Diddley Squat
During the course of his lengthy career, Ed Sullivan also engaged in a famously rumored conflict with the hugely popular guitarist Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley struggled to remember which song he was supposed to perform before going on the show, so he ended up playing two instead of one—or, at least, he would have, if Sullivan hadn’t interrupted him after the first song! The error reportedly infuriated Sullivan to the point where he would never allow Diddley to appear on the show again, feeling offended that he hadn’t adhered to the rules properly. Diddley continued on to rise to fame and became a huge star despite this.
Diddley Squat
Finger Feud
A few years after the Bo Diddley incident, the wildly popular comedian Jackie Mason was hired by The Ed Sullivan Show for a six-appearance deal, reportedly worth $45,000. However, due to a particular event that happened in 1964, this contract would soon be terminated. In what is now known as “the finger incident,” Jackie Mason pointed at Sullivan who was off-camera and thought he was giving him the finger. The contract for Mason was immediately terminated after Sullivan, a staunch supporter of manners and proper television etiquette, felt deeply insulted. The two then engaged in a protracted legal dispute over the veracity of the allegations.
Finger Feud
