The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today. The Tonight Show has been hosted by Steve Allen , Jack Paar , Johnny Carson , Jay Leno , and Conan O'Brien . Many "guest hosts" have also appeared, particularly during the Paar and Carson eras. The longest-serving host to date was Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 29 seasons, from the fall of 1962 through... the spring of 1992. The current host of the show is Jay Leno, who had previously hosted the show from 1992–2009, and began his current tenure on March 1, 2010. NBC's Broadway Open House, which began in 1950, first demonstrated the potential for late-night network programming. The format for The Tonight Show can be traced to a nightly 40 minute local New York show hosted by Allen, which premiered in 1953 on what is now WNBC-TV. Beginning in September 1954, it was renamed Tonight! and shown on the full NBC network.
more
| On the air: | September 27, 1954 |
| Network: | NBC |
| Writers: | Leonard B. Stern |