Who was the first host of NBC's The Tonight Show?

Steve Allen was the first host of NBC's The Tonight Show.

The program premiered on September 27, 1954, as a nationally broadcast late-night variety show. Allen had already built a reputation through radio and television, and his relaxed interviews, comedy sketches, and audience interaction helped establish the format that later hosts would inherit.

Jack Paar succeeded Allen in 1957, followed by Johnny Carson in 1962. Carson became the show's most famous long-term host, but he was not its first. The program's title and format also changed over time, which can cause confusion when people remember the later versions rather than the 1954 launch.

Allen's tenure ended in 1957 when he left the program to concentrate on other projects. His influence remained important: many standard late-night features, including celebrity interviews, monologues, music, and comic audience participation, were already present during his era.