The incident was often replayed in "Tonight Show" retrospectives and was considered a major highlight of the 1970s era of the show. The incident was also featured in "". In a 2005 interview with "The New York Times", Rickles said that the incident was a genuine accident, but he and Carson played up the drama. "Knowing Johnny, he milked it a little bit. And I added to it." He also said he had no idea that Carson would barge in on his set that day. "I was really taken. In those days, those were bigger cameras than they are today. To schlep all that stuff into the other studio was quite an event."