TV host Johnny Carson maintained an image as a nice guy for decades. To many, though, Carson was a bully and a jerk. Take the time he started picking on singer and entertainer Wayne Newton, making gay jokes about him on live TV. Newton asked him to stop, but Carson kept it up – until, as seen below, Newton slapped him silly.
A Nice Guy in Public, a Horrible Man in Private
TV icon Johnny Carson, born John William Carson (1925 – 2005), hosted NBC’s The Tonight Show for three decades from 1962 to 1992. He established the standard format and template that has been followed by talk shows ever since, including a guest couch and studio band. Carson won a Peabody Award, six Emmys, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He also received a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom – America’s highest civilian award.
Carson perfected his nice on air persona, and worked hard to cement his perception as the funny, friendly, and neighborly Midwesterner. Viewers embraced and welcomed him into their living rooms as America’s favorite late-night-host. However, when he was not in front of an audience, the King of Late Night Television, as Carson came to be known, was a bitter, bullying, and mean man. As a result, many famous figures disliked him and boycotted his show. However, they did so quietly, afraid that he might damage their careers. As seen below, Wayne Newton was an exception.
When Johnny Carson Got Slapped Around Silly
On air, Johnny Carson was sweetness and sunshine – exactly the kind of friendly fella we’d all like to have as our next door neighbor. Away from the cameras, however, Carson could be a jerk and a bully who not only abused others verbally, but sometimes even physically assaulted people in fits of rage. Examples of the not-so-nice side of Carson include the time he tried to strangle NBC colleague Tom Snyder, his verbal and physical abuse of his wives, and his refusal to visit his son who was institutionalized in a mental asylum.
Quite a few famous figures who suffered Carson’s abuse stayed quiet to protect their careers from the notoriously vindictive icon. Not so Wayne Newton, who took exception when Carson started to crack gay jokes about him on national TV. Newton, who thought that Carson was his friend, begged him to cut it out. Carson, who apparently did not see Newton as his buddy, persisted. So an incensed Newton barged into Carson’s office one day, and slapped him silly. It was one of the few times that Carson was directly confronted and faced consequences for his bullying. Needless to say, he never cracked another gay joke about Newton.
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Some Sources & Further Reading
Bushkin, Henry – Johnny Carson (2013)
Las Vegas Sun, January 24th, 2005 – Carson Had Long Vegas History
