In 1973, Karen Carpenter left Johnny Carson’s audience in awe with a virtuoso singing and drumming medley

A 1973 Tonight Show clip shows Karen Carpenter playing stunning jazz drum solos between lead vocals, proving she was truly ...
The Cheat Sheet

Critics Told Johnny Carson He’d Be ‘Nuts’ to Replace Jack Paar on ‘The Tonight Show’

Television icon Johnny Carson was an excellent fit for hosting The Tonight Show. But in the early ’60s, when he was considering the possibility of moving from an afternoon game show to a late-night ...

Jay Leno calls Joe Rogan 'the new Johnny Carson' as he reflects on what changed in late-night television

Jay Leno declares Joe Rogan is the new Johnny Carson, saying podcasts have replaced traditional late-night television as the modern talk show format.

Johnny Carson Reportedly Banned This Celebrity From His Talk Show In The '90s

One celeb Johnny Carson didn't want to interview on "The Tonight Show" was beloved for playing a goofy character, but that character was the reason for the ban.
The Cheat Sheet

Johnny Carson Said He’d Get 500 Letters of Complaint for Using These 2 Clean Words

As the 30-year host of The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson began his time behind the desk in the early ’60s. And shortly into his iconic run, he said he’d get about “500 letters complaining that [he was] ...
City Journal

Johnny Come Late Night

In his posthumously published new biography, Carson the Magnificent, Bill Zehme reports that “a recalculation of [Carson’s] small-screen hours cautiously translated, in conventional terms, to more ...

Jay Leno Says 'Joe Rogan Is the New Johnny Carson'

"Joe talks to everybody about everything," Leno says ...
collider

Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Play Johnny Carson in New Biopic Series

Shawnee Haas is a TV/Movies News Writer for Collider. She graduated in 2021 from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's in Film & TV Production. She enjoys writing nonfiction and creative ...