My Father Sent Me Away at Nineteen — Twenty Years Later, He Stood at My Door and Had to Ask for Permission to See Me.n

The Stage Is Set for Comedy History

On a fateful evening in 1982, something happened on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that would forever change the landscape of late-night television. Johnny Carson, the host and undisputed king of the late-night scene, was preparing for another routine show, as he had done countless times over his 23-year career. But when Robin Williams—then an unknown but rapidly rising star—took the stage for his first appearance, no one could have predicted the sheer comedic energy he was about to unleash.