Johnny Carson's Secret Guest Ban List

0:00On April 4th, a new book called Love Johnny Carson spills the T on why Peewee Herman never made it onto the tonight show with Johnny in the hosts. Chair. Paul Rubens, the man behind the character, stopped appearing only as Peewee, but Carson had a strict no-go on acts that might confuse viewers about. What's real and what's not? Carson applied that rule from day one, passing on wild comics like Gilbert Gottfried and Bobcat Gulfwait. He made rare exceptions for obvious spoofs like Super Dave Osborne or Father Guido Sarducci. Early on, he even thought baseball guy Bob Uecker was faking it and needed proof from newspapers. Rubens did pop up once on the tonight show during a Halloween special when Joan Rivers guest hosted in 1985. He also kicked off her own late night show two years later, fitting her younger crowd way better than Carson's older fans. The book drops more names on Carson's secret ban list, including Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, and William Shatner. Leno got the boot after his fifth spot in 1978 drew weak laughs, but he bounced back big time hosting the show himself for, 22 years starting in 1992.

1:09Carson's picky guest, picks shaped late night TV in ways we're still feeling, proving even kings of comedy had their quirks. Entertainment and celebrity news. Today, powered by AI bringing you what's trending.