Before he has his own show, David Letterman would occasionally act as a guest host for “The Tonight Show,” between 1978-1980. In 1982, Letterman would spread his wings on his own show, “Late Night with David Letterman.” Ironically enough, Letterman welcomed future “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno as a guest.
At the time, Leno was a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit, slowly transitioning to a number of minor roles in film and television. As Carson retired in 1992, fans were sure Letterman was next in line to take over “The Tonight Show,” yet lo and behold, the role when to Leno, who hosted until 2009!
Elvis Presley
The original host of "The Tonight Show," Steve Allen, returned to guest host the show in 1961. He welcomed "The King of Rock and Roll" to the segment. Recently released from his commitment to the military, Elvis Presley came on stage to perform his hit, "Hound Dog."
Elvis was excited to return to the stage and return to entertaining. Serving in the army forced Presley to take a break from the limelight, which ironically increased his popularity. His absence made fans excited when he returned, and he ultimately became bigger than ever before. But in this photo, we see peak Elvis.
Errol Flynn
As one of the biggest stars of the 1930s, Flynn was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. In the prime of his career, he was romantically linked with a number of female stars, including Carole Lombard, Lupe Valex, and Marlene Dietrich, to name a few.
The "The Adventures of Robin Hood" actor was no stranger to making promotional appearances on many popular late-night talk shows. This photo was taken when Steve Allen left "The Tonight Show," and Jack Paar was in the middle of his five-year tenure. During this time, a much more diverse range of stars would guest-appear on the show.
Emma Watson
The most awkward moment on late night television that Emma Watson ever experienced happened on Jimmy Fallon’s show back in 2012. She joined him at the desk and broke in with a compliment on the ‘Halloween candy thing.’
The Halloween candy thing is a skit performed by late-night show fans who taped their children’s reactions when it was explained to them their parents had eaten all their candy. It was very brutal and very funny; Leno dissed it for cruelty. But Watson apparently loved it. Unfortunately, Jimmy Kimmel’s show did that bit, and Watson was facing Jimmy Fallon, absolutely mortified.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman visited Jimmy Fallon on " The Tonight Show" in 2015. The last time they met was on a 2002 date. Yes, you read that correctly; Fallon was set up on a date with the A-lister bombshell. A mutual friend brought her over to Fallon’s place. Kidman and Tom Cruise were on the splits at the time. Fallon didn’t know that either.
He never knew it was an actual date. She explained that she wasn’t interested because he ignored her and played video games. Then she speculated that Fallon didn’t like women. Fully mortified, Jimmy briefly walked off his own show.