Funnyman Jay Leno has come under fire from bikers after making an ill-advised joke before Sunday's (23Oct11) annual Love Ride in California, during which two participants died.
The Tonight Show host, who was the event's grand marshal, told a crowd of bikers that he wanted to see "somebody go down" before setting off on the trek.
He quipped, "Every year, they say, 'Drive safe'. I'm gonna say, 'Don't drive safe'. I wanna see somebody go down. So it'll be fun. I want it to be in front or behind me and see a whole row of bikes go down. Get drunk, fall off the road. We've all become too damn polite... We haven't had one incident."
But that changed on Sunday when riders Romarino Zeri and Julie Cameron were killed when their motorcycle collided with a juggernaut on the Golden State Freeway in Pacoima. The pair was pronounced dead at the scene.
Leno has not responded to the incident or his comments, but some of the bikers involved in the Love Ride are speaking out.
One participant says, "I wish he had not joked about that... He is going to feel really bad for his comments."