An episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1988 is going viral again, thanks to the hilarious banter between Carson and his guest, Jackie Mason.
Jackie Mason was an American standup comedian and film and television actor, famous for his staccato, arm-waving delivery, and thick Yiddish accent.
His most famous work was probably the one-man show entitled ‘The World According to Me!’ which won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ace Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy nomination.
This episode of the Tonight Show was part of the promotion for ‘The World According to Me!’. He had Carson in splits from the get-go with his tongue-cheek self-aggrandizement, often referring to the show as the greatest show of all time.
He also took some playful jabs at Carson, like when Carson asked Mason if he was married, and Mason said, “No, but you marry everyone you see.”
Mason also makes fun of the culture in Los Angeles, commenting on how people buy status symbols, like a Mercedes car, but will never admit that they bought it as a status symbol.
Mason’s humor is packed with little observations about ourselves that we don’t really acknowledge. This is likely why he was so well-loved and was considered one of the greatest comedians in the history of standup comedy.
