Conan O’Brien praises ‘Tonight Show’ alum
Conan O’Brien, the newly installed proprietor of “The Tonight Show” that Johnny Carson reigned over for nearly 30 years, paid tribute to the former host’s sidekick during the opening of Tuesday’s broadcast.
“As you’ve probably all heard, Ed McMahon passed away last night, and this is obviously a very sad day,” O’Brien said to the studio audience. “It is impossible, I think, for anyone to imagine ‘The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson’ without Ed McMahon. Ed’s laugh was really the soundtrack to that show.
“For 30 years, Ed played his part perfectly, he played it with effortless joy, and sitting alongside Johnny, Ed was an indelible part of what I think is the most iconic two-shot in broadcasting history. There will never be anything like that again.”
He then introduced vintage clips of Carson and McMahon performing together on “The Tonight Show,” plus a clip of McMahon appearing on O’Brien’s former series, “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.”
O’Brien took over the renowned NBC late-night franchise three weeks ago, succeeding Jay Leno, who inherited the late-night show when Carson ended his three-decade run in 1992.
--
