Johnny Carson's tumultuous relationship with alcohol played a significant role in all three of his marriages that ended in divorce. The recently released biography, “Carson the Magnificent,” authored by Bill Zehme (who completed the book before his passing in 2023) in collaboration with Mike Thomas, delves into the late-night host's behavior around his spouses, particularly his first wife, Jody Wolcott, when he was under the influence.
Zehme described the couple's interactions, stating, “There would be boozy rows aplenty — some in front of other couples — or long silent stews of resentment or recrimination or shame,” as reported by Page Six. He further noted, “Alcohol (while hardly a constant in their early years) was a friend to neither man nor wife; whenever lit, they would both act out, very badly.” Carson and Wolcott married in 1949 and had three sons together. Both engaged in extramarital affairs, leading to their divorce in 1963.
Zehme recounts that Wolcott would reportedly “dance on tabletops at parties, taunt and ooze caustic sarcasm,” and flirt with men to provoke a reaction from Carson. The author also detailed Carson's behavior when intoxicated, describing him as an “unrecognizable hellion” who would “rampage” and transform into a completely different person.
Carson's second marriage was to Joanne Copeland. Copeland shared in Zehme’s book that Carson became “two different people” when he drank. “He became a tiger. He switched to beer for a while, thinking it wouldn’t happen, but it was just as bad. It didn’t make a difference. He had a low tolerance. He had blackouts,” she recalled. Copeland also mentioned Carson's late-night outbursts, where he would rip off the sheets while she was sleeping, accusing her of not working as hard as he did. Despite his remorse the next day, Carson never altered his behavior.
Carson and Copeland divorced in 1972. Later that year, he married his third wife, model Joanna Holland. Their marriage also suffered due to Carson's drinking. Holland once shared, “During that black drunk phase, I was scared. Sometimes anything could set him off. Those were the scary times,” as documented by Zehme’s book. During his marriage to Holland, Carson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence in 1982. He was fined $600 and placed on three years of probation.
Carson's final divorce was from Holland in 1985. He married his fourth and final wife, Alexis Maas, in 1987. They remained together until Carson's death from emphysema in 2005 at age 79. Carson's struggles with alcohol were well-known. In a 1979 interview with Mike Wallace on “60 Minutes,” he admitted, “I really don’t handle alcohol well at all, no. Really don’t.” He further explained, “When I did drink — rather than a lot of people who become fun-loving, gregarious, and love everybody — I would go just the opposite. And it would happen just like that!”
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