Bob Costas Recalled How a ‘Good 5 Minutes’ With Johnny Carson Was a ‘Lift of Adrenaline’
Making Johnny Carson laugh was a rush for iconic sportscaster Bob Costas, who said getting his wish for a “good five minutes” with the beloved host of The Tonight Show was enough to get a “lift of adrenaline” he can still vividly recall.
Costas shared some insight into their relationship, which began with late-show compliments and a friendly note. He also discussed “part of the genius” that earned Carson the crown as the timeless “king” of late-night television, in many opinions.
Bob Costas received a meaningful compliment about his late-night show from Johnny Carson
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Costas hosted a late-night show on NBC called Later with Bob Costas, following Late Night with David Letterman and The Tonight Show. And on a recent episode of The Friars Club podcast, host Joe Sibilia asked Costas if he had ever gotten word of what Carson had to say about his program.
Costas disclosed he had a cordial relationship with Carson that began with compliments between late-night hosts. He heard Carson talking positively about his work on Later to comedian Jerry Seinfeld on The Tonight Show, so he sent him a thank you note.
In his message, he mentioned that Carson’s praise was as meaningful as some he’d received from baseball star Joe DiMaggio. “[He] once told me that he thought I was a good baseball announcer, and now you apparently think that I’m doing a good job at 1:30 in the morning,” he recalled writing.
Costas shared that he put those interactions, “a compliment about baseball from Joe DiMaggio [and] a compliment about a talk show from Johnny Carson,” on a level with each other.
Bob Costas explained some of Johnny Carson’s genius was in the way he treated the guests
Costas told Sibilia he later crossed paths with The Tonight Show host, who he recalled was “standing off to the side” while surrounded by celebrities. He noted that, even in that company, Carson “wasn’t really that much of a social guy,” adding to reports of the beloved host’s shyness.
However, after Costas “worked up the nerve” to say hello, Carson kindly told him, “Bob, thank you for the note. That was classy.”
Eventually, Costas was invited as a guest on The Tonight Show, and he recalled that “every time” he looked back at Carson during his interview, he was met with direct eye contact. “I realized that was part of his genius,” he noted.
“If I was among the 5000 most interesting people he had ever had sit in that seat, I would be doing well,” he added. “But in that moment, to him, or at least what he wanted to project to me and the audience, I was a very interesting guy.”
Costas remembered telling a story that made Carson throw his head back in laughter. “And now, you’re getting this ‘lift’ of adrenaline. ‘Oh my gosh. I’m making Johnny Carson laugh,” he shared, noting he might not have had the material for much more than a “good five minutes” with the host, but “it worked that night.”
How Bob Costas got his wish to be on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’ before the end of its run
Costas said before he received his invite, he wished to be on The Tonight Show before the end of Carson’s run, which came in May 1992. When producer Fred De Cordova and Carson’s sidekick, Ed McMahon, visited Later, Costas remarked, “If only once I could be on with Johnny Carson …”
De Cordova told Costas he would make it happen, and he did. He was on the show the month before Carson retired. “No matter how good anybody is today …,” he offered, adding there’s still great talent on late-night TV, “… Johnny Carson was the king.”
