The Property Brothers recall doing home reno with Jay Leno after garage fire: ‘He’s a tough guy’

Updated

Nothing can keep Jay Leno down — or prevent him from doing a home renovation.

Drew and Jonathan Scott recently spoke to TODAY.com about their upcoming season of HGTV’s “Celebrity IOU" premiering May 15, and in one episode, they help Jay Leno gift a home renovation to a person of his choice.

While a hands-on project is already taxing to begin with, the brothers tell TODAY.com the comedian was also recovering from serious injuries at the time and recall how he didn't hesitate to jump right in.

The Property Brothers recall doing home reno with Jay Leno after garage fire: ‘He’s a tough guy’ (Nathan Congleton / TODAY / Jason Mendez / Getty Images)
The Property Brothers recall doing home reno with Jay Leno after garage fire: ‘He’s a tough guy’ (Nathan Congleton / TODAY / Jason Mendez / Getty Images)

Jonathan Scott says Leno's commitment to the renovation was "shocking" to the brothers because of his physical state at the time of filming.

"He had just broken his collarbone when he started working with us," Jonathan Scott says, with his brother Drew Scott chiming in to say he also had "broken ribs" and a "busted knee" on top of burn injuries from a prior incident.

In November, the comedian released a statement confirming he had been injured in a fire. "I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire,” he says at the time. “I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet."

Then, just two months later, Leno revealed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal in January he had been in a motorcycle accident that left him with a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, and two "cracked kneecaps."

The Property Brother say they they filmed Leno's "Celebrity IOU" episode right after his motorcycle incident and describe how "unbelievably surprised" they were by "Jay's dedication" while he "never complained once."

"He didn't have any painkillers, didn't want to go easy, he was right in there." Jonathan Scott says. "We're like, 'Take it easy.' But he never complained about anything."

Drew Scott credits Leno's drive to wanting to give back to the person he chose for the renovation, who had just had a baby and needed to get their home up-to-speed in order to meet their family needs.

"He was giving back to someone who just had a baby ... their house didn't work for them and so we put in a nursery and redid the bathroom so it was functional for the family," Drew Scott says.

"It's so heartwarming to see the celebrities that don't make any excuses, they just get in there and do it," he continues.

Leno isn't the only notable name viewers can look forward to seeing in inevitably emotional episodes of the new season of "Celebrity IOU." (Truly, it's a challenge not to tear up.)

Starting May 15, tune in on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV to see Leno as well as Kristin Chenoweth, Glenn Close, Kristin Davis, Taraji P. Henson, sibling duo Derek Hough and Julianne Hough, Heidi Klum and Emma Roberts change lives alongside the Scott brothers, one renovation at a time.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com

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