The Tonight Show The Tonight Show is a long - running American late - night talk and variety show airing on NBC , the third longest - running entertainment program in U . S . television history . The show ' s longest running hosts have been Johnny Carson ( 1962 - 1992 ) and Jay Leno ( 1992 - 2009 , 2010 - 2014 ) ; other hosts include Steve Allen ( 1953 - 1957 ) , Jack Paar ( 1957 - 1962 ) and Conan O ' Brien ( 2009 - 2010 ) ; Jimmy Fallon became the host in February 2014 . The Muppets have a long affiliation with the program , dating back to 1956 , when Jim and Jane Henson performed Kermit and Yorick performing " I ' ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face " . This was the first of several performances of Henson ' s variety show pieces , which continued into the late 1960s . Henson made several appearances in the mid - 70s promoting " The Muppet Show " , performing many of his new characters - - Dr . Teeth appeared on the program twice in 1975 , the Swedish Chef in 1976 , and Link Hogthrob in 1977 . In September 1976 , just before the " Muppet Show ' s " premiere , Kermit introduced Carson to stand - up comedian Fozzie Bear . Kermit filled in for Carson as the guest host on April 2 , 1979 , to promote the release of " The Muppet Movie " . The program became somewhat of a Muppet special , with other Muppet characters appearing throughout the show to disrupt things as Kermit tried to interview his guests - - Vincent Price , Bernadette Peters , Leo Sayer and veterinarian Dr . Michael Fox . The show was punctuated with several Muppet musical numbers : two Slinky - shaped Muppets danced to " Java " , Dr . Teeth and the Electric Mayhem performed " New York State of Mind " , Peters sang " Just One Person " with Robin the Frog , Miss Piggy performed a duet of " When I Need You " with Sayer , and Kermit closed the show with a quiet performance of " Bein ' Green " . Statler and Waldorf appear in the audience to heckle . The Muppets ' appearances on " The Tonight Show " continued into the 1980s and beyond , including a 1989 appearance to promote " The Jim Henson Hour " . In the 1990s , host Jay Leno interviewed Kermit and Miss Piggy several times , with the Muppets appearing three times on the show in 1996 . " Tonight ! " ( 1953 – 1957 ) . Steve Allen hosted the program from 1953 to 1957 , though his hosting duties were decreased when Allen ' s new show " The Steve Allen Show " premiered in 1956 . The show originated for local New York City television in its first year , but was picked up nationally by NBC in September 1954 . Andy Williams was the resident singer . " The Jack Paar Show " ( 1957 – 1962 ) . Following Allen ' s departure , the series changed hosts with Jack Paar taking the reins . Though officially still called " The Tonight Show " , it was also marketed as " The Jack Paar Show " . " The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson " ( 1962 – 1992 ) . Johnny Carson took over hosting with Ed McMahon as his sidekick . For all but a few months of its first decade on the air , Carson ' s show was based in New York City . In May 1972 the show moved to Burbank , California , ( although it was announced as coming from nearby Hollywood ) for the remainder of his tenure . Kermit the Frog guest hosted the show for Johnny Carson in 1979 , while Grover performed " Near and Far " for the first time on Johnny Carson ' s " Tonight Show " in the 1969 - 1970 season . " The Tonight Show with Jay Leno " ( 1992 – 2009 , 2010 – 2014 ) . Johnny Carson retired in May 1992 and was replaced as host by Jay Leno . Branford Marsalis was the original bandleader of the show from 1992 to 1995 , Kevin Eubanks was the bandleader for the program from 1995 until 2010 ; he was replaced by Rickey Minor from 2010 to 2014 . Video releases . Respond2 Entertainment released " Tonight : 4 Decades From The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson " , a 15 DVD boxed set with the full length " December 31 , 1965 - Woody Allen , The Muppets " episode on October 26 , 2010 .