Jay Leno is close to signing a deal with CNBC to host a new show about cars. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 64-year-old comedian is returning to the NBCUniversal family for the primetime show, after handing over his "Tonight Show" gig to current host Jimmy Fallon.
The cable network has been trying to expand its viewership by adding reality shows like "The Profit" and "Restaurant Startup" to its lineup, Deadline reports. Sources told THR that Leno had been looking for a new home since leaving "The Tonight Show" in February.
Reportedly he was approached by networks like CNN, A&E, History and the Tribune stations before going with NBC. The still-untitled Leno show has not been given a premiere date yet, but THR reports that it will be a regular series.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Leno owns about 130 cars, over 90 motorcycles and an array of engines, spare parts and memorabilia.
"I never thought of it as a collection," Leno told the Los Angeles Times in July. "Probably in the mid-1980s, I just started to keep stuff."
The funnyman purchased his very first car, a 30-year-old Ford truck, in 1964 when he was 14-years-old. At the time he bought it, Leno said the truck - which cost him $350 - didn't run and just sat in his parent's driveway.
"Of course it didn't run - why did you think my father let me buy it?" Leno said.
Eventually, he figured out how to switch out parts and get the car up and running before he got his license.
