Johnny Carson is one of the best modern late-night talk show hosts, and it seemed like anybody who was anybody wound up on The Tonight Show during his tenure. Still to this day, Carson is still talked about, with Jimmy Kimmel revealing what he learned about late-night following Carson’s final show, and it’s that he would never be anywhere near as good as Carson. However, during Carson’s time on The Tonight Show, he allegedly banned a handful of huge celebrities, such as Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Dana Carvey, and even William Shatner.
Recently, Mark Malkoff wrote a book with David Ritz about Carson’s life and career titled Love Johnny Carson. It features interviews with those who knew him best and gives a look at him both during and after his time on The Tonight Show. Allegedly, Carson’s producer for 22 years, Peter Lassally, told Malkhoff that Carson had a ban list (via Fox News). He claimed that “Burt Reynolds and Rich Little have both claimed to have seen a ‘hard copy’ with over thirty names on it,” though to his knowledge, a physical list never existed.
