Here's Who Inherited Johnny Carson's Money After His Death

As Johnny Carson's widow, Alexis Maas inherited the money that Carson did not leave to charity and to his foundation. She split the inheritance with Carson's remaining sons Chris and Cory (per CelebAnswers). Carson's son Richard died in a car crash in 1991. All of Carson's children were with his first wife, Jody Morrill Wolcott. Today, Carson's descendants keep low profiles. None of his children followed in his footsteps to Hollywood. Biographer Henry Bushkin (2013's "Johnny Carson"), Carson's former attorney, stated that Carson's children "never gave him anything to be particularly proud of" (per Closer Weekly). Maas also inherited the Malibu estate where Carson had lived from the 1980s until his death. The Dirt reports she sold the four-acre property in 2007 for $36.5 million.

Though he did leave part of his estate to his surviving sons, it is clear that he did not necessarily have close relationships with any of them. Even so, the death of Richard made him "conscious of what's important." He retired from television just a year later. During his signoff he addressed his sons: "I realize that being the offspring of someone who is constantly in the public eye is not easy. So guys, I want you to know that I love you" (per the Los Angeles Times). He lived the rest of his life rather privately.

Not only does Carson's legacy live on in his philanthropic work, but also in the present-day late night talk shows. Jimmy Fallon took over for Jay Leno as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" in 2014 (per Britannica). It is up to everyone's own opinion which host was the best of the three, but Carson definitely holds a place in late night history and in the hearts of his fans for his humor and humanity throughout his life.