Relive the Past with Carson Tonight: Johnny’s 100th Birthday

October 21st, 2025

The direction that a life leads is often full of surprises, and for Pat Hazell, producer of Carson Tonight, one legendary late-night host inspired a career in entertainment and television. Johnny Carson, former host of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” that aired for 30 years, was a trailblazer known for his successful television and comedy career. In honor of Carson’s legacy, The Lied Center will be hosting Carson Tonight: Johnny’s 100th Birthday event October 23rd.  

“I learned from Johnny, you know, how to be a universal comedian,” Hazell said. “You know, to use specific stories from my life to reach a broader audience.” 

Carson, often referred to as the ‘King of Late-Night Television’, may have been born in Iowa, but at age 8, he moved to the small town of Norfolk. He went on to graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio and speech in 1949. In 1950, Carson began his career hosting a morning television program, “The Squirrel’s Nest”, at WOW-TV, now WOWT. He participated in several other shows before signing on to NBC’s “Tonight Show” following the departure of Jack Paar, debuting his first episode as the show’s host on October 1st, 1962.  

“I watched a lot of Carson growing up and it was my goal to get on the tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which I had the pleasure of doing in his final year,” Hazell said. 

After years of watching Carson on television, Hazell’s career in comedy led him to join Carson on the “Tonight Show” as a guest in 1989. In 2022, Hazell hosted the Carson Tonight: Johnny’s Comedy & Variety Acts Live! event in New York, in celebration for the debut of the National Comedy Center’s Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience exhibit. 

Carson Tonight: Johnny’s 100th Birthday will feature live performances from several guests that joined Carson throughout his show’s 30-year run. Featured guests include master magician Lance Burton, singer Marilyn Maye, variety acts Mike Caveney and Tina Lenert and comedians Wil Shriner and Carol Leifer. Although Hazell is both producing and hosting the event, prior guests from Carson’s show will be introduced by Carson one last time. 

The event will feature the full UNL Jazz Orchestra, playing original compositions from Carson’s show throughout the night. To complement the live performances, the event will showcase several clips from “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”.  

“And it feels like you’re at a taping of the original Tonight Show, because the energy and the music and all the highlight clips I’ve put together of Johnny, his funny monologue pieces, his funny stuff with animals, you know, just crazy mishaps,” Hazell said.

Carson Tonight: Johnny’s 100th Birthday begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the event, you can visit liedcenter.org.