Why Johnny Carson Banned Certain Stars from The Tonight Show.

1 # Jay Leno’s Rise to Late-Night Fame.

During his fifth appearance on The Tonight Show in 1978, Jay Leno struggled to connect with the audience, and his jokes fell flat. The weak response reportedly convinced Johnny Carson that he did not want Leno back on the show. One account described the laughter as so minimal that Carson made up his mind then and there.

Although stand-up scout Jim McCawley tried to push for another chance, Carson’s opinion carried the most weight. People close to the show said Carson simply did not enjoy Leno’s style of comedy, and once he made that judgment, he rarely changed it.

Ironically, Leno eventually returned to The Tonight Show and went on to make television history, hosting the program for a total of 22 years, from 1992 to 2009 and again from 2010 to 2014.