Johnny Carson was known for being one of the most beloved late night television hosts of all time. That’s why it came as a huge surprise when a private investigator just revealed that he once had to save Carson’s life when the mafia put out a hit on him.

Joseph Mullen is a private investigator who worked for Carson, Mike Wallace and Jerry Orbach, and he has just written a new memoir called “P.I. Diaries,” which is coming out this week. Mullen just opened up about his experience with Carson in a shocking interview.

“Carson thought he could do no wrong, that he was all-powerful, but I had to save his life when he spoke to the wrong woman at ‘Jilly’s Saloon’ in New York,” Mullen said. “It was 1970 and ‘Jilly’s’ was popular with Frank Sinatra and big time members of the Mafia. The woman’s boyfriend was in the mob and as soon as he saw what Carson was doing he contacted the head of the family in a fury.”

“Pretty soon there were some heavies outside with baseball bats and they made it clear Johnny’s head was going to be the ball,” he continued. “His lawyer begged me for help. I had no-one to go there so I asked my close friend Congressman Mario Biaggi, a former NYPD officer, to see what he could do.”

“Mario had officers get round to ‘Jilly’s’ and give him an escort home. There was a contract put out on Carson’s life and he was holed up at home for three days, allegedly suffering from a cold,” Mullen recalled. “Carson had to work hard to get the contract on his life removed. On top of apologizing to the woman’s mobster boyfriend, he also had to make a substantial donation to the head of the family. Carson paid for the family head’s grandson to go all the way through private school.”

Who would have thought that funny man and TV legend Johnny Carson of all people had a hit out on his life?!

If you want to hear more stories like this one, be sure to purchase “P.I. Diaries” when it comes out on November 8!