Johnny Carson's friend says late-night king wisely avoided partisanship, as Kimmel controversy grows

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Legendary comedian Johnny Carson held political convictions like any other American. But when the "on air" light came on, he kept them off the show.His longtime neighbor and weekly tennis partner, Howard Smith, is pulling back the curtain on the "King of Late Night’s" private life to reveal a man who refused to weaponize his platform, despite his own strong views."He felt that his job was to entertain people," Smith told Fox News Digital, adding that Carson avoided politics because it could alienate viewers. "That's why he never got into talking about politics at all." Smith is the author of the 2025 book "My Friend Johnny: The Last 20 Years of a Beautiful Life with Johnny Carson and Friends." The pal of Carson said that modern late-night comics try to make up for a lack of comedy by getting political. Speaking bluntly of the ongoing controversy with host Jimmy Kimmel, Smith stated, "I’m not a Jimmy Kimmel fan." Carson’s philosophy was on display during the 1981 Oscars, held a day after the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan at the Washington Hilton Hotel. Authorities said it’s the same location as the recent