These are the unscripted surprises and laugh-out-loud moments that made Johnny Carson a late-night legend in the 1960s and 70s.
You never knew what was going to happen when Johnny Carson took the stage—and neither did he half the time! The 1960s and 70s were a golden era for The Tonight Show, packed with off-the-rails interviews, side-splitting gags, and moments so unexpected they left audiences in stitches.
Whether it was a celebrity cracking up, a prank gone wrong, or Johnny’s legendary wit stealing the show, these hilarious and unpredictable moments prove why he was the king of late-night television.
1. That time Johnny Carson lost it over a misbehaving animal.
If there was one thing The Tonight Show did best, it was letting unpredictable animals steal the spotlight. When a furry (or feathered) guest got a little too comfortable—or downright chaotic—Johnny’s reactions were pure comedy gold. Whether he was dodging a feisty bird, getting licked by an overenthusiastic dog, or cracking up at an uncooperative monkey, the audience couldn’t get enough. Carson’s ability to roll with the madness made these moments some of the show’s funniest.
2. When Dom DeLuise made Johnny laugh so hard he cried.
Dom DeLuise was a walking, talking, joke-spewing machine, and whenever he visited Johnny, things got hilariously out of control. One particularly unforgettable appearance had Johnny laughing so hard, he could barely breathe. Between Dom’s wild storytelling, infectious laugh, and physical comedy, Carson completely lost it—wiping away tears as he tried (and failed) to keep the show on track. It was the kind of genuine, unscripted magic that made The Tonight Show the gold standard of late-night comedy.
3. The infamous Ed Ames tomahawk throw gone terribly wrong.
Ed Ames came on the show to demonstrate his impressive tomahawk-throwing skills, and, well… let’s just say things didn’t go as planned. When he hurled the tomahawk at a wooden target shaped like a man, it landed right in the crotch. The audience erupted, Johnny’s comedic instincts kicked in, and what should have been a simple demonstration turned into one of the show’s longest, most uncontrollable laughs. Carson milked the moment with perfect one-liners, making it instant TV history.
4. When Johnny dressed up as Carnac the Magnificent and cracked himself up.
Carnac the Magnificent—Johnny’s turban-wearing, envelope-holding psychic character—was a fan favorite. But one night, he just couldn’t keep it together. As he delivered his usual “mystic” predictions, one joke hit so perfectly that even he lost it. He tried to power through, but the giggles kept coming, making it even funnier. The best part? The audience loved seeing him break character. There was something extra hilarious about a guy who told jokes for a living getting caught off guard by his own punchline.
5. That awkward moment when a guest refused to leave.
Some guests knew how to make an exit. Others… not so much. One particularly clueless celebrity (no names, but yikes) simply wouldn’t take the hint. After their segment ended, they stayed put, ignoring every cue to wrap up. Johnny, ever the gentleman, tried subtle hints, but when that didn’t work, he resorted to playful sarcasm and exaggerated glances at his watch. The whole thing became a drawn-out, painfully funny exercise in secondhand embarrassment that had the audience howling.
6. When Rodney Dangerfield took over the show with rapid-fire jokes.
Rodney Dangerfield didn’t just tell jokes—he machine-gunned them. Whenever he appeared, Johnny barely had time to breathe between punchlines. One legendary visit saw Rodney dropping one-liners so fast, Carson had to lean back in his chair, gasping for air between fits of laughter. The best part? Even when Johnny tried to regain control, Rodney kept going, steamrolling through joke after joke. By the end, the entire studio—host included—was in comedic exhaustion from sheer laughter overload.
7. That time a magician’s trick backfired in the funniest way possible.
A magician came on to perform a jaw-dropping illusion, but Johnny’s expression said it all—he wasn’t buying it. Sure enough, right when the magician went for the big reveal, poof—the trick totally flopped. Silence. Then Johnny, in peak deadpan form, delivered a single joke that sent the audience into hysterics. Whether it was a disappearing act that didn’t disappear or a sleight of hand gone wrong, Johnny’s quick wit turned a magic fail into late-night gold.
8. When Burt Reynolds and Johnny Carson had a shaving cream fight.
Sometimes a talk show turns into absolute mayhem, and Burt Reynolds helped make that happen. During one visit, what started as a playful back-and-forth escalated into a full-blown shaving cream battle. Johnny, never one to back down from chaos, grabbed a handful and returned fire. Before anyone knew it, the desk was a disaster, the audience was roaring, and late-night TV had yet another classic unscripted moment to add to the archives.
9. When Johnny’s monologue bombed, and he made it ten times funnier.
Not every joke landed, but Johnny had a special talent—turning flops into gold. When a monologue joke got crickets from the audience, he didn’t ignore it. He leaned in, mocking his own failure, riffing on the silence, and making fun of his writing team. Somehow, his ability to turn a bad moment into a hilarious one made the audience laugh harder than if the joke had actually worked. Only Carson could turn a bomb into a standing ovation.
10. When Jonathan Winters went completely off-script.
Jonathan Winters was an improv genius, and Johnny knew that letting him run wild was always a good idea. During one appearance, Winters veered so far off the rails, even Carson had no idea where things were going. He jumped into different characters, delivered absurd one-liners, and had Johnny doubled over in laughter. By the end, the audience wasn’t even sure what had happened—but they knew it was one of the funniest things they’d ever seen.
11. The time Johnny Carson pranked his audience with a fake news report.
Johnny loved messing with people, and one of his best pranks involved a totally deadpan fake news report. With complete seriousness, he delivered an outrageous (but somehow believable) story, only to reveal at the end that it was all a joke. The audience, stunned at first, burst into laughter when they realized they’d been had. It was a classic example of Carson’s ability to play with expectations and turn even the simplest setup into something hysterical.
12. When Don Rickles roasted Johnny to his face.
No one roasted quite like Don Rickles, and when he came on The Tonight Show, no one was safe—including Johnny. One of his best appearances involved a relentless, rapid-fire takedown of Carson himself. Johnny pretended to be outraged, but he couldn’t hide his laughter as Rickles mercilessly mocked everything from his hosting skills to his wardrobe. Watching Carson—normally the one in control—become the target of a comedic onslaught was pure late-night magic.
13. That time Johnny Carson walked off his own show in mock outrage.
When a guest said something so absurd, so unexpected, that even Johnny Carson had no comeback, there was only one thing to do—walk off the set. And he did, dramatically striding off-camera while the audience roared. Of course, it was all in good fun, and when he returned moments later, he had a perfect quip ready to keep the laughter going. It was one of those moments that proved why Carson was the undisputed king of late-night comedy.