Alan Singer/CBS via Getty Images; Richard Boeth/CBS via Getty Images; Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on Reddit Post a Comment Share on Whats App Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Print the Article Share on Tumblr Steve Allen Spills the Tea (1957) Image Credit: Archive Photos/Getty Images Allen, the first host of The Tonight Show, isn't afraid to be ridiculous. In one now-legendary bit, he conducts interviews while soaking in a giant teacup. A pianist, intellectual and comic all at once, Allen sets the tone for what late night could be - smart, silly, surreal and just a little strange after midnight. Jack Paar Walks Off the Set (1960) Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection When NBC censors a joke about a "W.C." (British slang for toilet), Paar, the show's second host, quits mid-broadcast. "There must be a better way to make a living," he says, before storming off. He returns weeks later with the immortal line: "As I was saying before I was interrupted ..." Ed Ames' Tomahawk Toss (1965) Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Demonstrating tomahawk throwing, the actor accidentally lands his ax square in the groin of a wooden cowboy. Johnny Carson pauses, grins and delivers the perfectly timed: "I didn't even know you were Jewish." The studio erupts. The laugh lasts a record-breaking 70 seconds - the longest in the show's history. Tiny Tim Marries Miss Vicki (1969) Image Credit: NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection Some 45 million people tune in to watch ukulele-wielding oddball Tiny Tim marry his fiancée Miss Vicki, making it the most watched late night broadcast of its time. Carson plays it straight - "I always cry at weddings," he deadpans - and the whole thing becomes a surreal circus of tulle, sincerity and camp. America can't look away. Salvador Dalí Brings an Anteater (1970) Image Credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images Wearing a cape and carrying a cane, Dalí makes his first appearance on Cavett as only Dalí could - by trailing a live anteater onto the set. He babbles about rhinoceroses, declares that he only talks to people in dreams and sketches surrealist diagrams while Cavett tries to keep up. It is great TV. Kiss Gets Mocked on Tom Snyder (1979) Image Credit: Gabor Scott/Redferns Kiss trading absurd sound bites with a bemused Snyder becomes an instant cult classic. That same year, Dan Aykroyd, squinting with mock gravitas, begins parodying Snyder on SNL, a spoof that makes the New York host a national figure. Bette Davis Says "Take Fountain" (1988) Image Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Asked to share the best advice she has for young actors, Davis shoots back: "Take Fountain." She is, of course, referring to the side street that runs parallel to Sunset, then and now the fastest way across town. The line lands like a mic drop. Andrew Dice Clay Cries (1990) Image Credit: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank The foulmouthed comic known for his sexist swagger suddenly breaks down in tears mid-interview. Some viewers see a genuine emotional collapse. Others think it is a calculated rebranding. Clinton Plays Sax on Arsenio (1992) Image Credit: AP Photo/Reed Saxon Wearing Ray-Bans and honking out "Heartbreak Hotel" on the sax, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton redefines what campaigning on television can look like. One pollster says it may have won Clinton the White House. Madonna Melts Down (1994) Image Credit: Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Madonna shows up to promote a movie and instead tries to melt the FCC. She says the F-word 13 times - all bleeped - in the most censored episode in Letterman history. Hugh Grant Says "I'm Sorry" (1995) Image Credit: NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection. Caught with a sex worker weeks before his big studio rom-com is set to open, Grant walks onto the stage, looks sheepish and answers the host's immortal question: "What the hell were you thinking?" Leno's ratings soared. Drew Barrymore Flashes Letterman (1995) Image Credit: Alan Singer/CBS via Getty Images Twenty-year-old Barrymore climbs onto Letterman's desk, does a flirty dance and flashes her boobs. He turns scarlet and mutters, "I can't thank you enough." Bill Maher Gets Canceled (2002) Image Credit: Larry Busacca/(C)ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection Maher objects to the word "coward" being used to describe the 9/11 hijackers - and pays the price. Advertisers flee. ABC drops the show, and the controversy ignites a firestorm about free speech that still resonates today. Triumph Roasts Star Wars Nerds (2002) Image Credit: Derek Storm/FilmMagic Conan's cigar-chomping puppet - voiced by Robert Smigel - delivers a legendary roast of costumed Star Wars fans: "You are a grown man dressed as a Jedi. I'm sure your parents are proud ... or dead." The bit goes viral before viral is a thing. For me to poop on. Craig Ferguson Eulogizes His Father (2006) Image Credit