SaysWho? Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 In-depth piece by Rolling Stone Chaos, Comedy, and ‘Crying Rooms’: Inside Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’ WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM Sixteen current and former staffers of 'The Tonight Show' say Fallon’s erratic behavior spoiled their 'dream' of working on the show. Quote "It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone's day is fucked," one former employee says. "People wouldn't joke around in the office, and they wouldn't stand around and talk to each other. It was very much like, focus on whatever it is that you have to do because Jimmy's in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off." Quote According to two current and 14 former employees, The Tonight Show has been a toxic workplace for years — far outside the boundaries of what's considered normal in the high-pressure world of late-night TV. They say the ugly environment behind the scenes starts at the top with Fallon's erratic behavior, and has trickled down to its ever-changing leadership teams — nine showrunners in the past nine years — who seemingly don't know how to say no to Jimmy. Former employees describe The Tonight Show as a tense and "pretty glum atmosphere," with some alleging they were belittled and intimidated by their bosses, including Fallon himself. Employees describe being afraid of Fallon's "outbursts" and unexpected, inconsistent behavior. Many of these staffers voiced their concerns through HR complaints, but problems at The Tonight Show persisted. Quote "Nobody told Jimmy, 'No.' Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners," another former employee says. "You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit. Look how many showrunners went so quickly. We know they didn't last long." Quote "Mentally, I was in the lowest place of my life. I didn't want to live anymore. I thought about taking my own life all the time," one former employee says. "I knew deep down I would never actually do it, but in my head, I'm like, 'Why do I think about this all the time?'" One employee says they lost nearly 20 pounds during their time working under showrunner Granet-Bederman, felt like they were on edge all of the time, and cried themselves to sleep every night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenVectron Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Sounds like the exact opposite of Conan as a boss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaysWho? Posted September 8, 2023 Author Share Posted September 8, 2023 This part with Jerry Seinfeld was also interesting: Quote Two employees remember witnessing Fallon scold the crew member who was in charge of his cue cards in the middle of a taping with comedian Jerry Seinfeld. They say it was an uncomfortable moment. Seinfeld told Fallon to apologize to the cue-card production member, which he then allegedly did. The employees say this incident, which felt awkward to watch, did not make it to the version of the show that appeared on television. (Representatives for Seinfeld did not respond to requests for comment.) "It was very awkward, and Jerry [Seinfeld] was like, 'You should apologize to him,' almost trying to make it a joke," a former employee says. "It was one of the strangest moments ever and so many people were there, so it's kind of hard to forget." Quote Representatives for Seinfeld did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Following the publication of the story, however, Seinfeld sent a statement to Rolling Stone: “This is so stupid. I remember this moment quite well… I teased Jimmy about a flub, and we all had a fun laugh about how rarely Jimmy is thrown off. It was not uncomfortable at all. Jimmy and I still occasionally recall it and laugh. Idiotic twisting of events.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Jimmy Fallon Apologizes to ‘Tonight Show’ Staff After Rolling Stone Report WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM “Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends…I feel so bad I can't even tell you,” Fallon reportedly told his workers on an all-hands Zoom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar SFLUFAN Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 I'm at a loss to discern as to why late-night television even still exists. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoberChef Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Bring back Craig Ferguson & his robot, that's all I need for late night TV! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneticBlueprint Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 I’ve never cared for Fallon. Never actively disliked him either. But I have always respected that his show brings in legit musicians as musical guests and band fill-ins much more so than any of its competition. So in that sense it’s disappointing to hear that some are reporting a very toxic work environment. 47 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: I'm at a loss to discern as to why late-night television even still exists. But also this. Very very much this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentbob Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 I would say give the job to Seth Myers but I think the later showtime allows him to stay who he is. Love his closer look segments and is the closest thing I get to being classic Daily Show with JS. Never like tuning into Fallon, as I will usually hop between Kimmel and Colbert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyser_Soze Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 2 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said: I'm at a loss to discern as to why late-night television even still exists. When you're working the graveyard shift it's nice to have something new on that's not just Three and a Half Men reruns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EternallDarkness Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 51 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said: When you're working the graveyard shift it's nice to have something new on that's not just Three and a Half Men reruns. You know I think I've only seen 3 or 4 episodes of that show, but you aren't wrong, I swear when I am clicking through the channels that damn show seems to always be on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reputator Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Jimmy Fallon is aggressively unfunny. If he's volatile and erratic, it probably springs from self-awareness that he's a talentless hack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spork3245 Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Fallon genuinely has always seemed like he’d be a douche in real life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzzzle Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 His "erratic behavior" could be due to the the fact that he's allegedly sloshed all the time. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CitizenVectron Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Just pay Conan a shitload of money to do on-location filming around the world (which is basically what HBO is doing with his new travel show). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kal-El814 Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 Fallon is a documented drip. From Tina Fey’s Bossypants: Quote "Amy was in the middle of some such nonsense with Seth Meyers across the table, and she did something vulgar as a joke. I can't remember what it was exactly, except it was dirty and loud and 'unladylike,' Fey wrote. "Jimmy Fallon, who was arguably the star of the show at the time, turned to her and in a faux-squeamish voice said: 'Stop that! It's not cute! I don't like it.'" In response, "Amy dropped what she was doing, went black in the eyes for a second, and wheeled around on him. 'I don't fucking care if you like it.' Jimmy was visibly startled. Amy went right back to enjoying her ridiculous bit," according to Fey. And the two of them are friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Kal-El814 said: Fallon is a documented drip. From Tina Fey’s Bossypants: And the two of them are friends. The only new info here is that he can get mean because of the drinking. Apparently he's constantly out in public absolutely shitfaced but with his behavior generally sounding relatively okay other than just being obnoxiously jolly drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentbob Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepee Posted September 8, 2023 Share Posted September 8, 2023 I was on the studio tour at Universal Studios today which is unfortunately hosted by Jimmy Fallon and some people boo’d when they introduced him lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best3444 Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 13 hours ago, stepee said: I was on the studio tour at Universal Studios today which is unfortunately hosted by Jimmy Fallon and some people boo’d when they introduced him lol That'll show em! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamer.tv Posted September 9, 2023 Share Posted September 9, 2023 These comments and his approach summarises every bad leader I’ve seen. The trick is get out and blow the whistle as you leave. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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