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3 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Your Favorite Talk Show Hosts

We love, them we've watched them, and we relate to the stories they've told for years. They’ve all brought tears of laughter and maybe even some of heart ache as they've interviewed guests of all kinds. So in honor of #NationalTVTalkShowHostDay here are 3 little known facts about your favorite TV Talk Show Hosts, both past and present.

Johnny Carson

First and foremost, today would have been Johnny Carson’s  93^rd birthday! He was born on October 23^rd, 1925 and lived a eventful and fulfilled life until he passed away on January 23^rd, 2005. Happy Birthday, Johnny!

2. Does the name “The Great Carsoni” ring a bell? Probably not, but before he started his career as the host of The Tonight Show, he got his start in show business as a magician while he was still serving in the Navy

            *In fact, one of highlights of that time was assisting Orson Welles by letting Welles saw him in HALF!

3. Have you ever played the game Twister? You have Johnny to thank for that. In 1966 Carson and guest Eva Gabor played a round on the show which gave it a HUGE boost in sales.

Oprah

1. Her given birth name is “Orpah”, after a woman in the Bible, but people kept pronouncing it wrong and eventually “Oprah” just stuck.
2. She was an Anchor for Nashville’s WLAC-TV when she was just 19 years old making her the youngest person to ever hold the position
3. In 2013 Oprah was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian honor)

David Letterman

1. Even though he filled in for his idol, Johnny Carson, 51 times, he ended up losing the audition to Jay Leno as the new Tonight Show host in 1992
2. He never wore the same tie twice on the show
3. No show was complete without him tossing his pencil, but as a safety precaution, the pencil always had an eraser at both ends

Ellen

1. As any celebrity will tell you, fame doesn't just happen over night. While working to become a comedian, Ellen did a short stint as an Oyster Shucker in New Orleans
2. She and Madonna are actually 11^th cousins! (it’s a stretch, but still cool!)
3. Ellen was the first ever woman to get invited to “the couch” after she performed a stand-up routine on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson

Jimmy Fallon

1. Even in Jr. High he was known for his wit. In fact, his one of his year books his teach wrote he was "Probably going to take over for David Letterman one day”!
2. His answer to the age old question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”: A Priest.
3. When given the chance to date Nicole Kidman, he basically ignored her and turned on a video game when she went to his house to hang out for the first time.