Most people remember Johnny Carson as the witty host who dominated late-night TV for decades. But his eldest son, Chris Carson, lived a much quieter life. Sadly, Chris, the first son of The Tonight Show legend Johnny Carson, died earlier this year at the age of 74.
His death was confirmed by Howard Smith, a longtime family friend, during an appearance on the Nostalgia Tonight podcast. The news had been passed along quietly, without a public statement or obituary.
Howard Smith revealed Chris Carson’s death at a show
Christopher Carson, son of the late Johnny Carson dead at 74#RIP pic.twitter.com/8ilp2eDzPL
— Chris Fox ☣️ (@EmperorChris88) June 3, 2025
Howard Smith talked about his attempts to reach Chris after moving to Florida. He even joined a golf club where Chris had been a member. But the two never reconnected. It wasn’t until Smith attended a tribute show for Johnny, hosted by Johnny’s nephew Jeff Sotzing, that he learned Chris had died just a week before. “He looked at me and said, ‘Howard, Chris just died last week,'” Smith recalled. “And I said, ‘Oh no.'”
The Carson family was known for guarding their privacy, especially after Johnny’s death in 2005. Sotzing once told PEOPLE that Johnny never wanted his family in the spotlight. “Let his work speak for him,” he said. Chris and his younger brother Cory seemed to follow that same path. “We must have inherited the privacy gene,” Cory once said.
There was no formal announcement of Chris Carson’s death
Despite his private life, Chris was still in the news now and then. He lived in Florida and worked as a golf instructor. In the ’80s, he made headlines during a court battle over child support with his then-girlfriend, Tanena Love Green. The case revealed that Chris depended on his father’s financial support, receiving $35,000 a year along with help for housing and transportation.
Over time, Chris returned to a quiet life. He played golf, kept to himself, and rarely made public appearances. Even in death, the news came not through a formal announcement but through an old friend recalling their last attempts to reconnect.