Marc Summers Explains Burt Reynolds Tonight Show Fight

Marc Summers has described the events behind his 1994 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where an exchange with Burt Reynolds escalated into a physical pie fight. The Double Dare host said the incident was not staged and happened during a live television appearance.

According to PEOPLE, Summers said he had long wanted to appear on The Tonight Show and later fulfilled that goal with Leno rather than Johnny Carson. The episode became memorable after Reynolds stayed longer than planned during the program.

"My entire life, I wanted to be on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. I was obsessed with Johnny and I got to interview him. I was working at a radio station in Indianapolis when I was 15, WBMP FM, which I did on weekends, and by the way, when I left BMP, a guy by the name of Dave Letterman took my place," said Marc Summers.

Summers told PEOPLE that Reynolds was dealing with a difficult divorce at the time and his extended appearance changed the planned schedule. Summers said the confrontation began after Reynolds mocked him during their segment.

"Burt started to make fun of me, and I said I was a neatness fanatic. He said, 'Who told you you were a neatness fanatic?' and I said, 'My wife did,' and then I said, 'and by the way, I'm still married.' Well, the whole audience went, 'Whoa,' and he had a glass of water and he poured it in my crotch. And then I tried to counteract that and take the water and pour it in his crotch, and he straight-armed me, and he hit me in the face with the cup," said Marc Summers.

Summers said the situation continued when Leno introduced pies that were intended for a challenge inspired by Double Dare. The host said the resulting fight was unexpected.

"All hell broke loose after that. Jay brought out some pies, and we got into a massive pie fight," said Marc Summers.

He also rejected claims that the moment was planned entertainment, saying the physical exchange was genuine. Summers connected the episode to Leno's competition with David Letterman in late-night television.

"It was not fixed. Trust me. I was fighting for my life on that show, and, yeah, this is what happened. We got into a pie fight," said Marc Summers.

"Dave Letterman was beating Jay every night; that's the first night that Jay tied Letterman, and, yeah, it was a night I'll never forget," said Marc Summers.

Reynolds was also known for his acclaimed role as Jack Horner in Boogie Nights, which earned him his only Academy Award nomination. According to The Guardian, Reynolds later said he disliked the film and his experience working with director Paul Thomas Anderson.

"I don't like those people, I feel like they are due for a very hard time because they tried to do legitimate film and they're never going to be able to. It's sad, they were very sad people and they showed up a lot of times on set. It's a one-way street, if you go down that road as an actor, you're finished," said Burt Reynolds.