The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Guest hosts

Starting in May 1972, "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" had guest hosts each Monday. Various people served as hosts, some over fifty times:

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• Joey Bishop (177 times)
• Joan Rivers (93)
• John Davidson (87)
• Bob Newhart (87)
• David Brenner (70)
• McLean Stevenson (58)
• Jerry Lewis (52)
• David Letterman (51)

Starting in September 1983, Joan Rivers became Carson's permanent guest host. In 1986, she abruptly left for her own show on the new Fox Network. This move infuriated Carson so much that he banned Rivers from his show. Unfortunately for Rivers, her new show flopped and was quickly cancelled, and she never appeared on the show with Carson again. In a CNN interview after Carson's death, Rivers revealed that Carson never spoke to her again.

Related Topics:
1983 - 1986 - Her own show - Fox Network - CNN

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