Who All Hosted ‘The Tonight Show’? The Long History of the Beloved Nighttime Talk Show

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, Johnny Carson, 1960s. 1962-92
NBC/Everett Collection

The Tonight Show is currently the longest-running nighttime talk show on the air. It began on Sept. 27, 1954, which was a whopping 70 years ago! Of course, the show has gone through some major changes through the decades but it is still, at its core, a show that aims to share the news and celebrity interviews along with some laughs. In its inception, it was actually a 40-minute local TV show in New York that aired from 11:20pm to midnight on WNBT.

In 1954, it debuted on NBC with Steve Allen as the host and Gene Rayburn as his announcer. For several decades, the show struggled a bit to find its groove, and the hosts came and went quickly. After Allen, Ernie Kovacs took over with Jack Lescoulie replacing him just a year later. Al “Jazzbo” Collins took over briefly and Jack Paar replaced him, hosting for about four years. But it wasn’t until Johnny Carson became the host that the show really hit its stride. He hosted the show with Ed McMahon as the announcer from 1962 until 1992.

THE TONIGHT SHOW, from left: Steve Allen (host), Gene Rayburn (announcer), on set, November 10, 1956.

Everett Collection

From left: Steve Allen (host) and Gene Rayburn (announcer) on set, Nov. 10, 1956

In addition to being the longest-running talk show, it is the third-longest-running show on NBC after Today and Meet the Press. Fans can currently watch live at the iconic Studio 6B at NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center in New York — the same studio used during Jack Paar’s run as host and Carson’s first 10 years. After Carson retired, Jay Leno took over and holds the record for having hosted the largest number of total televised episodes. After Leno retired in 2009, Conan O’Brien took over; Leno returned to the show in 2010 and continued hosting until 2014, when he was succeeded by former SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon, who has been hosting ever since. The show recently shifted to a four episodes weekly model, with a repeat running every Friday.

THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, Jay Leno, 1998. 1992-2009.

NBC/Everett Collection

With each host and time period came different recurring segments. If you’ve been a longtime viewer of the show, perhaps you remember “Carnac the Magnificent” as a recurring character played by Carson, or “Headlines,” which poked fun at real-life headlines sent in by viewers to Leno. These kinds of sketches have been blowing up on social media in recent years, due to their ability to go viral with just a clip. Fallon loves to include guests in these segments, like “The Wheel of Musical Impressions,” where guests can sing songs impersonating other celebrities.

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON, host Jimmy Fallon, (aired Feb. 17, 2014).

Lloyd Bishop/NBC/Everett Collection

Now tell us, who is your favorite Tonight Show host? Which one couldn’t you stand? Any fun memories from watching the show over the years? Carson is perhaps the most iconic host of the show, but over the years, all of the hosts certainly had their own pros and cons.

 

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