18. Joanne’s Affair
The demise of that marriage wasn’t all on Johnny. As revealed by a book released in 2013, Johnny Carson by Carson’s former lawyer Henry Bushkin, Copeland had an affair. It was with Frank Gifford, the same one who later married Kathy Lee Gifford. According to Bushkin, a sobbing and broken Carson asked him to go find proof of the affair where they’d been shacking up. Bushkin noted that Carson had a revolver on him at the time, but didn’t ask why. After Bushkin confirmed the suspicions, Carson and his pal Ed went on a drinking bender. Frank Gifford played stupid about the affair, essentially denying it until the end of his life.
17. Bob Hope: Carson’s Worst Guest
In the 1980s, there were two standout funny guys in Hollywood, Johnny Carson, and Bob Hope. There were plenty of other funnymen and women, but those were the two top-billed comics. That was where the similarities ended. Whereas Carson was an off-the-cuff entertainer, genuine, and spontaneous, Hope was only ever scripted. Bob Hope told rehearsed jokes. “There was nothing spontaneous about Hope,” said Andrew Nicholls, one of The Tonight Show’s writers. “He was a guy who relied on his writers for every topic. Johnny was very quick on his feet. Very well read. He was a guy who learned Swahili, learned Russian, learned astronomy. He appreciated people who he felt engaged with the real world. There was nothing to talk to Bob about.” Still, Carson was stuck with Hope.