions. Leno's made wild statements and claims, which put him back under an intense spotlight.

It's time to take a closer look at Jay Leno. He's 20 Sketchy Things About Jay Leno Everyone Chooses To Ignore.

20 The Late Night War Part I: Jay Leno vs. David Letterman

In the early 90s, The Tonight Show host, Johnny Carson, shockingly announced his retirement from the iconic late-night TV show. Suddenly, NBC was on the search for a new host. Most people, including Carson, assumed David Letterman would be Carson's successor.

At the time, Letterman hosted Late Night, which followed Carson on NBC. However, Jay Leno had spent years trying to wrestle the gig away from Letterman. Eventually, this resulted in a The Tonight Show conflict during 1991-1992. Leno ended up with the job, and Letterman left NBC with very bitter feelings.

19 Leno’s Controversial America’s Got Talent Joke

Jay Leno no longer hosts The Tonight Show. However, he remains a prominent figure in television. Of course, he's still stirring up controversy.  Recently, Leno appeared as a guest judge on America's Got Talent. He made a controversial joke, which NBC edited out. The joke was deemed racist and offended many people involved with the show. Several Asian-American groups demanded NBC cut ties with Leno.

18 The Late Night War Part II: Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien

After years of hosting The Tonight Show, Jay Leno decided he wanted to avoid the situation with David Letterman in the early 90s. In 2004, Leno declared he would retire in 2010 and would pass the torch to Conan O'Brien, who hosted Late Night at the time. However, that was his public face. Privately, he felt NBC was trying to "break up" with him. Rumors suggest he began hatching a plan to get his show back.

17 Howard Stern And Jay Leno 

Jay Leno has a tough time avoiding celebrity feuds. For some reason, he's always upsetting some celeb. For instance, Howard Stern and Jay Leno have been enemies for years.

For the record, Leno doesn't consider Stern an enemy and has never responded to him. Stern criticized Leno for years, including on his radio show and in his memoir, Private Parts. Stern even weighed in during Leno's conflict with Conan O'Brien.

16 Leno’s Manager Planted A Fake News Story Attacking The Iconic Johnny Carson

In 1991, NBC picked Jay Leno to succeed Johnny Carson as host of the Tonight Show. However, Leno's then-manager, Helen Kushnick, got impatient and wanted to push Carson out. She planted a fake news story that claimed NBC was tired of Carson. Leno claims he had nothing to do with the story. Of course, Carson never believed Leno and always felt the story came from Leno.

15 Jay Leno's Celebrity Feuds

At one point, Jay Leno was one of the most respected comedians amongst his peers. He influenced an entire generation of comedians who grew up watching him. However, Leno's image has dramatically changed over the years. For instance, there's a long list of celebs that don't like him.

George Lopez is a comedian who's made some harsh comments about Leno. Lopez sided with Conan O'Brien during the Leno/O'Brien conflict. Also, another comedian, Patton Oswalt, compared Jay to Nixon and noted Leno isn't the comic he once was.

14 Leno Hid In A Closet To Spy On NBC Executives

Jay Leno will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He didn't care how ruthless he had to be to steal The Tonight Show from David Letterman. He even hid in a closet once to dig up dirt.

In 1992, Leno hid in a closet and eavesdropped on an NBC conference call. The NBC executives were debating who should host the show, between Leno and Letterman. Leno took notes on who was on his side and who was against him. In 2014, Leno finally admitted to hiding in the closet.

13 The Jay Leno Show Bombed

In 2009, Jay Leno reluctantly walked away from The Tonight Show. However, he didn't walk far. Leno started hosting The Jay Leno Show on NBC, at 10 p.m. However, the show tanked in the ratings in a big way.

To deflect from that, Leno got the NBC executives to focus on Conan O'Brien's ratings, which were falling. That's all it took for Leno to get his show back.

12 Wore A Disguise To A NBC Press Conference So He Could Ask Questions About Himself

As noted, there's nothing Jay Leno wouldn't do to keep The Tonight Show. He even wore a disguise once! In 2008, Leno was on his way out as host. He decided to wear a disguise, including a bald cap, glasses, and a goatee, to an NBC press conference. Leno asked several questions about himself, including the date of Leno's last show and if he could return as host.

11 Chris Rock Calls Jay Leno A Bad Guy

In 2010, Jay Leno regained his role as host of The Tonight Show. However, several celebs felt Leno had wronged Conan O'Brien. Indeed, most of them took O'Brien's side over Leno. Of course, that made some of his interviews a bit awkward. For example, Chris Rock came out and called Leno a "bad guy." Leno tried to laugh it off, but it created some friction. Rock never appeared as a guest on Leno's show again.