TV Show Talk Show Hosts Then Vs. Now

The very idea of a talk show first came to be in 1951 with Joe Franklin and from there spawned years of now-iconic hosts.

1.

Johnny Carson was on air with The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1962 until 1992, before passing away in 2005. Here he is in the 60s:

And here, in 1995 at a tennis match:

2.

Oprah hosted The Oprah Winfrey Show starting in 1986 and ran until 2011. Oprah now juggles multiple projects at once, including running her own magazine, and frequently acts as a producer for exciting new releases. She is considered a certified legend. Here she is in 1986:

And in 2020:

3.

Jay Leno hosted The Tonight Show with Jay Leno from 1992-2005. Here he is in ’92:

4.

And then in 2021:

5.

Jimmy Fallon started hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2009 and is still on the air today. Here he is in ’09:

And then in 2019:

6.

Wendy Williams started the daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, in 2008 and it’s still on today. Here she is in ’08:

And then in 2021:

7.

Conan O’Brien first hosted Late Night with Conan O’Brien from 1993-2009 before moving to The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien from 2009-2010. Here he is in ’93:

8.

Jimmy Kimmel is known for Jimmy Kimmel Live! which started in 2003 and is still airing today. Seen here in 2003:

And then in 2020:

9.

Jon Stewart hosted The Daily Show from 1999 until 2015. Him in 1999:

And in 2019:

10.

Montel Williams hosted The Montel Williams Show, which ran from 1991-2008. Here he is at the start of his show:

And in 2021:

11.

Phil Donahue is considered the first person to host a talk show with audience participation! He hosted The Phil Donahue Show from 1967 until 1996. Here he is in 1979:

12.

And in 2019:

13.

Barbara Walters was one of the hosts on The View from 1997-2014. She was the first woman co-host on The Today Show in 1974 and has also appeared on ABC News and 20/20, as well as various other programs. Here she is in 1974:

16.

Stephen Colbert first hosted The Colbert Report from 2005-2014 before moving to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015. Here he is in 2005:

And then in 2019:

17.

Arsenio Hall hosted The Arsenio Hall Show first from 1989-1994, and then again from 2013-2014. Here he is in 1989:

And here’s Arsenio guest-hosting the19th season of Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2021:

18.

Sally Jesse Raphael hosted her daytime talk show, Sally, from 1983 to 2002. Here she is in 1989:

And in 2013:

19.

David Letterman hosted Late Night with David Letterman from 1982-2015, later renaming it The Late Show with David Letterman in 1993. Here he is in ’82:

And then in 2021:

20.

Jerry Springer hosted The Jerry Springer Show from 1991-2018. Here he is in 1992:

And then in 2020:

21.

Amber Ruffin first worked as a writer on Late Night with Seth Meyers before finally getting her own late-night talk show in 2014, aptly titled The Amber Ruffin Show. Here she is in a Seth Meyers skit from season 2:

And now in 2021 with her own show:

22.

Ellen Degeneres has hosted The Ellen Degeneres Show since 2003:

And now, in 2021, it’s on its final season.