Why ‘The Waltons’ Alum Richard Thomas Never Tires of Hearing ‘Good Night, John-Boy’

Richard Thomas will always be grateful for his time on The Waltons.

Speaking to PEOPLE about the secret to his long career — which includes his 2026 Tony Award nomination for his featured performance in David Lindsay-Abaire‘s scathing comedy The Balusters — the 74-year-old actor admits, “There’s no secrets. I’ve just been lucky. I just kept getting hired. I’ve been an actor for hire my whole life, and it’s worked out.”

Thomas made his Broadway debut at just seven years old, appearing in Sunrise at Campobello. He then transitioned to TV and film roles, including 1969’s Winning with Paul Newman.

Then, in 1972, he was cast on The Waltons as John-Boy Walton, the family’s eldest son. He starred on the series for the first five seasons, made guest appearances in the sixth and seventh seasons and later returned for three TV movies in the 1990s. He won an Emmy for The Waltons in 1973.

Every episode of the show featured the cast wishing each other goodnight, which accidentally created the show’s most iconic catchphrase in “Good night, John-Boy” — a simple sign-off that has endured far beyond The Waltons, becoming one of television’s most recognizable expressions of warmth, comfort and family connection.

Does Thomas ever get tired of hearing fans say the line?

“Oh God, no,” he says. “Oh no, no. I love it.” He shares that sometimes when he does shows, during the curtain call, “I get lots of ‘Good night, John-Boys.’ It’s very sweet. It makes me very happy.”

More than five decades after The Waltons premiered, Thomas still sounds genuinely moved by the affection audiences have for the series — even as his own career has stretched far beyond the wholesome mountain drama that made him famous.

Having grown up in the industry himself alongside other young performers, he’s also deeply aware of the pressures that can come with early fame.

“It looks easy and fun and fabulous, but it’s very challenging,” he says, noting how much he feels for young actors navigating the social media world today, where fame comes with constant scrutiny and far less privacy than he experienced as a child star in the 1970s. “We still had some privacy in our lives.”

Without the pressures of today’s always-online culture, Thomas says the young cast of The Waltons was able to form genuine lifelong bonds. The actor shares that his former costars — including Michael Learned, Jon Walmsley, Judy Norton, Mary Elizabeth McDonough, Eric Scott, David W. Harper and Kami Cotler — are “still like a big family.”

“We’re very close, stay in touch all the time,” he shares. “Nothing better could have ever happened to any other actor.”

That sense of connection and ensemble is something Thomas says he’s been lucky enough to find again in The Balusters, where he’s earning some of the strongest reviews of his Broadway career.

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In the play, Thomas stars as Elliot Emerson, the tightly wound head of a suburban homeowners’ association whose desperate need to preserve the status quo is challenged by a new neighbor, played by Tony winner Anika Noni Rose.

Thomas has drawn acclaim for the performance, balancing bluster, comedy and heartbreak as Elliot. The role gives Thomas a chance to weaponize both his warmth and volatility, slowly unraveling over the course of the play.

By the final scene, he throws a full-scale tantrum and tears apart the set — delivering one of the production’s biggest crowd-pleasing moments.

Playing the breakdown scene is “so much fun,” he says, though it’s also “emotionally very rich and taxing.”

“Nothing is better,” he adds. “I’ve never had this experience before of sitting in an easy chair for the preponderance of the show and then getting up and destroying the set at the end.”

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Thomas credits how fully fleshed out the show’s ensemble feels to Lindsay-Abaire. He praises the playwright for making each character feel “so special.”

“Every character is the star of the show,” he says, praising Lindsay-Abaire’s ability to not “come down” on any one side of the argument. “He’s just letting people be people. We have to make up our own minds.”

The actor also heaps praise on his castmates, including fellow 2026 Tony nominee Marylouise Burke, who stars as one of the board’s longtime members Penny Buell.

“She is our lucky star, and I get to sit there and watch her do that magnificent work every night, eight times a week,” he says of the 85-year-old actress, calling her “just magic.”

He also praises the rest of the company, which includes Desperate Housewives alum Ricardo Chavira, Kayli Carter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Gossip Girl‘s Margaret Colin, Michael Esper, Maria-Christina Oliveras and Jeena Yi.

The Balusters, directed by Kenny Leon and produced by Manhattan Theatre Club, is nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play. The production recently extended its Broadway run at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre through June 21.

With his latest Tony nomination, Thomas is now the nominee with the longest Broadway career in this year’s Tony field — a journey that began when he made his debut at just 7 years old.

Now 68 years later, he’s still soaking it all in. And most importantly, he’s grateful to have his second nomination, after he received a nod in the same category for his role in 2017’s The Little Foxes.

“It makes me feel like the first one wasn’t a mistake,” he jokes.

Tickets for The Balusters are on sale now. The 2026 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. The show will be broadcast live to both coasts on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and will stream on Paramount+.