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Talk Is Jericho

Heeeeeeeeres Johnny! Behind The Scenes Of Carson’s Tonight Show

Talk Is Jericho

Chris Jericho

Tv & Film, Sports, Wrestling

4.89.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Author Mark Malkoff pulls back the curtain on his new book Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend — and the wild, never-before-told stories of TV’s ultimate host! Hear how Frank Sinatra saved Johnny from a mob hit, why Joan Rivers’ secret betrayal ended their friendship forever, what Ellen DeGeneres did to allegedly get banned from the show, and the role Carson played in the launch of Saturday Night Live. Mark also reveals Robin Williams’ unfiltered chaos backstage, Rodney Dangerfield’s long road from being banned to beloved, and how Johnny made careers for stars like Burt Reynolds, Drew Carey and Jerry Seinfeld. Plus, stories about the everyday people who appeared on the show, Johnny’s great chemistry with kids, and why animal trainers Joan Embery from the San Diego Zoo and Wild Kingdom’s Jim Fowler and their non-human friends were constant fixtures! Purchase Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714761/love-johnny-carson-by-mark-malkoff-with-david-ritz/ 📸Instagram: @markmalkoff Talk Is Jericho is available on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/ChrisJerichoFozzy 👍 Don’t forget to Like, Subscribe, and hit the 🔔 to stay updated on new episodes!   More from Talk Is Jericho: 📸 Instagram: @chrisjerichofozzy | @talkisjericho 🐦 Twitter/X: @IAmJericho | @TalkIsJericho 🌐 Website: https://www.webisjericho.com/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Talk is Jericho, baby. Talk is Jericho.

0:07.0

Talk is Jericho.

0:10.0

Mama, talk is me.

0:13.0

All right. So Mark Malikoff is the author and the book is Love Johnny Carson.

0:19.0

We organized this chat today very quickly so I didn't get a chance to read the whole book,

0:24.7

but I've been kind of scrolling through and picking certain chapters and stories.

0:28.4

It is a great book.

0:30.6

If you're a Carson fan, if you're a pop culture fan, and it kind of reminds me and all of us just how huge, not just Johnny Carson was, but how huge the Johnny Carson show was in both stature and influence.

0:46.0

It's true. It's unbelievable the amount of people that got famous through Carson and just the amount of people who will say like Jerry Seinfeld to this day

0:56.0

that it was the most important, the biggest moment of his career.

0:59.7

You would think, you know, getting Seinfeld and getting his own sitcom, but it's always

1:03.2

Carson.

1:03.7

It comes back to Carson.

1:04.6

Yeah, and not just Seinfeld, but so many great comedians we'll discuss.

1:09.2

But just to start off with your side of things, how did you

1:13.8

start writing this book and what made you become such an officiantado of Johnny Carson?

1:19.4

I did a podcast for eight years where I interviewed almost 400 people and it was all curiosity,

1:26.0

all about Carson, everybody that was on the show, even the guy who helped the curtain open for Johnny. Because it was all curiosity, all about curse, and everybody that was on the show, even the guy who

1:29.3

held the curtain open for Johnny. Because when I was a kid, I, you know, my dad got me into comedy

1:34.8

when I was really young age. And I think it was like an anniversary show maybe when I was five or six.

1:40.1

And, you know, it was so much fun. I was like Bert Reynolds was shaving cream. Then Johnny would be with animals.

1:45.1

And the guy was so likable.

...

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