Editing Jay Leno (section)

====Michael Jackson trial====
During the [[Trial of Michael Jackson|2005 trial of Michael Jackson]] over allegations of [[Child sexual abuse|child molestation]], Leno was one of a few celebrities who appeared as defense witnesses. In his testimony regarding a phone conversation with the accuser, Leno testified that he was not asked for any money and there did not appear to be any coaching — but the calls seemed unusual and scripted.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=May 11, 2008|url=http://www.courttv.com/trials/jackson/052405_ctv.html|title=Comedians Jay Leno and Chris Tucker testify for Michael Jackson|publisher=[[Court TV]]|date=May 24, 2005|author=Sweetingham, Lisa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315195750/http://www.courttv.com/trials/jackson/052405_ctv.html |archive-date= March 15, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:JayLeno.jpg|thumb|left|Leno in 2006]]
As a result, Leno was initially not allowed to tell jokes about Jackson or the case, which had been a fixture of ''The Tonight Show''{{'}}s opening monologue in particular. But he and his show's writers used a legal loophole by having Leno briefly step aside while stand-in comedians took the stage and told jokes about the trial. These stand-ins included [[Roseanne Barr]], [[Drew Carey]], [[Brad Garrett]] and [[Dennis Miller]].<ref>{{cite episode|access-date=May 11, 2008|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/08/sbt.01.html|title=Nemcova Speaks Out on Surviving Tsunami; Michael Jackson's Trial Continues; Interview With Kevin Costner|series=[[Showbiz Tonight]]|work=CNN|airdate=March 8, 2005|first=Karyn|last=Bryant|archive-date=March 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329042627/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/08/sbt.01.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The gag order was challenged, and the court ruled that Leno could continue telling jokes about the trial as long as he did not discuss his testimony. Leno celebrated by devoting an entire monologue to Michael Jackson jokes.{{when|date=January 2023}}