Tonya Mosley
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
And we hear from Jeff Ross, comedian, producer, and the man behind some of the most savage celebrity roasts on television.
But before all of that, he was a kid growing up in his family's kosher catering hall in New Jersey, serving weddings and bar mitzvahs, one of which was his own.
He gets personal and vulnerable in his new Netflix comedy special, Take a Banana for the Ride.
That's coming up on Fresh Air Weekend.
That's how America was welcomed into the party that was known as the Arsenio Hall Show.
His name stretched out the way his mother used to call him into the house when he was a kid growing up in Cleveland.
During its run in the late 80s and early 90s, Time magazine called Arsenio hip, brash, and the new generation.
And some of the most important moments in American culture happened on Arsenio's couch.
Magic Johnson chose the show as the first place to speak after announcing his HIV diagnosis.
When Los Angeles burned after the Rodney King verdict, executives wanted the show to go dark, but Arsenio went on anyway.
And one night, a charming governor from Arkansas, running for president, showed up with a saxophone.
That appearance would go on to be credited as a turning point in the 92 presidential election, strengthening Clinton's hold on young and black voters who helped carry Clinton to the White House.
I was a teenager in Detroit, staying up past my bedtime to watch, and I was not alone.
At its peak, the Arsenio Hall show was syndicated on nearly 200 stations, running second in the late-night ratings to Arsenio's idol, Johnny Carson, an unthinkable feat at the time.
And then just like that, poof, the show was gone.
But here's what I never knew until I read Arsenio's new memoir.