Should Jay Leno Be Allowed to Drive a Tank Around Los Angeles?

Remember when Jay Leno used to make fun of ridiculous headlines instead of generating them? Coming off of last year’s debatably suspicious Hampton Inn hilltop tumble, which left him covered in bruises, now the former Tonight Show host is in the news for cruising the streets of Los Angeles in a military tank.

Footage of Leno’s tank was posted on social media by some bystanders who appeared to be both baffled and delighted to see the Collision Course star tooling around in a tank. Leno even stopped to chat with the onlookers, joking that he was the “neighborhood patrol.” When asked where he got the tank, Leno claimed that it was gifted to him.

One might assume that Leno’s wacky tank trip was being filmed for his car-themed YouTube show, but there was seemingly no camera crew present. It really just looked like Leno was going for a joyride in a tank, less like a famous comedian who once had his own late-night show, and more like a background actor from 1984’s Red Dawn. 

Is this even legal? According to Drivetanks.com, “There are no U.S. Federal restrictions to owning a tank with a demilitarized (disabled) main gun.” Whether or not a tank can be considered street legal and safe for public roads is a more complex matter and dependent on state laws. 

But even if we were to accept that it’s legal, is it a good idea for Leno specifically to be driving a tank around? 

After all, random, disastrous accidents seem to follow Leno wherever he goes. Even before the hill incident of 2024, Leno suffered severe burns from a gasoline fire in 2022, and over the years, he’s been involved in more motorcycle crashes and car accidents than Mad Max.

And really, did Leno need his own tank? He already has the “Blastolene Special,” aka the “Tank Car,” a custom-made hot rod that contains a Korean War-era Patton Tank engine. Just the engine alone weighs as much as “a small hatchback car.”

Leno’s car is even playable in the Gran Turismo video game series. Although there’s seemingly no button you can press to abandon the race altogether and drive the car to a stand-up gig at a suburban casino.

It’s unclear whether or not Leno’s recent tank outing was a one-off trip, or if we’ll see him riding around in the imposing vehicle more often. At the very least, he could let Conan O’Brien drive the tank for, like, five minutes before immediately taking it back.