Before the age of TikTok fails and viral bloopers, there were comedy legends who didn’t need digital filters or hashtags to crack up a crowd. They just needed to be themselves, and few embodied that better than Tim Conway.
Known for his deadpan delivery and uncanny ability to turn even the most mundane situation into pure comedy, Tim left a mark that went far beyond scripted lines or punchy one-liners. He was a natural, and perhaps no moment showcases his gift better than the night his necktie turned a restroom into an unexpected stage on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The story goes like this: just minutes before he was scheduled to walk onto the set in front of millions of viewers, Tim Conway found himself in a hilariously ridiculous predicament. He was in the men’s room, going about his business, when his tie—a special one given to him by his kids—got caught in one of those wall-mounted paper towel dispensers. The more he tugged, the worse it got.
What was supposed to be a quick pit stop turned into a full-blown entanglement. It’s the kind of thing most people would panic over, or at least try to hide. But not Tim. Johnny Carson, curious about why Tim hadn’t appeared yet, came to investigate and discovered him stuck—literally and figuratively—in the bathroom. There was Tim, half-laughing, half-trapped, with the dispenser clinging to his tie like it had something to prove. He wasn’t flustered or embarrassed. He just stood there, calmly narrating the absurdity of it all, like getting swallowed by a paper dispenser was no big deal. What could’ve been a backstage emergency became a spontaneous stroke of comedic genius. Rather than delay the show or try to untangle him in secret, Johnny Carson decided to turn the situation into live television gold. So they brought the cameras into the bathroom and started the interview right then and there.
There they were—Johnny, Tim, and the now-famous paper towel dispenser—all part of an impromptu performance that felt both surreal and hilarious. Tim, always the master of understatement, even suggested snipping the tie to get free, only to backpedal immediately. “My kids gave me this,” he said with that perfect mix of sincerity and comic timing that made him so beloved. The idea of sacrificing a tie chosen with love, even in the name of comedy, was just too much.
Eventually, they did manage to free him—or at least mostly. Tim walked onto the stage with remnants of the dispenser still clinging to him like pieces of some bizarre modern art installation. It looked as if he had lost a battle with a paper towel robot and decided to just own the look. The audience erupted. Carson, usually the epitome of cool, couldn’t contain his laughter. And Tim? He played it straight the entire time, which only made it funnier. There was no script, no setup, just pure, unscripted brilliance that struck a chord with everyone watching. That moment—so random, so honest—is exactly why people adored Tim Conway. He didn’t force the funny. He let it happen and brought everyone along for the ride. In a world that often feels too curated and polished, Tim gave us the gift of chaos wrapped in charm. He reminded us that humor isn’t always about clever lines or rehearsed bits. Sometimes, it’s about standing in a restroom with a tie stuck in a machine, cracking jokes while you wait for someone to figure out how to get you unstuck. And somehow, that moment became comedy history. Because when you mix humility, impeccable timing, and a touch of absurdity, you get something unforgettable. You get Tim Conway—comedy’s reluctant superhero, towel dispenser and all.
