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Arsenio Hall
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===Talk shows=== In 1986, the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] network introduced ''[[The Late Show (1986 TV series)|The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers]]'', created to directly challenge ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''. After a moderate start, ratings for the show sagged. Relations between Rivers and network executives at Fox quickly eroded, and she left in 1987.<ref>{{cite news|last=Adams|first=Guy|title=Joan Rivers: 'I'm the funniest person performing stand-up today'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/joan-rivers-im-the-funniest-person-performing-standup-today-2111966.html|access-date=May 22, 2012|newspaper=The Independent|date=October 23, 2010|location=London}}</ref> The series was subsequently renamed ''The Late Show'', and featured several interim hosts, including [[Ross Shafer]], [[Suzanne Somers]], [[Shawn Thompson]], [[Richard Belzer]] and [[Robert Townsend (actor)|Robert Townsend]], before it was canceled in 1988. Hall was also chosen to host the show in the fall of 1987, and his stint proved immensely popular, leading to his being offered his own show in syndication.<ref>{{cite news|last=Njeri|first=Itabari|title=Fresh Talk: 'We Be Havin' a Ball,' Says Arsenio Hall. But Can the Talk-Show Host's Hip New Style Succeed on Late-Night TV?|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-16-tm-2132-story.html|access-date=June 9, 2022|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=April 16, 1989}}</ref> From January 2, 1989, to May 27, 1994, he had a [[Paramount Television|Paramount]] contract to host a nationwide [[Broadcast syndication|syndicated]] late-night talk show, ''[[The Arsenio Hall Show]]''. It was a breakout success, rating especially high among the coveted younger demographic, and it was known for its audience's distinctive alternative to applause in chanting, "Woof, woof, woof!" (which originated in the [[Cleveland Browns]]' [[Dawg Pound]] in the east end zone) while pumping their fists. The practice soon became such a ritual that by 1991 it had become a "[[popular culture|pop culture]] stamp of approval"βone that Hall said had become "so popular it's getting on people's nerves".<ref name="crankit">{{cite web| title= Crank It Up! | url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-04-03-9104020300-story.html | work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] | author=Diana E. Lundin | publisher=[[Orlando Sentinel]] | date= April 3, 1991| access-date=June 9, 2022}}</ref> The gesture was so well known that it appeared in films such as ''[[Pretty Woman]]'' and ''[[The Hard Way (1991 film)|The Hard Way]]''.<!--If you add films to this list, please cite a reference!--><ref name="crankit"/> He also had a rivalry with [[Jay Leno]] after the latter was named host of ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', during which Hall said that he would "kick Jay's ass" in [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]].<ref>{{cite magazine | title=Celebrity Quotes | url=https://ew.com/article/1995/02/24/celebrity-quotes/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=February 24, 1995 | access-date=June 9, 2022}}</ref> ==== Support of gay rights and the fight against AIDS ==== Hall was a supporter of [[LGBT rights in the United States|gay rights]] long before the movement had become overwhelmingly popular and supported in the mainstream, [[African-American LGBT community|especially in black culture]]. In the early 1990s, this culminated in an episode of ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' where Hall was protested by gay rights activists, who criticized that he didn't have any gay guests on the show and that he would occasionally play gay characters; Hall was clearly upset by the accusation, saying he had famously put LGBT celebrities on his show, including [[Elton John]], and had others on who preferred not to publicly advocate their sexual orientation.<ref>{{Citation |title=Arsenio Hall stands his ground against protesters; supports gay guests. | date=May 10, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6W5_CSk044 |access-date=2023-06-11 |language=en}}</ref> After passionately stating his points, Hall received overwhelming woof chants of support from his audience. Additionally, Hall used his fame during this period to help fight worldwide prejudice against [[HIV/AIDS]] after [[Magic Johnson]] contracted the virus. Hall and Johnson filmed a [[public service announcement]] about the disease that aired in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1992-04-19-9204190407-story.html|title=Magic Johnson, Arsenio Team Up For Aids Video|date=April 19, 1992|work=Orlando Sentinel|access-date=June 9, 2022}}</ref>
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