Arsenio Hall

This is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya Mosley. That's how America was welcomed into the party that was known as the Arsinio Hall Show. His name stretched out the way his mother used to call him into the house when he was a kid growing up in Cleveland. During its run in the late 80s and early 90s, Time magazine called Arcinio hip brash and the new generation, and some of the most important moments in American culture happened on Arsenio's couch.

Magic Johnson chose the show as the first place to speak after announcing his HIV diagnosis. When Los Angeles burned after the Rotney King verdict, executives wanted the show to go dark, but Arsenio went on anyway. And one night, a charming governor from Arkansas, running for president, showed up with a saxophone. That appearance would go on to be credited as a turning point in the 92 presidential election, strengthening Clinton's hold on young and black voters who helped carry Clinton to the White House.

I was a teenager in Detroit, staying up past my bedtime to watch, and I was not alone. At its peak, the Arsenio Hall show was syndicated on nearly 200 stations, running second in the late night ratings to Arsenio's idol, Johnny Carson, an unthinkable feat at the time. And then just like that, poof, the show was gone. But here's what I never knew until I read Arsinio's new memoir. The show wasn't cancelled, Arsinio quit, walking away from a dream he'd been rehearsing since he was twelve years old.

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