# What ever happened to Johnnie Carson? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2000, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091 "2000-12-24T16:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cheezit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@cheezit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheezit)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/1 "2000-12-24T16:21:50Z")
I saw an advertisement on T.V. a while ago where they were selling tapes of the old Tonight Show. It reminded me that I haven’t heard anything of Johnnie Carson in a long while. Is he dead? Or is he just quietly retired, out of the public eye? I think he should “guest host” the Tonight Show once in awhile so that Leno character could see just what funny is. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/2 "2000-12-24T16:44:19Z")
He’s very quietly retired. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/3 "2000-12-24T18:04:57Z")
From my _Dictionary of Outrageous Quotations_, not an entirely accurate source… > [@](#): > > “It means that you have, as performers will call it, “fuck you” money …All that means is that I don’t have to do what I don’t want to do.” -Johnny Carson He said this before he retired, but it would probably be fair to assume that he wouldn’t guest host The Show unless he really wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/4 "2000-12-24T18:45:13Z")
He did make that appearance on The Late Show, in fact, I think he even sat at Dave’s desk. There was talk of Johnny guest hosting The Late Show as a way of sticking it to NBC for going with Leno, who he didn’t want to be his successor. ---
**Author:** ![jaimest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/48db29/32.png) [@jaimest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaimest)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/5 "2000-12-24T18:49:37Z")
I sort of took Johnny for granted when he was still on the air. But when I see the clips from those tapes the sell late at night, I now appreciate him a hell of a lot more…compared to a lot of what now passes as TV “comedy” on SNL, Leno, Kilbourn, etc. I think he still does some executive producing, and is still a big shot in show business. He was ill for a while, but last I’ve seen of him (not in person unfortunately, just on E!, Entertainment Tonight and such) he is in good health. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/6 "2000-12-24T19:12:55Z")
If I remember correctly, Carson **did** come on Letterman’s show, but refused to bite when Dave invited him to sit behind his desk. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/7 "2000-12-24T20:50:18Z")
I think he sat at the desk and just smiled. I remember him having a look on his face like he was deciding whether to say anything. ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2000, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-johnnie-carson/47091/8 "2000-12-24T21:01:49Z")
Readers of _The New Yorker_ this year have enjoyed the very occasional brief comic piece by Mr. Carson. I believe there’s one of his pieces in the issue that’s on newsstands right now.