23. His Son Rick Carson
With Carson’s first wife, Jody Wolcott, he fathered three sons. He never had any more kids after that. One of his boys, Rick Carson, developed some mental challenges. The subject rarely came up, partly because it was an undiscussed subject back then, but also because Carson avoided it. In fact, he eventually refused to see his son after Rick entered a mental hospital. Johnny finally talked about Rick in 1991 when Rick drove off a cliff near Morro Bay, California. His son plunged 125 feet to his death. There was more going on with Rick than his mental instability. Like his old man, he also had a drinking problem.
22. All the Drinking
Both Rick and Johnny were deep into their cups in October 1987 at the 25th-anniversary party for The Tonight Show. The party, thrown by NBC, was on the Queen Mary, a retired cruise liner which docks permanently in Long Beach, California. As the story goes, Rick became very drunk and messy. Johnny went to check on him, which led to a shouting match between the two. The ensuing fight unfolded in front of the guests, which included top brass from NBC. The fight escalated to the point where Johnny even drew back a fist to strike Rick. Someone stopped him from swinging, but everyone saw the scuffle.
21. That DUI in ’82
Once in 1982, a police officer pulled Carson over driving his DeLorean erratically. He was completely under the influence, forcing the cop to charge him with a DUI. The judge took no pity on the entertainer. For three years Carson was on probation for his crime. He had to stuff his pride and attend a program for drunk driving rehabilitation. Like any working stiff who gets caught drinking and driving, Johnny could only drive to work for a period of time, and he couldn’t transport others in his vehicle.