Johnny Carson Reigns as Late Night Royalty Despite Dark Struggles
Johnny Carson’s three-decade sovereignty over late night television bred high expectations for his affable on-air persona. However, behind the scenes Carson grappled with strained relationships, substance abuse issues, and a legacy marked by mystery and intrigue.
Carson’s influence stretched far and wide ever since his star-making turn hosting NBC’s “The Tonight Show” began in 1962. By 1975, Carson commanded a nightly audience of 20 million and earned an unprecedented $4 million annual salary cementing his status as the undisputed king of late night. However for all his professional success, Carson’s personal life unravelled in messy divorces and alienation from his three sons – especially mentally ill youngest son Rick whose tragic death at age 22 haunted Johnny.
According to long-time “Tonight Show” sidekick Ed McMahon, Carson was warm and engaging in private until the constant spotlight changed his personality. Doc Severinsen, the show’s bandleader, noted how the never-ending grind of hosting five weekly shows ravaged Carson’s mood and intensified his drinking habits. While Johnny masked his alcoholism on-air, Severinsen witnessed Carson arrive to tapings flushed, irritable and sweaty amid withdrawal.
Carson’s reliance on alcohol to maintain his taxing schedule strained his second marriage to Joanne Copeland. Copeland confessed to a revenge affair after tiring of Carson’s emotional distance and indifference. Their contentious divorce played out publicly with Carson slapped with drunk driving charges during proceedings. The scandal cost Carson custody of his three boys and eldest son Chris contends being shipped off to boarding school at eight years old fractured their relationship permanently.
Rick Carson Faced Lifelong Trauma
Youngest boy Rick endured lasting trauma according to lawyer Henry Bushkin. With no memories of his father pre-fame, Rick puzzled over his dad’s aloofness once “The Tonight Show” took off. Rick was eventually institutionalized for mental health issues which shattered their bond. Carson refused to openly discuss Rick’s lifelong suffering or his death in a car crash at 22 which signaled Johnny’s biggest personal failure.
Carson triumphed professionally while his personal life deteriorated. In 1970, he relocated “The Tonight Show” to Los Angeles securing exclusive ownership over late night against long-time rival Dick Cavett. Johnny wielded tremendous influence over network brass and fired dozens of writers, producers and bookers on ego trips. One frequent target was talent coordinator Helen Gorman who endured Carson’s cruel jabs about her age and looks.
As Carson’s stature grew, so too did his isolation behind a wall of yes men and enablers. Lawyer Bushkin rationalized Carson’s insularity as imperative given his level of fame. Regular guest David Brenner contended access to Johnny became increasingly through a gatekeeper like “getting into the Kremlin.”
Joan Rivers Personified Love-Hate Dynamic
Carson’s complex association with comic Joan Rivers epitomized his tendency for falling outs. He first took a shine to Rivers, lighting up during her appearances and eventually naming her his permanent guest host in 1983. However when Rivers was wooed by Fox to directly compete against Johnny’s show, he icily severed all contact with her permanently. The move crystallized Carson’s splits as entirely personal, never business.
In fact, Johnny nursed mysterious grudges against a who’s who of contemporary stars including Frank Sinatra, Orlando Cepeda and Dennis Weaver over perceived slights. Carson once used his monologue to slam Cepeda for rudely ignoring him at a restaurant years prior. Baseball great Joe Garagiola resigned from the show after tiring of Carson’s frequent partisan shots against figures in the sport world.
Size also mattered when it came to raising Johnny’s ire. Carson callously joked that portly actor Raymond Burr had “more nooks and crannies than a English muffin.” After weathering successive fat jokes, Burr refused additional bookings. Crooner Wayne Newton’s girth also served as an irresistible punchline until an on-air confrontation where Newton reiterated how much Johnny disliked overweight entertainers.
For all his backstage volatility, Carson maintained a vice grip on viewers by burnishing a calculated on-air image. New Yorker editor Tad Friend noted how “Johnny sold America a fake version of himself – the idea that anybody chatting amiably before he goes to bed must be nice to his family.” In reality, first wife Jody Wolfe and Joanne Copeland lambasted Carson’s emotional frigidity and chronic reluctance to bond with loved ones.
Cavett Contrast Highlights Carson Impact
To appreciate Carson’s singular impact on pop culture, one must consider his approach against predecessors like Dick Cavett. Though Cavett won praise for his cerebral style, his tendency for extended political and cultural discourse with a single guest lacked Carson’s variety and risk-taking. Johnny earned superior ratings by largely avoiding political issues and controversies during his monologues. He intuitively understood viewers sought escapist fare over partisan battles or policy matters.
This market share mindset prompted innovations that became late night staples – like Carnac The Magnificent’s sealed envelopes containing humorous questions. Johnny also regularly incorporated characters like bumbling Aunt Blabby and lecherous Floyd Turbo to offset his clean-cut Midwestern image. Such antics made Carson far more relatable, subversive and spontaneous than Cavett’s high-mindedness allowed.
In antiquity, Johnny Carson enters the late night pantheon on the Mt. Rushmore shortlist alongside Dick Cavett and Jack Paar. Yet among influential hosts like Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Steve Allen, Carson scored the longest tenure and delivered a peerless brand of droll humor reflecting America’s tastes and trends for over 30 years.
For all his demons, Johnny achieved professional nirvana as host of TV’s most prestigious platform. Off-camera he licked addictive habits, navigated a series of failed marriages, battled depression and drifted apart from his family. That portrait of CarsonSYN reveals profound contrasts between public brilliance and private turmoil.