Who was the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show for Johnny Carson?
Joan Rivers
Phyllis Newman
Lucille Ball
Betty White
Fact: Actress and singer Phyllis Newman became the first woman to guest-host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965, breaking ground for women in television. A Tony Award-winning Broadway performer, Newman appeared frequently on television throughout her career. Joan Rivers is often associated with the distinction because she later became Carson’s regular guest host and, in 1983, the show’s first permanent guest host. Newman, however, had made history nearly two decades earlier by becoming the first woman to sit in for Carson.
Correct Answer: Phyllis Newman