From The Late Show to The Arsenio Hall Show, Arsenio Hall is ready to tell his story.
The former late-night host is set to chronicle his life and career in a “bracingly candid” new memoir due out next spring. Titled Arsenio: A Memoir, the book will follow Hall’s trajectory from “hosting his first talk show in the basement of his apartment building when he was in elementary school” to his storied run on The Arsenio Hall Show and beyond. The book is being billed as a “behind-the-scenes, star-studded, no-holds-barred” account of “celebrity, race, and show business.”
Hall became a significant figure in the history of late-night television with the launch of The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989. The program became not just a rare competitor to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, but a valuable offering of Black representation in an otherwise non-diverse lineup.
That syndicated late-night show came after Hall’s celebrated run guest-hosting Fox’s The Late Show following Joan Rivers‘ departure from the program.
Hall’s run with The Arsenio Hall Show went on to include a number of storied moments, from notable guest appearances by Bill Clinton, Tupac Shakur, and Maya Angelou, to trading barbs in the press with late-night rival Jay Leno. (Despite their one-time professional rivalry, Leno and Hall are good friends and frequent touring partners. In fact, Hall’s new memoir is said to contain a story about the duo rescuing a family from a house fire.)
The Arsenio Hall Show went off the air in 1994, but was revived for one season from 2013-2014.
Outside of his own show, Hall is known for hosting Star Search and acting in films like Harlem Nights and Coming to America. He reprised his role in the latter for the long-awaited sequel, Coming 2 America, in 2021. Hall also released his first stand-up special, Arsenio Hall: Smart and Classy, on Netflix in 2019. Over the course of his career, Hall formed friendships with such iconic figures as Richard Pryor, Sammy Davis Jr., and Muhammad Ali—all of whom he’s set to cover in the new book.
Arsenio: A Memoir is due out on April 7, 2026 via Atria/Black Privilege Publishing.
I watched Mr. Hall’s late night show. He was not funny.