Donald Trump is apparently nostalgic for “The Tonight Show” of years past, calling this week for the return of Johnny Carson as host of NBC’s late night program. Of course, that gave the hosts of “The View” a good laugh on Tuesday morning, considering Carson’s been dead for almost two decades.
While at a campaign stop on Monday, Trump recalled being on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, hurling insults at the host and misremembering when exactly it happened.
“When I first ran, it was like 2015, thinking about running, I was going to run, I went on his show, right?” Trump said (it was actually 2016 and Fallon received quite a bit of blowback for not only having Trump on, but also for ruffling his hair).
“And he goes — ‘The Tonight Show,’ which is dying. They’re all dying,” Trump continued. “Where’s Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny.”
The women cracked up after watching the clip, with each of them jumping in to provide an answer. Carson died in January 2005 after a long battle with emphysema. That said, he was long-retired from “The Tonight Show” when he died, as Jay Leno took over hosting back in 1992.
“I mean, maybe we could have a séance for him,” Joy Behar joked.
She also reminded viewers that Trump is “scared of comedy,” having decided to get into politics solely because then-President Barack Obama made a joke about him at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011.
“You know, I always say that once you start going after the comedians, you really have to pay attention,” Behar added. “Because the comedians are the philosophers of the time, in a certain way, you know?”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. You can watch full episodes later that afternoon on YouTube.
