People don't know this, but early in your career, you don't just glide on to The Tonight Show.
The man I adored, and miss him terribly, was Johnny Carson.
I cried when I heard Johnny Carson died.
When Joan Rivers walked through the curtain on 'The Tonight Show,' nobody in my house was allowed to utter a sound. Her gait was full of pep and purpose and her voice unmatched.
There was never a moment in George Carlin's career where he dipped below an A+. When he came out with the "Hippie Dippie Weatherman" on The Tonight Show, I mean, it seems so mundane now, but it was in black and white TV and the whole bit was that this guy smoked tons of grass and was a terrible weather man. "Forecast for tonight? Dark."
Over the weekend, of course, down there in Washington, D.C., they had the big White House Correspondents' Dinner. Do you know who was really funny? President Obama. So funny, in fact, he has already been promised 'The Tonight Show' in five years.
I think all of this—The Roots and DJing included—was meant to prepare me for The Tonight Show.
You've never had a job that you thought was secure. You don't think the Tonight Show is risk free. Especially when you saw what happened with your buddy Conan O'Brien. There is always a Plan B.I am ready to apply to the post office.
I had to find a way to get off the streets because it was too windy. So I started organizing variety shows of street performers. I would rent a hall, cafe or bar so I could put on a show. I did that for years before the 'Tonight Show With Johnny Carson' heard about this odd thing I did with bubbles.
My first appearance as a guest on The Tonight Show was in '81.
Johnny Carson was king of the kings, in my opinion.
Jay Leno's the only guy on earth who could have a bobble head made of him that would bobble less than his actual head.
The next step for me is not 'The Tonight Show.' That's a job for Jimmy Fallon. I'm way too divisive for a show like that.
I have to be honest with you: I'm a huge fan of Conan O'Brien.
I was watching Johnny Carson when I was way too young to be awake that late.
Steve Laurence is the only person that was on the first 'Tonight Show,' right to the end. He was a little high school boy, 14 years old.
I grew up watching 'The Tonight Show' and Jimmy Fallon on 'SNL.'
I don't have anything against Jimmy Fallon. I love Jimmy Fallon. He's my dude.
Getting the approval of Ric Flair is the wrestling world's version of Johnny Carson calling you over to the desk after you just crushed a standup set on 'The Tonight Show.'
