5 Things You Never Knew About Johnny Carson’s Last Episode of ‘The Tonight Show’
On May 22, 1992, America bid goodnight for a final time to the man who made a must-do out of staying up late. Johnny Carson, the “King of Late Night,” wrapped up his time as host of NBC’s The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson after a 33-year run that set the standard, and the format, for late-night TV. Carson announced his departure a full year before he offered his final farewell, and to his dismay — though he refused to show it publicly — a battle ensued over who would take over as The Tonight Show host. Carson was a big fan of David Letterman, who helmed Late Night With David Letterman, which aired after The Tonight Show. Letterman also shared Carson’s professionalism and game, but not fawning, approach to conversation with his guests. NBC wanted Jay Leno, who was a regular Tonight Show cohost.
The drama played out in the press, and Leno and Letterman’s friendship disintegrated, resulting in the controversial 1994 book The Late Shift by longtime television journalist Bill Carter. HBO later adapted the book into a scripted TV movie. But Carson pointedly stayed out of the fray, avoiding sentimentality and choosing to focus his final year spotlighting favorite guests and highlights from his three-plus decades behind the Tonight Show desk. “Thirty years is enough,” he reportedly told his crew. “It’s time to get out while you’re still working on top of your game, while you’re still working well.”
His second-to-last show featured a pair of Carson favorites, comedian Robin Williams and actress/singer Bette Midler, both of whom reduced Carson to tears, but in very different ways. Williams delivered his signature rapid-fire, sidesplitting comedy. And Midler dismantled her host and the studio and at-home audiences alike, gazing at her longtime friend and host and crooning Sinatra’s “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” before hugging her host and bolting offstage to avoid sobbing on-camera. She would be his final guest — or, as she mused, “the last fool Mr. Carson would have to suffer gladly.”
And then, it was finale time. Here is everything you should know about Johnny Carson’s unforgettable farewell episode:
1Carson Wrote His Final Monologue Himself
© NBC /Courtesy Everett Collection
While Carson partnered with his writers for his comic show openers, he wrote most of his farewell monologue himself. He offered real gratitude to his variety of guests, from presidents to Hollywood stars to newcomers who would become Hollywood stars. He said he truly considered airing a rerun because of how much he hated goodbyes. He joked that, knowing there was little chance he could top his 30-year run, the best he could come up with for a follow-up act was “to join the cast of Murphy Brown and become a surrogate father to that kid.” And then he explained how the next hour would shake out, from its format to its audience.
2No Guests Were Scheduled
(c) NBC/courtesy everett Collection
Unlike the star-studded shows leading up to the finale, Carson’s final episode had no guests — just Johnny, Ed McMahon and Carson’s longtime bandleader Doc Severinsen offering a warm retrospective of top Tonight Show moments. Though NBC wanted a star-packed farewell, Carson knew his greatest strength was his unfailing respect for his audience. He wanted his final show to feel like an intimate conversation with the folks at home whose devotion had made him an unassuming pop culture icon.
“This show tonight … is going to be a little bit quieter. It’s not going to be a performance show,” Carson, seated center-stage on a stool, told the world at the top of the telecast. “Now we don’t want this show to be mawkish. It’s a farewell show, and there’s a certain sadness among the staff here.” Then he zipped off a delightfully cheeky, but even-handed, zinger: “But look on the bright side: You won’t have to read or see one more story about my leaving this show … my God, the Soviet Union’s end did not get this kind of publicity!”
3The Final Tonight Show Audience Was Different, Too
Instead of Carson’s usual studio audience, an invitation-only studio audience of family, friends and crew watched Carson, McMahon and Severinsen offer their gratitude, reminisce and bid the show and each other goodbye. McMahon revealed that seven other people were considered for the role of Carson’s sidekick and “I got it. I thank you. My family thanks you forever.” Severinsen had other ideas. “I wondered if, maybe once a week, you could come to my house and walk out through the draperies in my living room!” he quipped to his boss.
4These Were Carson’s Tender Final Words As Host Of The Tonight Show
Douglas C. Pivac / ©NBC / courtesy Everett Collection
And no, we will not blame you if they still bring you to tears. Reclaiming his place on the spotlit stool, and visibly moved, Carson addressed his audience, in the studio and the 80 million people who watched at home, with these words: “And so it has come to this: I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something I always wanted to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the people who’ve shared this stage with me for 30 years. Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. And I hope when I find something that I want to do — and I think you would like — and come back, that you’ll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night.” Gulp!
5NBC Wasted Little Time In Moving On
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, Jay Leno, 1998. 1992-2009. (c) NBC/ Courtesy: Everett Collection.
In a move that raised eyebrows as much as the battle over Carson’s successor, The Tonight Show set that had been Carson’s home for decades was taken down the very next morning. Not only that, but Leno made his Tonight Show debut just three days later on May 25, 1992. His sole homage to the legend he replaced came via his monologue, but it was a pointed one. “Let’s see how you all feel in 30 years,” he responded to the audience’s cheers.
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