Arsenio Hall

I wanted to do this show that didn't exist when I was a kid, and I knew the talent was out there.

You know, I found Bruno Mars and put him on the show when he was two feet tall.

I wanted those things that Johnny didn't do.

Well, thank you very much.

Wow, what an intro.

Yeah, you know, when I came up, I could watch a show like Johnny Carson or Merv Griffin and for weeks at a time, maybe never see a minority perform.

And you know they're out there.

So my dream was to one day grow up and show the other side of show business.

Unfortunately...

You can't get the kind of numbers doing my show like to be on a network.

You know, you can't be on CBS, ABC, or replace the king when he leaves on NBC.

Johnny Carson.

Yes, yes.

So I created this show in syndication, which did very well, and often Paramount thought it was too black because they wanted to kind of dangle a carrot in front of me and say, if you do the right show...

You could be the guy to get Johnny's audience when he leaves.

But one of the reasons Johnny liked me is I didn't want Johnny's audience, and I didn't want to do his show.

I guess, you know, the example I like to give people is when Michael Bivens of New Edition first called me and told me he found this group and they're called Boyz II Men.

And I said, what are they like?

He says, they're like The Temptations, but it's four of them.

And I said, hey, I got The Temptations coming on this week.