Celebrities

Johnny Carson Had a Secret Ban List — Here's Why Lola Falana Made It

Johnny Carson Had a Secret Ban List — Here's Why Lola Falana Made It
Image credit: Legion-Media

During the 1970s, Lola Falana was everywhere — singer, actress, dancer, and a staple of TV variety shows.

She was so successful that by the end of the decade, she'd earned the nickname "Queen of Las Vegas." So why did she suddenly vanish from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson?

Turns out, Falana didn't do anything wrong herself. She got banned because of who she was friends with: Wayne Newton.

The story broke publicly in a Lexington Herald article from February 4, 1981, which reported that Falana was blacklisted from Carson's show due to Carson's long-running feud with Newton.

Their bad blood reportedly started when Newton barged into Carson's office, demanding he stop making jokes about Newton's masculinity. Things escalated when Newton beat Carson in a bid to purchase a Las Vegas hotel. After that, anyone associated with Newton — including Falana — was quietly shut out from The Tonight Show whenever Carson was hosting.

Johnny Carson Had a Secret Ban List — Here's Why Lola Falana Made It - image 1

Lola's manager eventually confirmed they were told she was "no longer welcome" on the program. For Falana, who had previously enjoyed lively appearances with Carson, the reason was baffling.

Falana wasn't the only celebrity on Carson's infamous internal blacklist. Others included:

  • Charo
  • Rip Taylor
  • The Hudson Brothers
  • Charles Grodin

Carson also temporarily banned Barbra Streisand for canceling with what he deemed a "lame excuse," while Charles Grodin earned his spot by teasing Carson about not being invited to a card game. Impressionist Rich Little got banned too — though he admitted he never learned why.

By the time Carson retired from The Tonight Show in 1992, it was said he had made peace with most of the people he'd once banned. But for Lola Falana, her ban stood as one of the stranger casualties of Carson's personal grudges — a penalty not for anything she said or did, but simply for knowing the wrong person.