Given Johnny Carson's unparalleled popularity at the height of The Tonight Show's success, it's safe to assume it would take a truly memorable comedian to take over the icon's hosting duties.
Upon Carson's announcement that he would be stepping from hosting The Tonight Show, audiences across the globe wondered who network executives might have in mind to replace the charismatic presence of Carson on NBC's hit talk show.
Of course, while Jay Leno would ultimately be chosen at Carson's successor, another prominent '90s comedian was neck-and-neck with Leno as The Tonight Show's would-be late night host.
According to Mark Malkoff's new book Love Johnny Carson, the choice between Carson's Tonight Show replacement came down to Leno and influential stand-up comic Garry Shandling.
Earlier in The Tonight Show's run, both comedians had performed stand-up routines on Carson's program throughout the 1980s, as well as serving as well-regarded guest hosts for Carson on an intermittent basis.
As Carson began to seriously consider retirement by the late '80s, Tonight Show producer John Lassally looked to Shandling to take over as the show's permanent guest host.
At the time of the offer, however, Shandling had his hands full with writing and starring in Showtime's It's Garry Shandling's Show, leading him to turn down The Tonight Show.
As Malkoff writes in his book, "Lassally – who strongly preferred Shandling over Leno – said, 'Since [Shandling and I] were close friends, I said "That's not acceptable to me. All I'm asking you to do is six weeks a year." I desperately wanted him to do this so I wouldn't have to give it all to Jay Leno.'"
In the end, Leno wisely chose to lower his salary expectations for his role as permanent guest host, acknowledging that demands for his stand-up performances would skyrocket as a result. It also put the comedian one step closer to becoming The Tonight Show's regular host, which would come to fruition with Carson's official retirement in 1992.
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