Our 1.2 Seconds of Fame

(Alternately titled: How We Became Best Friends with Jay Leno)

Husband and I love to watch Jay Leno. So, I couldn’t have visited L.A. without at least trying to see the Tonight Show.

I knew our chances were slim. We hadn’t requested the tickets in advance, and we knew that demand was high because it’s Jay Leno’s last few weeks on the Tonight Show.

But I was hopeful anyway. I dragged Husband out of bed at 7AM (sorry again, Husband!), so we could make it to the studio by 8AM when the office opened to give away the remaining tickets. We ended up getting stand-by tickets, which the lady said would give us a “50-50 chance” of seeing the show.

We returned that afternoon, waiting for an hour in a long line. There, I annoyed Husband with the exact same questions every few minutes: “Do you think we’ll get in??” or “Do you think our chances are increasing or decreasing??”

I was ready to give a sob story to the workers there about how far we traveled and how much we wanted to see the show. I would have even used the military card (“But we’re military! Please!”), which I realize is desperate and sad.

But, to our surprise, they ushered us into the studio right before the show started. We couldn’t believe we were getting in, and I was happy to take what I assumed would be our seats in the back row. Except that our seats were in the second row!* They had been roped off, apparently saved for VIPs that didn’t show up.

I had an enormous grin on my face the entire time. We even got to shake hands** with him before the monologue, and my parents saw us later on TV! (By the way, if it had occurred to me that I might actually be visible on TV, I might have toned down my grin a notch so I didn’t look like a total crazy grinning idiot.)

The show itself was awesome, and we laughed loudly because it truly was funny. We didn’t even need the “applause” sign.

The whole experience was incredibly fun and entertaining, and I’m happy to give the minute-by-minute account to anyone that will listen. But first, I try to say in my best casual tone, “Oh, you didn’t hear that we were on Jay Leno?”

*Note: If you hear me tell the story in person, I will say that our seats were in the front row. It’s only because I get really excited when I tell the story, and I can no longer be held accountable for precise facts.

**Note: Again, if I tell the story in person, I will say that Jay Leno shook my hand because it makes for a better story than “he reached his hand in my general direction.” Husband, however, did actually get to touch his hand. I’m jealous.