Joan Rivers was a legendary comedian with a classic sense of humor. Her style of comedy kept her relevant for many decades. She has credited the late Johnny Carson with helping her career. Carson hosted The Tonight Show and Rivers served as a guest host.
However, her time on The Tonight Show would be cut short after a falling out with Carson in 1986. Her ban was kept in place when Jay Leno took over in 1992.
It would take until Jimmy Fallon took over as host in 2014 for Rivers to be welcomed back to the show.
Joan Rivers And Johnny Carson Have A Terrible Falling Out, Causing Her To Be Banned From 'The Tonight Show'
Rivers was once a friend of Carson's and The Tonight Show. She served as a permanent guest host from 1983 to 1986. She also served as one of the show's writers.
"Johnny was the one person who said, ‘Yes, she has talent; yes, she is funny,'" Rivers wrote in a 1986 op-ed. "He was the first person in power who respected what I was doing and realized what I could become. He handed me my career."
That same year, however, Rivers' own show The Late Show with Joan Rivers, premiered on Fox in October. The network approached Rivers with an offer to headline the show. At the time, Rivers explained that she took the offer because she was upset that while Carson's contract was renewed for two years, hers was only renewed for one.
"The first person I called was Johnny, and he hung up on me — and never, ever spoke to me again. And then denied that I called him," Rivers wrote in The Hollywood Reporter. "I couldn't figure it out. I would see him in a restaurant and go over and say hello. He wouldn't talk to me."
Not only had Rivers been blacklisted from The Tonight Show, but she was ousted from The Late Show the following year.
Years later, when speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Rivers said how she thought Carson should've handled the situation.
"What Johnny should've done — and it's so theatrical," she said, "after the whole thing, after I left the show, and after I was fired from Fox, and after Edgar [Rivers' husband] committed suicide, Johnny should've had me back on the show and said to me, ‘Where you been?'"
Rivers believed that moment would've "would've made all the newspapers." She continued, "We should've picked right up and that would've been what the Jews call, he would've been a mensch, and it would've continued."
Jay Leno Continues Rivers' 'Tonight Show' Ban Out Of Respect For Johnny Carson
After Carson's time on The Tonight Show came to an end, Jay Leno served as his replacement. Leno's run on the show began in 1992. During his time on the show, Leno never lifted the ban on Rivers. After her death, Leno told Access Hollywood that the reason he kept the ban in place was out of respect for Carson.
"I didn't want to do it while Johnny was alive out of respect for Johnny," Leno answered. "I don't think he wanted to see her on the show and that's why we didn't do it."
Host Billy Bush then asked Leno if it got too awkward for him to lift the ban after Carson passed away.
"It got a little awkward by that point," Leno responded. "Joan was sort of going on and on about me, and I thought, 'Let's let the ground lie fallow for a while and see what happens,' but she always kind of kept it going. And I like Joan. I mean that was the first autograph I ever got was Joan Rivers.
"I'm a comedian, I went to see her at the Chateau De Ville in Framingham and we were friends, and by then it just got to be awkward and we just never did it."
Joan Rivers Returns To 'The Tonight Show' Thanks To New Host, Jimmy Fallon
After Leno's time hosting The Tonight Show came to an end in 2014, Jimmy Fallon began hosting the show. Fallon also made quite the statement by having Rivers on the very first episode that he hosted.
Fallon was doing a bit where he said, "To my friend out there who said I couldn't host The Tonight Show, you owe me 100 bucks."
A bunch of celebrities then came out and placed money on the table. Rivers was one of the celebrities. After her death, Fallon tearfully remembered the touching moment when Rivers came out.
"We had her on our very first Tonight Show, when I took over," Fallon remembered. "She came out, and she came over to me, and she started crying, and gave me a kiss. It was really emotional and really nice."
Back in 2014, Rivers told Variety she was thrilled to be back on The Tonight Show and shared her well wishes for Fallon.
"It was a double thrill for me to help welcome Jimmy on his first night. The program brought me great luck, and I know it well do the same for him," Rivers said. "He’s the consummate entertainer whose reign as host, I predict, will surpass any of his predecessors."
When speaking about her decades-long ban from the show, Rivers maintained her trademark sense of humor.
"It’s about time! I’ve been sitting in a taxi outside NBC with the meter running since 1987."
