Previous Post I'm not sure this is board appropriate, but I think it's close. This is a video I edited, the third in a series of talk show wars. This one is about Joan and Johnny's falling out. The story starts in the '60s and ends in the '10s but the bulk of it takes place in the '80s, and is centered around the launch of Joan's Late Show in 1986. https://youtu.be/PVyECyPYwaA Did anyone watch this stuff at the time? My parents watched Carson so I was aware of it. I have vague memories of Joan's Late Show, I don't remember her on The Tonight Show. I have more vague memories of Arsenio hosting Late Show followed by Ross Schaeffer. I didn't really start watching Carson until about 1990, I think.

Joan Rivers was pals with Carson and she would appear on the show and occasionally guest host it......UNTIL she got her own show.

Apparently to Johnny Carson that was a betrayal in his eyes as she tried to compete with him, the KING of late night. Her show fizzled and failed but he never forgave her, never spoke to her and made it clear to all his staff including Doc Severenson and Ed McMahon that she was off limits.

However Ed would still speak with her when he could in defiance of Carson.

They never mended fences and even after Carson died, Rivers was furious with him to her final days.

Johnny Carson was funny and talented, yes. But his ego and arrogance was also pretty astounding as well. He was the KING of Late Night and he knew it and from what I gather if you got on his bad side, your career may have gotten derailed.

But if you were a comedian that caught his eye and could really make him laugh, he could open doors too.

Legend has it that he wanted and insisted that Letterman take over for him but NBC disagreed and Leno got the job, hence Letterman jumps networks.