Joan Rivers returns to ‘Tonight Show’ after decades-long ban by Johnny Carson
The comedienne’s Monday night appearance marked exactly 49 years to the day since she first appeared on Johnny Carson’s ‘Tonight Show’ in 1965.
BY CHIDERAH MONDE / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014, 9:22 AM
PAUL ZIMMERMAN/WIREIMAGE
Joan Rivers appeared on Fallon’s ‘Tonight’ Monday night, exactly 49 years from the first time she appeared on Johnny Carson’s ‘Tonight’, on Feb. 17, 1965.
Joan Rivers made a quick cameo on Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" on Monday, in a parade of the new host's celebrity friends.
But Rivers' seconds-long appearance during Fallon's opening skit also marked the first time the comedienne had been on the "Tonight Show" in nearly 30 years.
THEO WARGO/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE TONIGHT SHOW
Rivers joked ‘It’s about time!’ Telling Variety she’s had a taxi running in front of NBC’s studios since 1987.
Rivers, 80, was reportedly banned from "Tonight" by longtime host Johnny Carson in 1986, after she abandoned her position as permanent guest host of his NBC show to lead a competing program on Fox, according to Variety.
NBC/LLOYD BISHOP/NBC
Joan Rivers’ return to ‘Tonight Show’ on Monday marked the first time she’d been on the show in nearly 30 years.
She became Carson's direct competitor with the short-lived Fox gig — dubbed "The Late Show starring Joan Rivers."
Carson saw her move as as betrayal, claiming he never found out about the new show from Rivers — and reportedly never spoke to her again after that. The legendary late-night host died in 2005.
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON VIA YOUTUBE
Rivers appeared in a skit with several of Jimmy Fallon’s celebrity friends.
Rivers also never appeared on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show,” which ran from 1992 until earlier this month.
NBC/NBC VIA GETTY IMAGES
Rivers (left) revealed that Johnny Carson never spoke to her again after she left to host her own Fox late-night show in 1986.
Coincidentally, Rivers first appeared on Carson’s "Tonight" on Feb. 17, 1965, exactly 49 years to the day from her Monday night return to honor the new host.
"It's about time!" she joked to Variety, about her banishment. "I've been sitting in a taxi outside NBC with the meter running since 1987."
NBC/NBC VIA GETTY IMAGES
Joan Rivers was a permanent guest host on Carson’s show — until she left to become his competitor in 1986.
In an apparent move to make amends with the show, Rivers had only kind words for Fallon’s new beginning.
NBC/NBC VIA GETTY IMAGES
Joan Rivers (left) during an interview with ‘Tonight’ host Johnny Carson on Apr. 25, 1986.
"It was a double thrill for me to help welcome Jimmy on his first night," she told the magazine.
"The program brought me great luck and I know it well do the same for him. He's the consummate entertainer whose reign as host, I predict, will surpass any of his predecessors."
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