The National Comedy Center is opening the new Johnny Carson Immersive Experience exhibit today. Journey Gunderson, director of the National Comedy Center, believes the museum will continue to draw more people to Jamestown as it expands and unveils new legacy exhibits. Photos provided by the National Comedy Center

The National Comedy Center is celebrating the ribbon cutting for its brand new exhibit featuring the legacy of Johnny Carson and the impact he made on The Tonight Show and the industry of comedy.

“The Johnny Carson Immerse Experience is presented in a theater environment where visitors are enveloped in the story,” Journey Gunderson, director of the National Comedy Center, said. “It takes you on a journey through the legacy of Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.”

The exhibit is designed to fully immerse visitors into Johnny Carson’s rich history on The Tonight Show.

Gunderson said visitors will be surrounded by storytelling, media and sound.

The new exhibit will feature Jimmy Fallon as the hologram host, presenting visitors with a unique experience.

“We actually captured Jimmy Fallon in New York at 30 Rock and filmed him in his studio to be the hologram host specifically for Jamestown’s National Comedy Center exhibit,” Gunderson said.” There’s really no better host for this than the current host of The Tonight Show reflecting on the man who really set the standard for late night.”

In addition to Jimmy Fallon acting as the exhibit’s hologram host, the National Comedy Center also collaborated with other comedians and individuals who were significantly impacted by Carson.

Gunderson said the comedy center conducted original interviews for the exhibit with Steve Martin, Martin Short, Bette Midler, George Wallace, Byron Allen, Jay Leno and others.

The museum’s exhibit will also feature artifacts from The Tonight Show, including the iconic rainbow curtain that appeared on The Tonight show between 1969 and 1987.

Gunderson believes the new Johnny Carson exhibit, along with the recently opened Carl Reiner exhibit and the comedy center’s award as one of the best new museums in the country, will result in more people taking an interest in the city of Jamestown.

“This is a national story of comedy, and one that I think will only elevate visitors’ interest in making the pilgrimage to Jamestown to the National Comedy Center,” she said. “A visit to Jamestown is now topping more bucket lists nationwide by the day.”

Gunderson also reflected on the impact Carson made on the comedy industry.

“Not only did Carson set the template for what late-night television could and should be, from being the ‘king of the monologue,’ to making the guest interview on the couch something that elevated the career of anyone who found themselves lucky enough to be in that position,” she said.

For three decades, Carson introduced America to new comedians and variety acts that eventually became successful based on their Tonight Show performance.

“An appearance on The Tonight Show changed one’s life forever,” Gunderson said.

In conjunction with the grand opening of the National Comedy Center’s exhibit, Pat Hazell will be hosting a one-night performance at 7 p.m. at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts with several acts that appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

“The stage show at the Reg Lenna Saturday evening will be a one-of-a-kind and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reflect on The Tonight Show with the people whose lives were changed and whom America came to know and love,” Gunderson said.

Gunderson said the show at the Reg Lenna is the perfect way to celebrate the opening of the museum’s exhibit.

“Not only are you hearing from people whose lives were changed, but you’re actually seeing their performances,” she said.

Some of the performers will be recreating their performances from The Tonight Show. The show and the opening of the exhibit will provide a tribute to Carson’s legacy for the 30th anniversary of his last show.

“It’s going to be a really fun and entertaining evening that’s both reflective and exciting,” Gunderson said.