Johnny Carson retired after three decades in the long-time hosts' chair behind the familiar iconic late-night desk on May 22, 1992, and was replaced by Jay Leno amid national and media controversy. Letterman, having had his heart set on the earlier time slot in spite of Leno's ratings success as recurring substitute host, left NBC (on Carson's advice) and joined rival network CBS. Carson was host at the time of the weekday afternoon quiz show Who Do You Trust? On the newest and then lowest-rated radio and television network, the American Broadcasting Company . Because Carson was under contract through September to ABC and producer Don Fedderson , he could not take over as host until October 1, 1962.
Lewis subsequently wound up hosting a lavish 2-hour prime time talk show for ABC entitled The Jerry Lewis Show while also making movies, which was famously unsuccessful. Carson's contract, that took effect in 1981, reduced his work schedule to three nights a week, 37 weeks a year. "Best of Carson" reruns aired on Tuesdays in the weeks that Carson was hosting new shows. Monday night shows and shows for most of the 15 weeks that Carson had off were hosted by guest hosts.
Due to the frequent need for substitutes, starting in 1983 permanent guest hosts were hired in order to give the program more stability. The permanent guest hosts were Joan Rivers (1983–86), then, after about a year where a wide range of guest hosts were used, Garry Shandling alternating with Jay Leno (1987–88) and finally Leno alone (1988–92) after Shandling left to focus on his Showtime series It's Garry Shandling's Show. Though the concept of using "permanent" guest hosts was fairly strictly adhered to, occasionally illness or some other situation necessitated a substitute guest host, as when David Brenner filled in for Joan Rivers on October 31 and November 1, 1985, when Rivers's husband was briefly hospitalized. On March 1, 2010, Jay Leno returned to The Tonight Show, with Wally Wingert as his announcer. On April 12, 2010, bandleader Kevin Eubanks announced his departure after 18 years on May 28.
On July 1, 2010, Variety reported that only six months into its second life, Leno's Tonight Show posted its lowest ratings since 1992. By September 2010, Leno's ratings had fallen below O'Brien's when he had hosted The Tonight Show, although O'Brien's ratings had spiked during the show's final days during the media publicity onslaught, and this tally pivots upon that anomalous spike in O'Brien's ratings. By May 2011, Leno regained the lead over Letterman and held it until leaving the show in February 2014.
In August 2012, The Los Angeles Times reported that The Tonight Show was in trouble for a number of reasons, notably that NBC was losing money. The Times later elaborated, noting that advertising revenue from The Tonight Show had dropped more than 40% since 2007, from $255.9 million annually to $146.1 million. Still, despite these problems, during 2012–13, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was consistently the highest-ranking late-night show, regularly achieving audiences of over 3.5 million, according to Nielsen ratings.
Leno's audience became considerably smaller after its peak 2002–03 season, when it routinely attracted 5.8 million viewers a night. It was during his tenure that Tonight first became a "water cooler" show—the next morning, people would talk about what happened on the show the night before. Paar was intelligent and quick-witted, but also very unpredictable and candid. He'd get emotional on the air, and would publicly feud with newspaper columnists. For many viewers, the host was even more interesting than the guests.
His most notorious moment took place in February 1960, when Paar walked off after NBC censors took offense at one of his jokes. By the spring of 1962, Paar, burned out with doing a daily show, quit. From April-September 1962, The Tonight Show had a series of part-time hosts, including Groucho Marx, and an orchestra led by Skitch Henderson. The Jack Paar Program, a prime time series, premiered around that time and lasted three years. If you weren't familiar with who Lilly Singh was before she became a talk show host, you might not be familiar with her. Lilly started as IISuperwomanII, the uber popular YouTuber who made humourous videos and skits, often centred on her experience as a person of Indian descent growing up in Canada.
