Johnny Carson was a legendary late night TV host

An intensely shy person, late-night television host Johnny Carson was at ease on the air, employing a self-deprecating and sharp sense of humor that pleased television audiences for decades.

As host of "The Tonight Show" for 30 years, Johnny Carson was the king of late-night TV. But the public rarely saw his private side. A new biography, "Carson the Magnificent," examines the late-night host's enduring impact, and his difficulties ...

A famous clip resurfaced of legendary late-night host Johnny Carson defending his right to avoid bringing up "serious issues" on his talk show, arguing there is a danger in hosts like him being too self-important and swaying the public.

Johnny Carson was an innovator in the emerging medium of his day—television. When he graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1949, the U.S. was in the midst of a media revolution. Radio was the still the dominant medium, but television was what everyone was talking about.

Across that 30-year span, it was recognized with six Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe, and led to Carson’s receipt in 1992 of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1993 of the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award. How big was Carson in the nation’s firmament?

John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992). During World War II, Carson served in the United States Navy. After the war, he started a career ...

In a classic show business turn of events, one night the star was ill, Carson substituted, he wowed the audience, and a star was nearly born. His reward, "The Johnny Carson Show," didn't last a year, but it led to a game show, "Who Do You Trust," which became ABC's top-rated daytime program, which eventually led to an offer to replace Jack Paar as host of the "Tonight" show.

Many felt they knew Carson thanks to his years on TV and the countless stories that followed his career. However, co-host Ed McMahon made sure to debunk one popular rumor about Carson.

Oh, and I heard Carson say that to Zsa Zsa, so it was true regardless of what some network mouthpiece said almost 30 years after it happened. ... “The best choice” is subjective. As it is, Leno had the top-rated late night show for virtually his entire run, so it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t. And I say this as a Letterman fan. ... The Johnny Carson one is the only one I’ve ever heard of.