Ed McMahon played sidekick to Johnny Carson on the late-night hit The Tonight Show for nearly 30 years. Their edition of the show ran from 1962 to 1992, making both men household names; along the way, Ed McMahon became the accepted king of TV's jovial second bananas. (In the 1990s, McMahon was introduced to a new generation via Phil Hartman's impersonations on Saturday Night Live.) Ed McMahon also hosted the TV talent shows Star Search and Next Big Star, and in later years joined his old friend Dick Clark as a pitchman for the American Family Publishers sweepstakes.

Before joining The Tonight Show, Ed McMahon was also Johnny Carson's announcer on the TV game show Who Do You Trust?... Ed McMahon was a longtime co-host of the annual Jerry Lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy... Ed McMahon made the news in 2008 when he defaulted on his home mortgage, thus becoming one of the embarrassed public faces of the economic crash.