Entertainment
Byron Allen convinced Johnny Carson to let him strike Tonight Show set weekly
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Byron Allen Got Johnny Carson to Do the Unthinkable
"They go to him and they say, 'They want to strike your set.' He's like, 'You're out of your mind. Don't touch my set. Don't even think about it.' And they said, 'Oh, by the way, the request came from Byron Allen.' He said, 'Oh.' He goes, 'Let the kid strike my set.'"
Byron Allen revealed that Johnny Carson personally approved his unprecedented request to dismantle the Tonight Show set every week so Allen could tape his own show in Carson's studio on Sundays. NBC executives initially refused, saying Carson would never allow it, but when they mentioned Allen's name specifically, Carson immediately agreed. Allen strategically built a relationship with Carson over years by greeting him in the parking lot since age 14.
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