New Book Reveals Johnny Carson's Least Favorite 'Tonight Show' Guest: Bob Hope

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: NBC/Getty

Viewers ofThe Tonight Showduring the 1970s and ’80s might have assumed thatBob Hopewas one ofJohnny Carson’s favorite guests.

No one appeared on the show more often than the comedy legend, and his guest appearances clung to a familiar, almost comical ritual. He would walk out to the strains of his theme song, “Thanks for the Memory” — sometimes unannounced, supposedly a “surprise” guest.

After some banter with Johnny, sprinkled with Hope’s obviously prepared gag lines, he would introduce a reel of taped highlights from his upcoming special. Then he would scoot away, always with somewhere urgent to go.

One of those who grew tired of the routine was Johnny Carson.

But Carson never warmed to Hope, either personally or professionally. TheTonight Showhost would often mimic and pay homage to the classic comedians he adored — Jack Benny, Groucho Marx, George Burns. He almost never referenced Hope.

“Johnny admired Hope’s place in show business,” saidTonight Showproducer Peter Lassally, “but he was not a great admirer of his work.”

The coolness between them was in part a reflection of their rivalry. Carson was the only star at NBC who could challenge Hope for clout at the network. Yet Hope, a prime-time powerhouse for NBC since 1950, was still king, and Carson had to defer.

Carson resented the way Hope could virtually book himself onThe Tonight Showwhenever he had something to promote, which seemed to be all the time.

“We’d get a request,” said Lassally, “and Johnny would go, ‘Again?’ And I’d say, ‘Do you want to tell him no?’ And he’d say, ‘No. You can’t turn down Bob Hope.’ "

Hope would bring in highlight reels from his specials that went on interminably. “We’d say, give us two minutes,” said Jeff Sotzing, Carson’s nephew and aTonight Showproducer. “He’d bring in five minutes, cut together with a rusty knife. That was frustrating.”

Once, after a Carson monologue that went over particularly well, Hope asked during a commercial break if he could use some of the laughter on his upcoming special. Flabbergasted, Carson said OK; later, on Hope’s special, Johnny claimed he could hear Ed McMahon laughing at Bob’s jokes.

Worst of all, from Carson’s point of view, Hope was not a good guest.

He came armed with scripted jokes and rarely would engage in any genuine conversation.

“There was nothing spontaneous about Hope,” said Andrew Nicholls, Carson’s former co-head writer. “He was a guy who relied on his writers for every topic. Johnny was very quick on his feet. Very well read. He was a guy who learned Swahili, learned Russian, learned astronomy. He appreciated people who he felt engaged with the real world. There was nothing to talk to Bob about.”

“If I ever end up like that, guys,” Carson said to his writer, “I want you to shoot me.”

Despite his frustrations with Hope, Johnny didn’t want the master to be embarrassed.

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source: people.com