The history of late-night TV entertainment has been unpredictable. From heartfelt moments shared to ugly insults made worth a lifetime, celebrities seem to have switched real fast. Justifying this statement would be the wild spat between 70’s icon Burt Reynolds and comedian Marc Summers at an episode of Jay Leno’s Tonight Show in 1994.
It remains one of the most hilarious yet tense episodes of live TV. The intense to and fro from both celebrities might come off as being staged, but rest assured, it was not. However, a lot of improvisations were involved mid-fight by the show’s producers and host Jay Leno to make it seem like a scripted segment. What really went down that night?
Burt Reynolds and Marc Summers hit it off
In 1994, Jay Leno’s Tonight Show hosted two notable figures who instantly developed a questionable understanding. American icon, Burt Reynolds was going through a rough patch in his life. An ugly divorce with actress and ex-wife Loni Anderson in addition to his dissolving acting career got to Reynolds. Thus, an initial joke on his wife by Leno instigated Reynolds, leaving him bothered from the start.
Therefore, after Marc Summers made his entry, a random spat ensued. An irked Reynolds tried to belittle Summers by counter-attacking his statements. A rather cheery Summers spoke to Leno claiming he was a neatness freak. Consequently, Reynolds mocked,
“Who told you that you were a neatness freak?”
With an equally triggering response, Summers said while patting Reynolds’ shoulder,
“My wife told me that. I’m still married.”
This marked the beginning of the verbal spat going physical. Reynolds emptied his cup of water onto Summers’ lap. As the Double Dare host tried to return his favor, the Hollywood star thrashed his hand away, once again getting Summers drenched, and mocked the latter on not being neat anymore.
Marc Summers looked back on the 1994 incident
Even though it has been three decades since the incident, it is one the late-night TV sphere may never recover from. However, both celebrities were mature enough to hug it out in the end, after the producers put forth an ingenuine idea of turning it into a pie battle. The moment is undoubtedly treasured by TV fans. In 2018, Summers recalled the incident and shared a deep insight into Reynolds’ antic. As per Esquire, he said,
“Burt Reynolds was going through a bad divorce with Loni Anderson. This was not planned, it was all real. Jay called me afterward and asked, ‘What’s going on between you and Burt?’ It was like survival of the fittest. I was a comic. You wait your entire life to get on the Tonight Show, I wasn’t going to let this guy f**k it up for me.”
According to an interview by People, Burt Reynolds realized that marrying Loni Anderson was a mistake. Despite having a family, the couple had to split, which turned into one of the messiest divorces in Hollywood. Sadly, the iconic actor, who emerged to be the face of pop culture in the 1970s, passed away at the age of 82 on the 6th of September 2018. He is remembered in the entertainment sphere as a legendary man and a notable entertainer.