With the majority of late night talk show hosts being middle aged men, many were eager to see a young woman on their screens. Alas, it was not so well received – at least not by ordinary audiences. Jay Leno was working the night club circuit 300 nights per year when he got signed as the host of the Tonight Show. As early as 1976, Jay was also taking on occasional acting roles.
That year he appeared on an episode of "Good Times" and also appeared in a TV pilot for the series, "Holmes and Yo-Yo" which never found its way onto the air. He was an "extra" in the movie "Fun With Dick and Jane" the following year and played a character called "Mookie" in the 1978 film, "American Hot Wax". An episode of "Alice" and a couple of episodes of "Laverne & Shirley" came after that. During that time Jay also appeared on 14 shows as himself, the comedian and, of course, a bunch of guest host jobs on the Tonight Show. Johnny Carson will be forever known as the king of late night television. His 30 years as host of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" serves as an achievement—both in longevity and artistically—for current and future talk show hosts to aspire to.
From 1950 to 1951 NBC aired Broadway Open House, a nightly variety show hosted primarily by comic Jerry Lester. It was initially not a success (hosting five nights a week quickly burned through all of Lester's material faster than he could create it, and he was given rotating hosting duties for a weekly prime time variety show in 1951); the network scaled back late-night programming to shorter weekly shows. A spin-off, Dagmar's Canteen, aired the following season on Saturday nights; at some other point in the week, Mary Kay's Nightcap (which mostly consisted of previews of the next day's programming) also aired that season. Coming on just after "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," "The Midnight Special" was a late-night music and variety show that aired on Fridays. Although it had no regular host , the show quickly gained a massive audience as viewers tuned in to see their favorite musical acts perform live and give brief interviews. Bands like AC/DC, the Beach Boys, David Bowie, and Blondie all made appearances on the series during its nine-year run.
Steve Allen was the first host of "The Tonight Show," and he is largely responsible for developing the late night TV format — a cross between a talk show and a variety program. Allen proved that wacky worked on the air, setting up on-air stunts where he jumped into vats of oatmeal or cottage cheese or was made into a human banana split, as staffers covered the comedian with ice cream, hot fudge and pieces of banana. For 30 years "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" starred the boy from Nebraska who never seemed to lose his quick smile and friendly demeanor.
His ratings remain the highest in the history of late night television. But Carson and many others in this crowded field — Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and David Letterman among them — owe much to funny man Steve Allen, who broke the plane between stage and viewer and pioneered the first audience participation gags that dominate late night comedy today. It's a field filled with big personalities, larger-than-life late night television comedians and conversationalists who put America to bed each night.
From Jack Paar's extemporaneous small talk to Steve Allen's infectious laugh to Johnny Carson's witty monologues, and all the big personalities that filled the guest chairs, America has had a love affair with late night television programming for years. It's how we unwind, ingest the day's news and laugh at ourselves. And some of the most talented, and varied, hosts have led us down the path to the Land of Nod. Guest hosting has been increasingly rare in the years since Carson.
During Leno's entire combined tenure at "Tonight," he only had one guest host — Katie Couric — and that was as part of a publicity stunt. Even outside "Tonight," most guest hosts only appear when the host is unavailable for medical reasons, like when Harry Styles guest hosted "The Late Late Show" when James Corden's wife went into labor. John William Carson was born on October 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa. By the early 1950s, he was living in California and working in radio and the emerging medium of television. He later moved to New York City and in 1957 became the host of the popular game show Who Do You Trust?
In 1958, Carson appeared on The Tonight Show as a substitute for host Jack Paar. The Tonight Show had originated in 1951 in Los Angeles as a radio program hosted by Steve Allen. In 1954, the program moved to TV and in 1956, Jack Parr replaced Allen as the host. Carson took over permanent hosting duties from Parr on October 1, 1962.
