Late-night TV is no easy gig, and no one knew that better than Johnny Carson. The Tonight Show host once dished out some tough love to a failed late-night TV host.
Carson didn't have to worry much about competition during the 30 years he hosted The Tonight Show. And if someone did try to launch their own show, they got iced out by Carson (like Joan Rivers).
But Carson's success encouraged more networks to try their hand at late-night TV. Everyone from Jay Leno to Jimmy Kimmel owes what they do to Carson. Even the hosts that failed got their opportunity because of the trail blazed by Carson.
One of those failed late-night TV hosts was Chevy Chase. Fox gave the Saturday Night Live legend his own show in 1993, but canned him after just six weeks on the air. Poor ratings and harsh reviews made The Chevy Chase Show a disaster and one of the worst late-night shows in TV history.
In a 1993 interview with the Washington Post, Carson revealed Chase didn't ask him for advice despite the two being poker buddies for years. But if the SNL vet had gone to Carson for help, he had a response ready.
"I would have to say ... 'Chevy, you didn't look very comfortable doing this kind of a show," Carson said. He also argued it was a "much tougher job" than Chase thought it would be.
Carson went on to suggest Chase thought he could ride his recognition rather than put in the extensive work that goes into making a late-night TV show successful. The Tonight Show legend even teased Chase that four or five nights a week of work would be too much for him to handle.
Johnny Carson didn't think more late-night TV shows were good for business
Chase and Carson were friendly, with Carson saying he liked the actor. But Carson also had a realistic view of the late-night TV landscape in the early '90s.
"There cannot be four or five late-night shows on without somebody taking a bath," he told the newspaper. Of course, that's not the case today with at least 10 different late-night options available to audiences.
It's one thing to be a sketch comedy icon and a box office draw. It's a completely different animal to be a late-night TV host. Chevy Chase learned that lesson the hard way, but maybe he could have avoided the embarrassment if he'd ask for Johnny Carson's advice.