Gregg Allman and Jimmy Carter were very good friends dating back to Carter’s time as Governor of Georgia. Despite being good friends, Allman couldn’t believe Carter’s ambitions in wanting to be President of the United States.
He recalled this and more in a May 2012 appearance on Conan O’Brien’s TBS talk show Conan. When talking about Carter telling him he was going to be President, Allman said, “I laughed so hard I about choked.”
O’Brien replied, “You laughed at Governor Carter when he said ‘I will be President’?” Allman responded, “Well, yeah! When was the last southern president before him? Anybody?” After a beat of silence, sidekick Andy Richter chimed in with, “What about LBJ? Doesn’t Texas count as the south?” Allman hilariously replied, “Nah! Sorry, I love Texas.”
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Allman was actually invited to the White House on the evening of President Carter’s inauguration. He recalls being in the Lincoln Bedroom and noted how the actual bed was absurdly high off the ground and very narrow. Allman said he was chatting with Carter’s mother in the bedroom. This led to some innuendo-inspired laughter from the studio audience and plenty of jokes from O’Brien himself.
He then says Amy Carter, the youngest Carter child, enters the Lincoln bedroom and says, “Mama says y’all are gonna stay for dinner.” Allman, recognizing the grandness of inauguration day initially declines but ends up having dinner at the White House that evening.
This clip ends with Allman saying, “Tell me a better president we’ve had since.” Bill Maher, who was sitting on set after being the show’s first guest, said, “I agree. [Carter] never fired a shot, and somehow, he got to be the poster boy for being a p-ssy. That’s actually strength when you don’t have to fire a shot.” Allman responds to Maher’s comments with, “Amen. You said it like a profit.” Maher replies, “Amen, brother.” O’Brien chimes in about notorious atheist Maher, “‘Amen?’ He’s religious now. You converted Bill Maher. It can be done!”
