Guest host

A guest host (or guest presenter in the United Kingdom) is a host, usually of a talk show, that substitutes for the regular host if they are, for example, ill or have other commitments. Although guest hosts are often undesirable, some shows have seen the guest host do a better job than the main host, and filling in as a guest host has helped to launch the careers of a variety of television and radio talents. In U.S. radio, the concept of a guest host is known as a "swing jock".

This phrase was popularized on The Tonight Show during Johnny Carson's 30-year reign as host from 1962 to 1992. Toward the end of his tenure, Carson was granted more personal time off, and substitute hosts would be seen on the air more often. "Permanent guest host" is an oxymoron that likely originated on The Tonight Show. Some guest hosts of The Tonight Show have gone on to host talk shows of their own. Jay Leno went on to succeed Johnny Carson; Joan Rivers went on to host The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers on Fox; and David Brenner hosted the short-lived Nightlife in the late-1980s. Richard Belzer hosted Hot Properties on the Lifetime network in the mid-1980s. When Rivers was fired by FOX in 1988, The Late Show adopted a format consisting only of guest hosts. One of them, Arsenio Hall, went on to his own show, which lasted 1989 to 1994.

The View first became popular with the guest host format in between the arrivals and departures of the program's youngest co-hosts, Debbie Matenopoulos, Lisa Ling, and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. Although a variety of celebrities took turns in the chair, only the younger co-hosts were eligible for the job. During its tenth season, The View began featuring a guest host each day; regular Barbara Walters did not appear with nobody yet eligible to replace Star Jones, who left the previous year. Following the departure of Rosie O'Donnell in 2007 the program looked to return to a panel of five women. The moderator role was given to comedian Whoopi Goldberg in August and Jones' role was given to actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd the week following Goldberg's debut. The View used the guest host format in place of Elisabeth Hasselbeck in 2009 while she was on maternity leave.

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