As host of The Tonight Show for 30 years, Johnny Carson set the standard for late-night TV comedians. His successor, Jay Leno, benefitted more than anyone else thanks to some key career advice from The King of Late Night.
Leno took over Carson's job in 1992. He'd already made a name for himself as a stand-up and made multiple appearances on Carson's Tonight Show as a guest and guest host. Whether or not Carson truly wanted Leno as his success over David Letterman depends on who you ask. But Leno doesn't deny Carson as his comedy mentor.
In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Leno recalled the career-changing advice he received from Carson while working as a comedian in Los Angeles. "One day he said, 'Look, you're a funny guy but your jokes are a little weak," Leno recalled.
Carson suggested Leno take a new approach to preparing his material, telling the future Tonight Show host to write out his jokes on a card. "Read it as flatly and boring as you possibly can," Carson told him. "If it gets a laugh, then you know you got a funny joke."
From there, Leno could apply a character or funny voice to the material. Carson explained that doing so meant the joke worked on two fronts: physically and verbally. "That was the best advice I ever got from Johnny," Leno admitted.
Jay Leno doesn't use Johnny Carson's advice anymore
It's been over 30 years since Johnny Carson called out Jay Leno's weak jokes and offered some tips. Now, Leno no longer uses the technique.
Leno, 75, told Graham Bensinger he performs between 175 and 200 stand-up gigs a year. The comedian said he kept that kind of schedule knowing that his TV job wasn't guaranteed to last.
He went on to say he doesn't write anything down due to his dyslexia. As a result, the comedian is always carrying hours of matieral in his head.
"I don't really write anything," Leno said. "I think if it's funny, I remember it." It's a stark contrast from the advice Carson gave Leno near the onset of his career. The comedian did not acknowledge the contradiction during his chat with Bensinger.
Regardless of whether Leno followed Carson's suggestion exactly or not doesn't really matter. The end result is the same: Jay Leno is one of the most popular comedians of all-time and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.