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Today in History - May 6: Comedian charged for setting TV show set on fire

May 5, 2026 - 7.23pm

A stand-up comedian was charged for setting the furniture on fire during a taping of US program The Tonight Show on May 6, 1994.

Bobcat Goldthwait had established himself as a provocative presence on chat shows in the previous year.

On Late Night with Conan O'Brien he threw furniture around, while on The Arsenio Hall Show, he spray-painted "Paramount Sucks" and began to trash the set.

Bobcat Goldthwait unexpectedly set the seat on fire. NBC

Security had to be called to help Hall restrain Goldthwait. Paramount was the studio that broadcast Hall's show.

So when he appeared on The Tonight Show, expectations were high that he would do something outrageous.

But his unannounced act of arson came without fanfare.

Midway through the interview with host Jay Leno, Goldthwait got up, sprayed lighter fluid on his chair and set it alight.

Leno was profoundly irritated.

"Don't set that on fire," Leno said as Goldthwait squirted lighter fluid on the chair.

Jay Leno was unimpressed with Bobcat Goldthwait's antics. NBC

Leno and fellow guest actress Lauren Hutton put out the flames with their coffee.

Goldthwait then charged off stage, only to slip and fall hard on his back.

His antics did not impress prosecutors either.

He was charged with recklessly causing a fire and had to face court.

Several months later, he was given a $US3888 ($A12,000 in today's money) fine and ordered to record a series of public service announcements to promote a local burns centre.

Goldthwait also appeared as himself in the sitcom The Larry Sanders Show, where the talk show host character invites him on air in a bid to boost ratings.