Johnny Carson's Only Known Grandchild Was Reportedly Raised on Welfare & Lived in a Hovel as a Baby

Johnny Carson's grandchildren became a topic of interest to the public when it was revealed that the legendary television host had a mixed-race granddaughter, Christal Love Carson. And according to reports, she lived in horrid conditions while her parents battled it out in court.

While Johnny Carson and his family accumulated a fortune from his success as a television host in Hollywood, his only grandchild, Christal Love Carson, reportedly lived in poverty with her mother and half-siblings in Fort Lauderdale.

According to Johnny Carson's grandchild's mother, the legendary host and his son turned their backs on Christal Love Carson because her mother was black, leaving Johnny Carson's grandchild to live in allegedly unimaginable conditions in a single-parent home.

Johnny Carson's Grandchild Reportedly Lived in 'Abject Poverty'

In 1987, Christal's mother, Tanena Love Green, took Johnny's son, Christopher Allen Carson, to court and requested he pay $300 a week in child support. At the time, Johnny's son paid $125 weekly in temporary child support, with his attorney offering $50 for an eight-month-old Christal. Tanena's attorney responded:

"I think it's a disgusting offer. The child is living in a hovel. I mean, she is living in abject poverty. I have photos of this child with rodent bites."

According to reports, Johnny's grandchild lived off welfare and in a trailer park with her mother and half-sibling. And while Johnny's son had alleged not having been "gainfully employed" for nearly a decade, he testified to having a bank balance of $35,000, and owning two cars and a $119,000 house in Fort Lauderdale, courtesy of his father.

Christal Love Carson's Parents Had a Tumultuous Relationship

During their rocky legal battle, allegations also arose that Johnny's son was bisexual and that he had confided in Tanena's then-husband about having a male lover, from whom Christopher contracted AIDS.

However, it was revealed that Christopher had lied about having AIDS to get Tanena to terminate her pregnancy. According to Tanena's attorney, Christal's parents had been in a nine-year relationship and planned to welcome a child together.

However, when Johnny Carson heard of Christopher's romance with a black woman, he allegedly influenced his son's decision to sever ties with Tanena four months after learning the model and entertainer was pregnant with Christal. Her mother said:

"I think if I had blonde hair, maybe blue eyes, his family would accept me and their only grandchild."

Christal Love Carson Lost Her Mother and Her Famous Grandfather

A few months after her parents went to court, a judge ordered Christal's father to pay $175 weekly in child support, which was deemed enough for her to move to better living conditions.

Both her parents went on to lead lives out of the spotlight, and sadly, in 2021, Christal suffered the loss of her mother. Tanena was 70 when she died during a fire breakout at her Lauderhill townhouse.

"I started to shake her gate, Ms. Love, Ms. Love, Ms. Love,' and she wouldn't say anything," one of Tanena's neighbors said. Christal also experienced the death of her famous grandfather in 2005, who died of emphysema in Los Angeles when he was 79.