Scandals From The Johnny Carson Show

Put Down The Bottle

Johnny Carson was an alcoholic, plain and simple. His worst qualities came out when Carson was drunk, and that was much of the time so many of the people he encountered remember him as a mean drunk.

In 1982, Carson was caught driving his DeLorean while under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge. Carson received a sentence of three years’ probation. As part of his probation, he was required to attend an alcohol program for drivers. He was permitted to use his car only to drive to work and back, and he could not transport any persons or animals in his vehicle.

Carson Spills All In 60 Minutes

Carson wasn’t in denial when it came to his addiction. He regularly avoided the media and press so he wouldn’t have to confront his issues or respond to questions, but he knew he had a problem. It changed his approach on his show and how he joked about addiction.

In a 1977 interview with 60 Minutes, Carson admitted there was a time when he used to drink, and he didn’t handle it well. “I don’t handle alcohol well at all, no. Really don’t,” said Carson. “Oh, Ed [McMahon] and I have had some wonderful times in the past.” Interesting ideology around alcoholism.

His more mean-spirited jokes about others didn’t go over so well, though. Guess which celeb called Carson “a mean-spirited human being” before boycotting his show?