After 30 years of hosting The Tonight Show Johnny Carson had to call an end to a lifetime of memories. The whole late night talk show structure that many shows now consist of stemmed from this one very show. It was one of the most watched programs during its time and was believed to be so influential that people would want to go on the show because they believed that it would make them more famous.
On May 22nd 1992, Johnny Carson stepped down from his position at The Tonight Show. His final episode was aired on this day and was different from his regular shows because he did not host guests, but instead looked at the past 30 years that he dedicated to the show.
Although finale show studio audience was invite-only, there was an audience watching it on TV of about 50 million people. Johnny Carson did not host any other shows after this and did not really appear on television much either. The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson will always be his greatest contribution to television.