Comedian Jay Leno hosts the 30th Carousel of Hope gala in Beverly Hills, California October 25, 2008. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

DETROIT (Reuters) - Detroit, a long-suffering late-night punchline and one of the U.S. cities hardest hit by the recession, is in line for some comic relief courtesy of Jay Leno.

The host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” announced on his late-night talk show Monday that he would host an April 7 benefit in the city, devastated by the near-collapse of its auto industry and crumbling housing prices.

People who say they are unemployed -- about one in eight in the state say they are -- can get four free tickets to the show billed as “Jay’s Comedy Stimulus Plan.”

Sponsors, including soft drink and food maker PepsiCo, are chipping in to offset the cost of free soft drinks and parking at The Palace arena of Auburn Hills, which is home to the Detroit Pistons professional basketball team.

“I like Detroit. I think it gets a bad rap,” Leno told Reuters. “Most people don’t have money to spend, or waste, on entertainment. So the idea is come out -- everything’s free -- and get your mind off your troubles for an hour and a half.”

Leno, a celebrated car buff, said he thought unionized autoworkers and Detroit’s car makers had been unfairly singled out for criticism amid a downturn that has leveled the whole auto industry.

“There is a whole generation of people that have a snide attitude about American cars. Maybe that was deserved in the 70s and 80s, but certainly not in the last 10 years,” he said.

Leno said he thought both General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC would survive after turning to the U.S. government for a bailout that has kept them in business.

“We love to kick ourselves in the ass in this country. I don’t know why,” Leno said. “GM has been the biggest for so long, people think they would like to see it fall until they realize -- uh-oh, you are GM.”