He Declined At First
Although being the host of The Tonight Show was his defining career-move, Johnny Carson actually first declined the job. NBC asked him to take over for Jack Paar who was planning to leave the job, but Carson was worried about interviewing celebrities for over an hour per day. Eventually, he took the job and it changed his life.
He Declined At First
Other Potential Hosts
While ultimately we know that Johnny Carson was a massively successful choice of host for The Tonight Show, he was not the only person who was considered. Although Carson was eventually convinced to take the role after initially declining, the role was then also offered to Bob Newhart, Groucho Marx, Jackie Gleason, and Joey Bishop.
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Other Potential Hosts
