Johnny Carson Despised Bob Hope Despite His Multiple Appearances On The Tonight Show

Summary

• Johnny Carson despised Bob Hope as a frequent guest on The Tonight Show due to their rivalry.
• Despite his feelings, Carson had to treat Hope with respect to maintain his own career and appease NBC executives.
• Other memorable guests on The Tonight Show included Drew Barrymore, Joan Rivers, Don Rickles, and Robin Williams.

Johnny Carson hosted NBC's The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. Recognized as the most popular late-night talk show of its era, Carson became a household name to multiple generations.

Carson would often welcome celebrity guests and discuss their upcoming projects and careers. One guest in particular, however, frustrated Carson. Unfortunately for the legendary host, Bob Hope was a frequent visitor to The Tonight Show and an undisputed comedy icon. Ever the professional, Carson acted friendly on camera, despite his feelings towards Hope. This article will go into their feud as well as some of the most memorable celebrity appearances on The Tonight Show.

Why Johnny Carson Loathed Bob Hope On The Tonight Show

Due to The Tonight Show's immense popularity, Johnny Carson became one of NBC's top performers. Carson even helped launch the careers of entertainers such as Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, and Andy Kaufman.

However, Carson was not NBC's most iconic statesman. That honor belonged to comedian Bob Hope. Hope had been affiliated with NBC before it even developed TV programs. In fact, Hope was NBC's most popular radio star in the late 1930s and 1940s, according to Pop Culture References. Once Hope entered the TV space in 1950, he began to develop highly successful comedy specials for the network.

Hope continued to have a relationship with NBC well into his later career. He was revered, respected, and influential in the eyes of NBC executives. From their viewpoint, Hope helped put NBC on the map. NBC desired to keep positive relations with their legendary collaborator, and as a result, gave him the option to appear on The Tonight Show whenever he had a new project to promote. NBC executives knew the value of his specials and wanted to give him a space to promote them to a wide audience.

This frustrated Carson for multiple reasons. Firstly, he knew he had to oblige with NBC's requests. If he showed his real emotions towards Hope, this could have possibly put his career in jeopardy. While Carson was respected and needed by NBC, Hope was almost like a mythological figure.

According to Bob Hope biographer Richard Zoglin, "the coolness between them was in part a reflection of their rivalry. Carson was the only star at NBC who could challenge Hope for clout at the network. Yet Hope, a prime-time powerhouse for NBC since 1950, was still king, and Carson had to defer."

Zoglin elaborated,

"Carson resented the way Hope could virtually book himself on The Tonight Show whenever he had something to promote, which seemed to be all the time."

Furthermore, Carson did not care for Hope's comedic style, particularly his lack of improvision skills, according to Facts Verse. Hope's comedy was written by a team of writers and the comedian struggled to create good comedy in real time, from Carson's perspective.

Hope was simply not a fun guest for Carson, and viewed his frequent appearances as a workplace nuisance. Furthermore, Hope's health began to take a turn for the worse in his elder years, yet he still wanted to make appearances on The Tonight Show. The iconic comedian's eyesight and hearing became compromised, and Carson had to humor Hope's condition. According to Zoglin, "in the later years, as his hearing and eyesight were failing, Hope's guest appearances became even more of a trial. He often had trouble picking up Carson's questions, and Johnny had to stick precisely to the notes his staff gave him: if he asked a question out of order, Hope might answer a different question."

While Carson and Hope never had a public feud, Carson did have feuds with other celebrities, including Wayne Newton. Carson himself is also no stranger to controversy, and has been known to have had a complicated personal life.

What Were Some Of The Most Memorable Celebrity Appearances On The Tonight Show?

Bob Hope's numerous appearances on The Tonight Show were far from the only memorable occurrences during Johnny Carson's thirty-year stint. Other popular guests included

• Jim Carrey
• Burt Reynolds
• George Carlin
• Bill Maher
• David Letterman
• Eddie Murphy

The Tonight Show featured a who's who of celebrities, young and old. One particularly memorable Tonight Show guest was a young seven-year-old Drew Barrymore, after starring in Steven Speilberg's timeless classic, E.T. Barrymore was beyond excited about being on the show and meeting the seasoned Carson. Once Carson introduced and welcomed her, Barrymore said, "Nice to meet you, too! I've been waiting all of my life to meet you."

One of Carson's most frequent guests, besides Hope, was comedian Joan Rivers. According to The Mix.net, Rivers appeared on The Tonight Show over ninety times and became a beloved "guest host." Rivers eventually developed her own show and stopped making appearances on The Tonight Show, which allegedly upset Carson greatly. Another popular Tonight Show guest was insulted comedian, Don Rickles, whom Carson reportedly had a lot of fun with. Robin Williams also made for some unforgettable Tonight Show moments.

Carson not only had celebrities on his show, but also performers such as magicians and even animals. On a February 1978 episode of The Tonight Show, Carson had a baby orangutan on the show and received a very special hug from the monkey, according to Madly Odd.

Carson left The Tonight Show in 1992 and was replaced by Jay Leno. Leno hosted the show twice, from 1992 to 2009 and then from 2010 to 2014.