{"id":2301993,"date":"2026-02-26T22:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2301993"},"modified":"2026-02-26T22:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T22:35:16","slug":"johnny-carson-once-worried-hed-seriously-injured-betty-white-when-a-tonight-show-sketch-went-off-the-rails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/johnny-carson-once-worried-hed-seriously-injured-betty-white-when-a-tonight-show-sketch-went-off-the-rails\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnny Carson Once Worried He&#8217;d Seriously Injured Betty White When a \u201cTonight Show\u201d Sketch Went Off the Rails"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Johnny Carson once worried he had seriously hurt Betty White during the filming of a sketch on <em>The Tonight Show<\/em> in 1983<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Writer Mark Malkoff details the incident in his book, <em>Love Johnny Carson<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cCarson described the sketch as, &#8220;Probably the most ambitious sketch we have ever taken on in our life&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Longtime<em>Tonight Show\u00a0<\/em>host <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/vanessa-williams-on-johnny-carson-joke-about-her-being-1st-black-miss-america-exclusive-8684547\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Johnny Carson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Johnny Carson<\/a>\u00a0once worried he had seriously injured \u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/betty-white\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Betty White;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Betty White<\/a> during the filming of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Rf4Q1FkC8Qg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:a classic 1983 sketch;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">a classic 1983 sketch<\/a> on the show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Writer Mark Malkoff details the incident in his book, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Love-Johnny-Carson-Obsessive-Journey\/dp\/0593472551\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan's Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Love Johnny Carson: <\/em>One Obsessive Fan&#8217;s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend<\/a>, writing that Carson described the sketch as, \u201cProbably the most ambitious sketch we have ever taken on in our life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In it, Johnny and Betty played a married couple from Dubuque, Iowa, on vacation in California. Visiting an upscale Malibu restaurant, they were seated by a giant window overlooking the ocean.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The skit was to air as severe Malibu rainstorms were making national news, and the idea was that the couple was seated so close to the ocean that waves would spray them through the window while they tried to eat \u2014 until, ultimately, they were fully soaked by ocean waves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE&#8217;s<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Johnny Carson and Betty White on The Tonight Show<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Malkoff writes that after rehearsing the sketch, Carson&#8217;s crew went to a restaurant near the NBC studios for some drinks \u2014 and then decided to triple the amount\u00a0of\u00a0water they had been planning on using.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They did not, however, tell Johnny and Betty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While the actual on-the-air bit, was filmed, the waves splashing Betty and Johnny turned into torrents \u2014 &#8220;but then things got extreme,&#8221; writes Malkoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Parts\u00a0of\u00a0the set were banged around. Carson feared for White\u2019s safety when she was knocked over by a wave,&#8221; he writes. &#8220;The audience went wild. Troupers to the end, Betty and Johnny absurdly kept up their dialogue even as they were completely drenched.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-puzzler-8620185\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Later recalling the skit, Betty said that \u201c550 gallons\u00a0of\u00a0water let loose and washed us all over the stage . . . So I kept playing the sketch out with my face down in the water. Johnny was scared to death. He thought, \u2018Oh, my God, she\u2019s hurt, she\u2019s drowned, she\u2019s dead!\u2019 &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After the sketch was aired, Johnny said that art director John Shrum \u201cdidn\u2019t tell us that\u00a0<em>The Poseidon Adventure\u00a0<\/em>was going to happen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Betty would later say that, over her 40+ appearances on Carson&#8217;s show, the Malibu water skit was her favorite, adding of the host, \u201cWe just loved each other forever.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Malkoff interviewed some 400 people for his book, including<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/carol-burnett\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Carol Burnett;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"> Carol Burnett<\/a>,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/michael-j-fox\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Michael J. Fox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Michael J. Fox<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/jay-leno\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Jay Leno;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Jay Leno<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">White, an Emmy-winning actress, comedian and producer was about to celebrate her 100th birthday when she\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tv\/betty-white-the-golden-girls-and-hot-in-cleveland-star-dead-at-99\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:died in her sleep;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">died in her sleep<\/a>\u00a0on Dec. 31, 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Carson died on January 23, 2005, at age 79 from respiratory failure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/johnny-carson-once-thought-he-killed-betty-white-during-a-sketch-11913447\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Johnny Carson once worried he had seriously hurt Betty White during the filming of a sketch on The Tonight Show in 1983 Writer Mark Malkoff details the incident in his book, Love Johnny Carson \u201cCarson described the sketch as, &#8220;Probably the most ambitious sketch we have ever taken on in our life&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2301994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[446002,38117,400871,446001],"class_list":["post-2301993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-betty-and-johnny","tag-betty-white","tag-johnny-carson","tag-mark-malkoff"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Johnny-Carson-Once-Worried-Hed-Seriously-Injured-Betty-White-When.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2301993"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2301995,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301993\/revisions\/2301995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2301994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2301993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2301993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2301993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}