Carson was introduced in this fashion each evening before launching into his characteristic banter (often with cohost Ed McMahon) and skits. Carson also brought in the guest couch and studio band that have remained staples of the show to this day. His lively cast of characters (played by Carson himself) included Carnac the Magnificent and Aunt Blabby and cemented his reputation as a talented performer and entertainer.

Steve Allen, the first host of The Tonight Show, was often called the “father of late-night television.” That was a designation that he disagreed with—to be clear. Allen, who hosted from 1954 to 1957, drily asserts in his essay for Britannica, “I invented neither nighttime and lateness nor TV comedy.” His assignment to The Tonight Show was by chance—the network’s initial choice, Don “Creesh” Hornsby, contracted polio and died shortly after he was due to audition.

After a very brief (seven months) stint on the show in 2009–10, comedian Conan O’Brien stepped back from hosting The Tonight Show to let his predecessor, Jay Leno, return to the desk. O’Brien wasn’t exactly well received by The Tonight Show audiences. In fact, he confided in a 2025 interview that he has never watched his final monologue on the show.