Like every comedian who's taken over The Tonight Show, Jay Leno left his own indelible imprint on the long-running TV series throughout his tenure as host.
Overseeing production of the iconic NBC series for a combined 21 years, Leno ensured The Tonight Show's successful survival after Johnny Carson's 1992 retirement after a whopping 30 years on the air.
Though he of course enjoyed great success as The Tonight Show's host, it's interesting to note that, originally, Leno was banned from appearing on the popular late night program, mainly due to Carson's personal indifference to Leno's comedic style.
According to Mark Malkoff's Love Johnny Carson, Leno had repeatedly tried to secure a place as a stand-up comic on Carson's iteration of The Tonight Show. After receiving some positive tips from Carson himself, Leno managed to fine-tune his on-stage delivery, prompting The Tonight Show to book Leno for an appearance in March 1977.
Initially, Leno's successful debut on The Tonight Show led to significantly positive results, with Carson delivering a rare handshake to the young comedian whilst commenting to the audience, "Jay Leno is his name. We're going to have him back."
True to his word, Carson invited Leno to perform on The Tonight Show four more times. Upon his fifth appearance on the program, however, Leno's set earned a lukewarm reaction from the audience in attendance, leading The Tonight Show to permanently drop Leno from any future appearances on the show.
"Johnny just doesn't like him," producer Peter Lassally reportedly told Tonight Show talent scout Jim McCawley, explaining Leno's lengthy ban from the show. "He doesn't like his jokes. That's not going to change... Once he doesn't like someone, he doesn't start liking them later."
Eight years later, with Leno's growing success as a comedian, the staff of The Tonight Show reevaluated Leno's ban, ultimately deciding to invite the comedian back as a guest in 1986, as well as a recurring guest host throughout the remainder of the decade.
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