While Johnson tried his absolute best to be the person in control as it was his show, Stern essentially hijacked The Magic Hour from the start and really interviewed Magic more than Magic interviewed him.Īs soon as the pair sat down, Stern made comments about Sheila E.’s attire and told her to rip off her top and then went right into telling Magic how to be a better talk show host, starting with Johnson needing to “stop trying to talk like the White man,” and “talk Ebonics all you want.” And if that wasn’t awkward enough, the sentence “I’m Blacker than you are” came next. On July 2, 1998, the highly-anticipated interview with Magic and Stern took place and it didn’t take long for things to get uncomfortable. (L-R) Magic Johnson Howard Stern | SGranitz/WireImage Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Howard Stern was highly critical of the show But critics jumped all over it and Stern, never one to shy away from bashing anyone, jumped all over Magic as well. Again, as it was something new and the fact that Johnson was already a celebrity in his own right, ratings were solid at the start. He was very rigid, often mumbled, and his interviewing skills were extremely poor, which certainly wasn’t a good thing when the format was changed to include more time with the guests. Right from the get-go, Magic never looked comfortable. But that didn’t work out either and he was eventually replaced with former In Living Color cast member Tommy Davidson. But Shoemaker didn’t last long as he publicly called the show “an absolute nightmare,” and he was replaced by Steve White, another comedian who was already serving in a lesser role on the show. In the beginning, comedian Craig Shoemaker was Johnson’s sidekick while legendary percussionist Sheila E, who famously collaborated with Prince for years (the two were even engaged for a short time), served as the show’s bandleader. Just ask Chevy Chase how that worked out. But being an entertaining personality doesn’t always translate into being a good talk show host.
Magic was always an entertaining personality. In theory, The Magic Hour seemed like a decent idea. Magic Johnson never looked comfortable hosting ‘The Magic Hour’
Perhaps the harshest critic of Magic was famed radio talk show host Howard Stern, who repeatedly bashed Johnson in the show’s opening weeks.Īs ratings for The Magic Hour plummeted, Johnson attempted to shake things up and get the show back on track by actually inviting Stern to appear on the show, which led to a train wreck of an interview full of bizarre and awkward moments. While ratings were decent in the beginning, even better than The Late Show with David Letterman for a very short period of time, The Magic Hour was panned by critics and the general public alike as Magic never looked comfortable in his new gig.
But while Johnson has succeeded in the vast majority of things he’s attempted in his professional career, The Magic Hour was not one of them, which is why the show didn’t even make it three months. Sure, he was already a businessman as he’d formed Magic Johnson Enterprises in 1995, but it honestly seemed as if he missed being in front of a crowd and entertaining people.įor those who may not remember, or were perhaps never even aware of, Magic had his very own syndicated late-night talk show back in the day.
In the summer of 1998, two years removed from his comeback run with the Los Angles Lakers, five-time NBA champion Magic Johnson was looking for a new challenge.