In the '80s, John Davidson Made Millions as a TV Game Show Host. Struggles in His Personal Life Kept Him from Being 'Totally Happy'
- - In the '80s, John Davidson Made Millions as a TV Game Show Host. Struggles in His Personal Life Kept Him from Being 'Totally Happy'
Virginia ChamleeJanuary 3, 2026 at 1:00 AM
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John Davidson -
In the 1980s, John Davidson was a household name as the host of a several popular game shows
Davidson's entertainment career began in sitcoms and variety shows, with him serving as host of two primetime variety hour-long shows in 1966
In 1980, he was a PEOPLE cover star, saying, "You know, if all this had happened to me 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been ready for it"
In the 1980s, John Davidson was a household name as the host of a several popular game shows — Time Machine, Hollywood Squares, That's Incredible! and a revival of The $100,000 Pyramid. The actor, singer and host was at one point such a recognizable figure that he became a PEOPLE magazine cover star.
Davidson's entertainment career began in sitcoms and variety shows, with him serving as host of two primetime variety hour-long shows in 1966: The Kraft Summer Music Hall and The John Davidson Show (which included George Carlin and Richard Pryor).
His fame exploded in the 1980s with the launch of That's Incredible!, which featured regular people with unusual talents.
JOHN DAVIDSON People Magazine Cover 1980
As PEOPLE reported in 1980, the then 38-year-old Davidson "signed a $7.5 million, five-year talk show deal when the Westinghouse broadcasting empire cruelly decided that Mike Douglas was too old, at 55, to be its syndicated flag-bearer. That made Davidson the dimpled darling of all television."
It also made him something of a social butterfly, with PEOPLE reporting then that his "frenetic new schedule leaves him little time for his sports: tennis, scuba diving and sailing his 96-foot, $1 million yacht. He left his six Arabians at his Hidden Hills ranch, but often rides with the kids during his frequent visits."
"You know," Davidson reflected, "if all this had happened to me 10 years ago, I wouldn't have been ready for it. I still had a lot of growing up to do. My problems with my marriage have made me a much more caring person."
But the rapid success also "played hell with a home life that once seemed idyllic," PEOPLE noted.
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Davidson's 11-year marriage to singer Jackie Miller was at that point strained, he told PEOPLE.
"My wife and I are having trouble with our marriage," Davidson said at the time. "It's the only thing that keeps me from being totally happy. To fail at my marriage when everything else is going so well would really hurt."
Davidson denied being romantic with other women at the time though, as PEOPLE noted, he did admit to a friendship with Rhonda Rivera, a member of his TV backup trio, Blush.
"Karen is a friend and we've gone around together. I've also escorted singers from my backup group. I've always felt it was silly to be alone," he said at the time, adding that he did not believe in "open marriage" and had not been unfaithful in his marriage.In 1982, Davidson and Miller divorced (they had two children: John Davidson, Jr., who often appeared with his father in his Hollywood Squares appearances and Jennifer).
Davidson married Rivera in 1983; the two have a daughter, Ashleigh Davidson.
Other than game shows, Davidson worked as an actor and musician. In 1967, he made his film debut in The Happiest Millionaire, appearing in the occasional sitcom and film after that and also recording twelve albums in the '60s and '70s.
The actor has had his share of struggles, opening up to PEOPLE about his brother Porter's suicide at age 31.
"When I was 26, starring in a Disney film in Hollywood, my brother Porter — a Yale graduate and math genius — [killed himself]. He just couldn't stand to be alive. I was so locked in at the time that I didn't show any emotion. Later it hit," Davidson said.
In 1977, tragedy would strike again when a fire broke out at the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Ky., where Davidson was performing. Some 164 people (including his music director and five members of the band) were killed. "Again, I just went numb," John recalled to PEOPLE. "A couple of weeks later I couldn't stop crying. But for a while I didn't show any emotion."
Now 85, the actor, singer, and host remains married to his second wife, with the entertainer saying in a 2015 video filmed for the Openly Secular that they resided in New Hampshire.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
