The Doors performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, appearing on September 17 of that year.
The band performed “People Are Strange” and “Light My Fire” during the live broadcast. Before “Light My Fire,” producers asked Jim Morrison to change the lyric “girl, we couldn’t get much higher,” because they feared viewers would interpret it as a reference to drug use. The group appeared to agree, but Morrison sang the original lyric on air.
The incident became one of the band’s defining television moments. Afterward, a producer told The Doors they would not be invited back, despite the show’s reported interest in booking them for additional appearances. Their earlier 1967 television exposure—including a filmed performance on Malibu U—can cause confusion, but the famous Ed Sullivan appearance took place in September 1967.