The Tonight Show is NBC's long-running American late-night talk and variety show which has been hosted by Jay Leno since 1992. Now in its 54th season, The Tonight Show is the third longest-running entertainment program in U.S. television history (after the soap opera Guiding Light and Hallmark Hall of Fame).
The Tonight Show can date its origins to a local New York program called Broadway Open House, which started in 1950; its format can be traced to New York show hosted by Steve Allen and which premiered in 1953 on what is now WNBC-TV.
The longest-serving host to date was American comedian Johnny Carson who held sway over a 30-year run as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.