He hosted the show from New York City until 1972, when it relocated to Burbank, California. Before hosting, O'Brien had been a writer on both "The Simpsons" and "Saturday Night Live" before taking over hosting duties of "Late Night" from David Letterman in 1993. Though ratings were initially poor, over time O'Brien became one of the most beloved late night hosts on TV. In July 1957, NBC returned the program to a talk/variety show format once again, with Jack Paar becoming the new solo host of the show. Under Paar, most of the NBC affiliates that had dropped the show during the ill-fated run of Tonight!
Paar's era began the practice of branding the series after the host, and as such the program, though officially still called Tonight, was also marketed as The Jack Paar Show. A combo band conducted by Paar's Army buddy pianist Jose Melis filled commercial breaks and backed musical entertainers. Paar also introduced the idea of having guest hosts; one of these early hosts coincidentally was Johnny Carson. It was also one of the first regularly scheduled network shows to be telecast in color beginning sporadically in September 1957, with regular color broadcasts beginning in September 1960. As a "permanent" guest host, Joan Rivers interviewed Miss America on one of the episodes she hosted in 1983, but her hosting relationship with The Tonight Show would turn out to be a complicated one.
Johnny Carson, who hosted the show for the longest stretch since its beginning, brought her in as a gag writer in 1965 and supported her for many years. Out of respect and loyalty to him, she turned down offers from other networks. It was her hope and desire to one day become a permanent host, but she believed that because of her gender, she was never given the opportunity. Eventually, in 1986, she accepted an offer from Fox for The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. Johnny Carson was not too happy about it and according to her interview with Peoplemagazine, he never spoke to her again, even after her husband committed suicide.
There was quite a rift between them and she was blackballed from even being a guest on the show. It was not until the current host, Jimmy Fallon took over the show that she was invited to come back on the show. Former sitcom star Ellen DeGeneres got her own talk show way back in 2003. The series, which is a blend of comedy segments, celebrity interviews, human interest stories, musical guests, and audience games, has been nominated for 171 Daytime Emmy Awards over its almost two-decade run. A hit with audiences and critics alike, the show took a huge hit in late 2020, when accusations of toxic workplace culture came to light. DeGeneres announced in May 2021 that the 19th season would be the last for the show.
"The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" aired on NBC for 22 years, save for a brief intermission in 2010 when the host stepped away to do his own show, which proved much less successful. Leno replaced long-time host Johnny Carson and spent most of his career competing against his NBC rival David Letterman in the same time slot. The late-night format included a funny opening monologue followed by guest interviews, comedy skits, and musical performances. The May 16 episode, "Eyes on the Throne," deals with Letterman's reinvention of late night with an assist from head writer Merrill Markoe, his longtime girlfriend at the time. Letterman also should give an assist to Steve Allen, the first "Tonight Show" host, because many of his silly bits, including his man-on-the-street interviews, were first done by Allen. A primetime unscripted series, "That's My Jam" is also in development under the new agreement.
Adam Blackstone will serve as musical director and will lead the house band throughout each episode. The series is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group. After Carson retired from "Tonight," comedian and regular guest host Jay Leno took over the late night desk.
The program of July 26, 1984, with guest host Joan Rivers, was the first MTS stereo broadcast in U.S. television history, though not the first television broadcast with stereophonic sound. Only NBC's flagship local station in New York City, WNBC, had stereo broadcast capability at that time. NBC transmitted The Tonight Show in stereo sporadically through 1984 and on a regular basis beginning in 1985. Allen's version of the show originated talk show staples such as an opening monologue, celebrity interviews, audience participation, and comedy bits in which cameras were taken outside the studio, as well as music including guest performers and a house band under Lyle "Skitch" Henderson.
On one of the episodes with Jay Leno as host, George W. Bush was one of his guests and gave him one of his paintings. After Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon retired, Jay Leno became a permanent host. From 1992 to 2009, he was the permanent host of The Tonight Show after being guest host about 300 times in the past and then left the show only to return in 2010, staying with the show until 2014. On his last show in 2014, two of his guests were Billy Crystal and Garth Brooks. For a total of 20 years, he was the show's longest running host behind Johnny Carson who was the host for 30 years.
