On December 19, 1973, in an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Carson told a joke in his monologue about there being a toilet paper shortage. “Of all the shortages we have—there’s a gasoline shortage…You know what else is disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper!” the comedian told the crowd that night, much to their amusement.
Take a look at the clip below.
Here’s the thing: There was no truth to what Carson said whatsoever. Evidently, what happened was that a congressman from Wisconsin named Harold Froehlich put out a statement saying, “The next thing we’re gonna have to worry about is a potential toilet paper shortage.”
The Tonight Show writers caught wind of Froehlich’s warning and wrote some jokes for Carson’s monologue on the subject, leaving out the word “potential.” Carson’s reported 20 million viewers didn’t all take it as a joke.
Johnny Carson Accidentally Caused a Toilet Paper Panic With One Joke
People across the country started storming supermarkets, grabbing as much toilet paper as they could. A store manager interviewed at the time said customers were buying it before it made it to the shelves. Things got so bad that the Scott Paper Company even had to implement an allocation system for toilet paper distribution. CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite addressed it that January, telling viewers that unfounded rumors were to blame for the panic buying that was sweeping the nation.
Carson, being the source of those unfounded rumors, felt the need to set the record straight on The Tonight Show the following month. During the January 16, 1974, episode, Carson explained that his earlier monologue had caused some problems and that he didn’t want to be remembered for creating a false toilet paper scare.
“I’ve done a lot of mean things in my life, but I hate to think of people sitting around, and just sitting around…because of me,” he quipped. Carson wrapped things up by asking his fans not to rush into the markets and assured them that there was no great toilet paper shortage to worry about. “People believe you when you say something,” he said in conclusion.
The post How a Famous Late-Night Host Caused a Toilet Paper Crisis appeared first on VICE.
