
Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson were bitter rivals who fought over celebrity guests for years
Fox News
Talk show hosts Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson evolved from bitter rivals fighting over celebrity guests in the 1960s to close friends by the 1980s, author Steve Randisi reveals.
"What happened was they were working for the same company, and they on the same network...they were using the same studio, but there was this competition for getting the big-name guests." Lori Bashian is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
"It began, believe it or not, in 1962, when they were both starting their respective talk show careers on NBC," Randisi explained. "What happened was they were working for the same company, and they were on the same network...they were using the same studio, but there was this competition for getting the big-name guests."
At the time, Carson had just began his tenure as the host of "The Tonight Show," taking over after Jack Paar's departure, and Griffin was hosting "The Merv Griffin Show."













