The Life and Times of Jay Leno

It's All Routine
While attending Emerson College in Boston, Leno started performing stand-up comedy at city strip clubs like the Kit Kat Klub and the Teddy Bear. "I was 22 years old, I had six nude girls in my dressing room, I was a college student and I was making 30, 40 bucks a night," Leno said. "It was great! And the strippers were very protective. They'd say, 'Stay away from Joey; he's a drug dealer.' It was like traveling with my mom."

• A Visual History of Stand-Up Comedy