Johnny Carson signed off as the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” on May 22, 1992 after being the King of Late Night for nearly three decades. But Carson has never left thanks to DVDs and repeats on such nostalgia channels as Antenna TV and streaming services like Peacock, as well as YouTube. And even with such late-night hosts as Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Trevor Noah, Jimmy Fallon, who is the current host of “The Tonight Show,” and Jimmy Kimmel, none of them hold a candle to Carson.
While I was working at the Los Angeles Times, I talked to experts, filmmakers and even his nephew about what made Carson so unique.
“The thing about Carson is that he had all the exemplary skills needed for a late-night host,” Ron Simon, curator of the Paley Center for Media in New York. “Everyone that has followed has skills, but they don’t have every skill.
While I was working at the Los Angeles Times, I talked to experts, filmmakers and even his nephew about what made Carson so unique.
“The thing about Carson is that he had all the exemplary skills needed for a late-night host,” Ron Simon, curator of the Paley Center for Media in New York. “Everyone that has followed has skills, but they don’t have every skill.
- 5/20/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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