UPFRONT/THE A LIST
7 Surprising Things About Arsenio Hall
1. His family moved all over Cleveland
The upside is I became a real social animal, learning to make friends. The downside is I don’t have a lot of friends from childhood because we always moved away from them. Sometimes I wish I knew where Vivica, my first girlfriend, was. Or Marcy Smith, who used to braid my hair while we watched Good Times.
2. Carson was his idol
I’d love to say I vibed with the wonderful writing of The Tonight Show or his interviewing skills, but I think the thing that resonated most about Johnny was how he looked. He was so sharp.
3. He worked as a child magician
I watched my dad, a preacher, move people with his voice, so I knew I had that quality. And when I went to conventions as a magician, I got comments from adults—“You’re funny, kid.” I didn’t realize it, but it was all coming together.
4. Hollywood was hand-to-mouth, at first
I remember going to a Ralphs supermarket and you could sample a piece of sausage. I became a pro at eating sausage samples and getting full.
“It’s never too late to dream. Tell your kid to keep dreaming—and you keep dreaming yourself.”
—Arsenio Hall, 70
5. Coming to America led to his talk show
It was an idea of Eddie Murphy’s. One day he said, “You know, I think it would be cool if I could meet girls and them not know who I am, because you never know who you can trust.” That was the idea behind Coming to America. We took it to Paramount, and Paramount said, “How about if a lot of people that you meet are played by you?” We took that idea to the moon. As soon as that was finished, Paramount said, “Come back and do a talk show.”
6. Being the first Black late-night host was a real balancing act
I exposed America to Black culture, but I knew I had to balance Q-Tip with Dolly Parton to make sure I got a large enough share of the viewing pie to stay on the air. There were days when I felt like I was doing it for myself and my mom, because no one else was happy with it. But I kept fighting, and I got six good years in.
7. He and Jay Leno have long been close friends
We’re on the road now doing a show called Kings of Late Night. We still argue constantly about a joke and how to do it, whether it works. But he’s like a big brother to me to this day. —As told to Lisa Rosen
Comedian Arsenio Hall, 70, hosted the groundbreaking syndicated late-night program The Arsenio Hall Show from 1989 to 1994, starred opposite Eddie Murphy in the hit film Coming to America and appeared in the cult favorite Harlem Nights. His memoir, Arsenio, written with Alan Eisenstock, will be published March 31.
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