The legendary host of The Tonight Show spent three decades mastering the art of live television, but even Johnny Carson could not control the chaos that stumbled through his famous curtain. From Oscar winners tossing his carefully prepared note cards like confetti to Pulitzer Prize authors slurring through incoherent monologues, a new retrospective of archival footage reveals the ten most volatile and intoxicated guests who ever tested Carson’s legendary composure on national air.
The stories, culled from behind-the-scenes accounts and the show’s own videotape library, paint a portrait of a host who was part ringmaster, part crisis negotiator. While Carson was renowned for his quick wit and unflappable demeanor, these particular episodes pushed him to the brink, forcing early commercial breaks, frantic producer huddles, and, in at least one case, a lifetime ban from the program. The list includes Hollywood royalty, literary giants, and character actors, all united by a common thread: they showed up to the world’s most important talk show visibly, and often dangerously, intoxicated.
At the top of the list is the iconic crooner Dean Martin, whose relaxed, boozy persona was part of his charm. However, his appearances on Carson’s show often crossed the line from performance to reality. Martin would stumble over setups, slur his punchlines, and greet Johnny as if they were strangers despite years of friendship.
He frequently mixed up movie titles, blanked on the projects he was promoting, and would stop talking mid-thought, leaving Carson to fill the dead air. Producers learned to pad the schedule whenever Martin was booked, knowing his segments could collapse into awkward pauses or force a sudden cut to commercial at any moment.
Perhaps the most shocking entry on the list is Ed McMahon, Carson’s dependable sidekick and right-hand man. McMahon was the anchor of the show, the steady voice that introduced the host every night. But on one infamous evening, McMahon appeared noticeably drunk during an introduction for San Diego Zoo’s Joan Embry.
He became obsessed with the number of years Embry had been appearing on the show, arguing with Carson about whether it was seven, eight, or nine years. He drifted into slurred stories about baby lions that connected to nothing, and kept interrupting the segment, forcing Carson to step in and rescue the interview by bringing Embry out early.
The list also includes the literary giant Truman Capote, whose 1980 appearance is described as one of the most uncomfortable moments in the show’s history. Capote arrived so intoxicated he could barely walk to the guest chair, gripping Carson’s desk for support. He slurred nearly every word, launching into strange, nonsensical stories about parties and dogs.
At one point, he asked Ed McMahon if he could sit in his lap, and later missed his mouth entirely while trying to drink a glass of water, spilling it down his shirt without reacting. The segment was cut short after seven minutes, and Capote was never invited back.
Shelley Winters’ 1974 appearance was a masterclass in on-air chaos. She interrupted Carson non-stop, talked over every other guest, and notoriously snatched Johnny’s note cards from the desk, tossing them behind her like trash. She roasted a young actor promoting his first major film, calling his performance wooden and boring, leaving the poor man frozen in his seat.
The audience gasped as the cards flew, and Carson sat speechless. NBC executives were so furious they blacklisted Winters for nearly three years, only allowing her return after she agreed to appear sober and treat other guests with respect.
The legendary Orson Welles brought a different kind of intoxication to the stage in 1975. After reportedly consuming multiple bottles of wine in his dressing room, Welles walked out tipsy but somehow brilliant. He launched into a 14-minute monologue that veered from a Shakespeare breakdown to career stories to a random tale about a Hungarian director.
At one point, he forgot the actual text of Hamlet and invented his own lines, delivering them with such confidence that the audience didn’t know whether to clap or be confused. Carson sat drained, shooting the camera a look of total surrender, unable to get a word in edgewise.
The volatile actor Oliver Reed never even made it to the stage. Reed was booked for a 1973 appearance, but Carson canceled it after viewing footage of Reed’s other talk show disasters, which included threatening to drop his pants, insulting hosts, and demanding alcohol on air. Carson decided he wasn’t willing to gamble on Reed, and the actor never appeared on the show during Carson’s entire 30-year run.
Reed later mocked Carson publicly, calling him scared and uptight, but Carson’s decision stood firm.
Peter O’Toole’s 1978 appearance was a rollercoaster of brilliance and rambling. He arrived after a heavy afternoon of drinking, ignoring questions about Lawrence of Arabia to launch into a lecture on acting techniques that was sharp and insightful, only to drift into confusing rambling. He grabbed Carson’s pen and turned it into a fencing foil, giving Johnny an impromptu fencing lesson on air, before rolling into wild drinking stories about Richard Harris that probably weren’t meant for national television.
Foster Brooks built his career on playing a lovable drunk, but on at least two occasions, the line between acting and reality blurred. Brooks would have a drink or two before going on stage to get into character, but sometimes he went too far. He would slip out of character mid-bit, losing track of his routine, and Carson had to jump into rescue mode, turning the awkwardness into comedy without ever embarrassing the guest.
Robert Blake’s appearances were described as electric but terrifying. Fueled by liquid courage, Blake would go confrontational, interrupting Carson non-stop and ignoring attempts to promote his movie. He launched into rants about Hollywood phoniness, stood up mid-interview to demonstrate stories, and paced across topics with jittery, unfocused energy.
The tension in the room was palpable, and backstage, producers froze, unsure if they should cut to commercial. After one particularly volatile episode, Carson implemented a strict policy: Blake had to be sober before confirming any booking, and if there was any hint he had been drinking, the show would pass.
These stories, now resurfacing in a detailed retrospective, highlight the fragile thrill of live television. Carson spent 30 years managing guests with a mix of humor, quick thinking, and careful strategy. Some he handled with charm, some he cut short with a commercial break, and some he simply refused to book ever again.
But each of these moments serves as a reminder of the high-wire act that was the Tonight Show, where a host could never be sure if the next guest walking through the curtain would be a legend, a train wreck, or both.
