Johnny Carson at the Friars Roast, circa 1970, in New York. (Art Zelin / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short April 30, 2026 at 7:10am
In the wake of Saturday’s third assassination attempt against President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., footage is going viral of former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson addressing the room at the 1981 Oscars, giving an update on the status of former President Ronald Reagan.
On March 30, 1981, Reagan was shot by a mentally unstable man, John Hinckley Jr., after a speaking engagement. Hinckley, in his delusional state, believed killing the president would impress actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had developed an obsession.
When listening to Carson, it’s easy to draw the contrast between his class and the completely vile remarks being made by late night hosts after Saturday.
On the Thursday before the shooting, USA Today reported that Jimmy Kimmel called First Lady Melania Trump an “expectant widow” in a bit for his show.
In the footage of Carson, not only did he prove himself lightyears ahead of Kimmel, but the audience did too. After acknowledging that the Oscars were delayed due to Reagan’s status after the shooting, he said “it would have been inappropriate to stage a celebration.”
“But the news today is very good, as you know,” he continued.
“The president is in excellent condition as of last reports,” he told the room, which responded with loud applause.
“He happens to be in very good spirits. After all, you must remember this is a man who yesterday, while he was in the hospital unable to speak, wrote on a sheet of paper, ‘All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.’”
In 1981, Johnny Carson paused the Oscars to update America after President Reagan was shot. The entire room gave a roaring applause.
Today, late-night hosts joke about the president dying and Melania becoming a widow.
Proof that we used to be better than this. pic.twitter.com/v3SBSnsE7N
— Brandon Tatum (@TheOfficerTatum) April 29, 2026
1981 wasn’t so long ago.
Carson’s statement shows how dramatically polarizing politics have become in recent years and how normalized violent rhetoric has become as well.
In the current year, the celebrations aren’t delayed when the assassination attempts take place — they happen because of those assassination attempts.
“Assassination culture” has been evident ever since the first publicly known attempt against Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the presidential campaign trail in 2024.
This isn’t another hollow phrase to store away in one’s political vocabulary for invocation when convenient. It’s an apt description of our circumstances that should worry every peace-loving American who desperately wants to get off this ride, understanding it is barreling toward a cliff.
The question is how to get off.
Former President Joe Biden — who did not heed his own words — called for Americans to “lower the temperature” after Butler, as ABC News reported.
The left must have thought it was up to conservatives — the people who seem to constantly find themselves in danger — who needed to listen.
But the left has done anything but lower it.
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Sam Short is an Assistant Professor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London. The views expressed in his articles are his own and do not reflect the views or opinions of Motlow State Community College.