Actor and comedian Joey Bishop, who, like Sinatra, was a member of the "Rat Pack," was one of the most frequent guest hosts on The Tonight Show, having manned the chair in Johnny's absence 177 times. Joan Rivers hosted 93 times, and Jay Leno hosted the most of all which was 300 times. Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular singers of the twentieth century. One episode in particular that he hosted was with guests Don Rickles, George Burns, Carroll O'Connor, and a few other popular celebrities that provided a really entertaining episode with witty comments by Don Rickles. Some of his comments though, that were considered acceptable during that era, would cause quite a stir today because of racial slurs and other innuendos.
One of the last parody shows on our list, "Fernwood Tonight" is set in the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio, and is hosted by characters Barth Gimble and Jerry Hubbard. The show, whose set housed a full band like other late-night talk shows, featured interviews with "local" guests (often played by well-known actors), small-town news, and the occasional appearance by a real-life celebrity. While it didn't win any awards, the show's nostalgia factor allows it to hold a special place in the hearts of American audiences. In 2014, Jimmy Fallon left NBC's "Late Night Show" to take over "The Tonight Show" after Jay Leno's second departure. On top of Fallon's infamous "Lip Sync Battles" and other musical bits, the host likes having his guests play live family games such as charades, Pictionary, and Catchphrase.
He is also a fan of nostalgic sketches and has hosted several cast reunion episodes including "California Dream" and "Saved By The Bell." This daytime talk show, hosted by one-time Big Band singer Mike Douglas, showcased a mix of light-hearted conversation, musical performances, and interviews rooted in the week's top news events. It had moments of controversy, such as a guest who got in hot water after satirizing First Lady Jackie Kennedy, but overall it was a fairly tame, good-natured variety program. "The Arsenio Hall Show" was a late-night talk show in the early '90s known for its opening act, in which the announcer held a 10-second-long "O" as he announced "Arsenio" and the host rushed onto the stage, pumping his fist in the air and starting his monologue. A selection of audience members (dubbed the "Dog Pound") also pumped their fists and yelled. The high-energy show featured comedy skits, musical performances, and guest interviews.
Bill Clinton's famous saxophone performance—a moment that turned the polls in his first presidential runs and is often credited as helping him win—took place on Hall's show. The Tonight show is a talk show/comedy series on NBC where the host starts the program with a standup routine. That is followed by a myriad of interviews with famous guest stars, comedy skits, musical performances, and just about anything else that is entertaining.
Believe it or not, this web site predates every single official network talk show page! I've been supplying late night line-ups to the Internet community since 1994, first to USENET and now on the web. The Late Night TV Page is visited by over 5,000 people every day. Allen also deconstructed the stage of late night television, going into the audience or out on the city streets to involve regular people in his televised antics. It's not a surprise that so many tried to replicate the late night talk show format — it's a low expense, high profit endeavor that's easy entertainment. What's more surprising is that people kept trying to take on Carson and "Tonight" directly.
At the time, he was referring to the 90 minute runtime late at night — but decades later, it turns out he was downright prophetic. In the decades since, "The Tonight Show" has stood the test of time as both an American institution and the map for late night talk shows worldwide. You know Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and Jimmy Fallon, but do you know all the other hosts of "The Tonight Show"? This iconic late night talk show has had a number of talented and very funny men walk through the stage curtain and deliver the monolog over the years. Sajak, who was already well-known for his years of hosting "Wheel of Fortune," was tapped to host his own late-night show in 1989, and thus had to leave the NBC daytime version of the game show, though he continued to host the syndicated late night version, which he still hosts today. In September 1983, Joan Rivers was designated Carson's permanent guest host, a role she had been essentially filling for the previous year.
In 1986, she left the program for her own show on the then-new Fox Network. According to Carson, Rivers never personally informed him of the existence of her show. Nevertheless, Rivers' new show was quickly canceled, and she never again appeared on The Tonight Show with Carson.
