Comedian Jay Leno. Photo: Twitter.

JNS.org – Yedioth Ahronoth has interviewed Jay Leno, who after retiring from the Tonight Show is taking a trip to Israel.

Leno hosts the Genesis Prize ceremony on Thursday at the Jerusalem Theater in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where the prize will be awarded for the first time to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“I love Israel, that’s why I’m here,” he told reporters after landing at Ben-Gurion Airport. Israel is “a little paradise in the Middle East,” he added in a later sit-down interview with Yedioth Ahronoth.

Leno also spoke about his plans and activities after leaving the Tonight Show. See the article and video clip from the interview here and here.