Nighttime Talk Show Hosts

In honor of Johnny Carson’s birthday, October 23 has been designated TV Talk Show Host Day, giving Tidbits the opportunity to tune into some familiar faces and a few facts about an assortment of these nighttime entertainers.

JOHNNY CARSON

• Born in Iowa in 1925, Johnny Carson became fascinated with magic at age 12 and purchased a mail-order junior magician’s kit. After studying the booklet of instructions, he practiced card tricks and magic tricks on his family. At age 14 he performed for the first time in a public appearance at the local Kiwanis Club as “The Great Carsoni,” wearing a top hat, fake moustache and a cape handmade by his mother. He was paid $3 for each performance.

• Carson served in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the “USS Pennsylvania” in the Pacific as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages. After the war, he began a career in radio as an announcer, then moved to television hosting various game shows until he took over as host of the late-night talk show Tonight from Jack Paar in 1962.

• Carson’s quick wit and punchlines have led to his being declared “King of the Late Night.” From the time he took over Tonight from Jack Paar in 1962 until his retirement in 1992, Carson ruled late-night television, winning six Emmy Awards for his entertainment skills.

• Carson’s final Tonight Show appearance had more than 50 million viewers.

• Carson had a host of other interests besides comedy. His love of classic cars began with the 1939 Chrysler Royal that was a cherished family heirloom, owned by Carson’s father, and the car Johnny learned to drive in. Johnny was a passionate tennis player, even taking lessons from John McEnroe for a time.

• As an accomplished drummer, Carson demonstrated his musical talent occasionally on The Tonight Show. Carson wrote several books, including his best-selling memoir. Fascinated by astronomy, he became close friends with Carl Sagan, featuring the astronomer on the show several times. Carson also had earned his private pilot’s license.

JAY LENO

• Although Carson and many others expected David Letterman to be selected as The Tonight Show’s replacement host, Jay Leno stepped in as host following Carson’s departure in 1992.

• His first night as host was far from Leno’s first appearance on the show. He performed a comedy routine there in 1977 at age 27, and just ten years later became the show’s permanent guest host. He remained permanent host from 1992 until 2009, earning four Emmy Awards.

• Leno announced retirement plans in late 2008, and was succeeded by Conan O’Brien in June 2009. In spite of those retirement plans, Leno hosted a new prime-time variety show, beginning that September. In early 2010, with declining ratings, O’Brien was no longer the host, and Leno was back in his role at The Tonight Show, where he remained until 2014. Billy Crystal, who had been Leno’s first guest in 1992, was his final guest in 2014.

• In 2015, Jay Leno launched a new TV series, Jay Leno’s Garage, a popular automotive show that ran for seven seasons before moving to YouTube. His extensive collection of vehicles includes about 185 cars and 160 motorcycles, with an estimated value between $80 million and $100 million.

Where are the programs filmed? Where else, but in Leno’s own garage! But it’s not just a garage – it consists of three enormous warehouses spanning an area of 140,000 square feet.

JIMMY FALLON

• Jimmy Fallon stepped in as host of The Tonight Show in 2014, and remains as the program’s current host. As a child, he loved comedy and music and sharpened his skills of impersonating others. Serving as an altar boy in his youth led to a desire to become a priest, but he entered college to pursue a degree in Computer Science.

• When he was just one semester short of his degree, Fallon dropped out to chase his dream of comedy in Los Angeles. He had been hooked on Saturday Night Live his entire life, nurturing a vision of one day nabbing a spot in the cast. At 22, he scored his first audition, which turned out to be unsuccessful. However, a second

audition the next year led to the role he had craved and he made his debut in 1998 at age 24. By his fourth episode, he was a star, and remained with SNL until 2004.

• Fallon pursued a film career after leaving SNL, but with limited success. In 2009, he was offered the position of host of NBC’s Late Night, where he remained until taking over The Tonight Show from Leno.

• In addition to his hosting duties, Fallon is also an author, having written nine children’s books and three non-fiction books for adults.

DAVID LETTERMAN

• David Letterman was on track for a career in radio, working at several stations before making the switch to television. In 1980, when Letterman was 33, NBC gave him his own morning show, and in 1982, Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC.

• It was Johnny Carson’s intention upon his retirement to pass the torch to Letterman, but NBC gave the job to Leno, and Letterman quickly exited NBC, starting another program on CBS, Late Show with David Letterman, in the same time slot as The Tonight Show.

• During his first 20 years in late-night TV, Letterman received 67 Emmy nominations, winning 12 times.

By the time he left late-night in 2015, he had hosted 6,080 episodes of talk, the longest-serving late-night talk show host in TV history, more than his friend and mentor Johnny Carson.

• Like Carson and Leno, David Letterman is a devoted fan of classic cars, dominated by Ferraris and Porsches.

JIMMY KIMMEL

• You probably don’t know that Jimmy Kimmel was once a pizza delivery driver, that he plays the bass clarinet, and, like Leno, Carson and Letterman, he collects vintage cars. Like Jimmy Fallon, Kimmel was also an altar boy in his youth, and is the author of a children’s book. He is also a talented artist.

• Kimmel got his start in radio, and was fired from his first two positions. He finally settled in as Jimmy, the Sports Guy on a Los Angeles station, spending five years on the morning show.

• In 2003, he became the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, while on the side he has provided voices in several animated films, including “Garfield,” “Robot Chicken,” and “Road Trip,” along with hosting a couple of game shows.

• Kimmelʼs son was born with a rare congenital heart defect, leading him to raise millions of dollars for children’s hospitals. 