Ryan Reynolds Reignites Jay Leno Pushed-Down-a-Hill Conspiracy Theories

Ryan Reynolds would do anything for Conan O’Brien—up to and including pushing Jay Leno down a hill.

On Monday, the Deadpool star guested on the former Tonight Show host’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. After an hour-long conversation in which the two hilariously bantered back and forth, O’Brien begrudgingly told his guest that it was time they wrapped up the interview. Which is when Reynolds decided to have a little fun with O’Brien by poking fun at Leno—the comedian’s Tonight Show predecessor and successor, and one-time saboteur.

“We have to wrap this up, because we’ve kept you for too long and you’re a man in demand,” said O’Brien. He then confessed to Reynolds that “you are one of my favorites,” before clarifying that he tells that to all his guests—including the terrible ones.

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“Sometimes I’m talking to absolute criminals, in jail,” said O’Brien. “And I say, ‘You’re one of my favorite people. And I believe you’re innocent of those 19 murders which you have confessed to,’” which is where Reynolds took his shot:

“Jay Leno fell, I didn’t push him,” said the Emmy Award-winning actor, which got a huge laugh from O’Brien and his cohorts. “We were all looking for the Hampton Inn,” Reynolds continued. “Who doesn’t look for a Hampton Inn when they’re a millionaire?”

“You pushed him down that hill,” O’Brien charged.

While the topic quickly turned back to goodbyes, Reynolds’ comments took a sentimental turn. He said that he was “genuinely sad” that their interview was over because “you are an idol of mine,” he told O’Brien. “You are somebody I have watched and—dare I say, at the risk of overpraising—look up to. Always have, always will.”

Reynolds continued to explain his warm feelings toward O’Brien, explaining that what he loves most about him is that “You’re kind, you have integrity, and that doesn’t mean it costs you subversive comedy or any of those things. All that edge is there and it is that high bar you set.”

“And that’s why I did the Jay Leno thing,” Reynolds concluded. “I just, you know, I f***ing snapped.”

O’Brien pretended to have no idea what Reynolds was talking about, swearing that he has forgotten “everything that happened before 2010.”

Related: Jay Leno Admits He's Learned 'Nothing' After Car Fire and Motorcycle Accident

Their jokes were a reference to a bizarre incident from late 2024, during which Leno fell down a hill outside a Pennsylvania Hampton Inn, which left him with a broken wrist. It was the latest in a string of strange accidents that have befallen the former Tonight Show host, which led to some people suggesting that they may not have been “accidents” at all. While some people wondered if it could have been the work of an organized crime group or that Leno had racked up a ton of gambling debts, others were more confused about why Leno would opt to stay in a budget hotel.