News

At the beginning of this week, Jimmy Fallon seemed to be bursting with happiness after experiencing one of the highlights of his career when The Rolling Stones chose him to host the unveiling of their new album. Little did we imagine that he would have to apologize to his employees 24 hours later through a Zoom meeting after, ironically, the Rolling Stone magazine published an investigation suggesting that the comedian might not be as kind and charismatic as he appears on his popular The Tonight Show.

For this controversial report, the iconic magazine contacted over 80 current and former employees of the late-night show, as well as representatives of Fallon and the channel that airs his program, NBC. Many of them praised Jimmy’s comedy talent, but a significant portion hesitated to speak publicly about the workplace situation, but in fact, they had nothing positive to say, according to the information gathered by the magazine. However, nearly twenty members -both current and former, but mostly ex-employees- of the team did step forward to discuss the alleged abuses of one of America’s most beloved hosts until now. They did so anonymously «out of fear of retaliation.»

Emotional «Outbursts», «Crying Rooms,» and Suspicions of Alcoholism

According to two current employees and up to 14 former workers interviewed, The Tonight Show has been a «toxic workplace for many years,» far «beyond what is considered normal» in the demanding world of late-night television. The crux of the situation appears to be Fallon’s «erratic behavior,» which also seems to be related to an excessive turnover in his production team. Since the host has been on the show, there have been up to 9 different showrunners in the past 9 years, who «didn’t know to say no» to him. The consulted staff reported great discomfort due to fear of Fallon’s sudden «outbursts» and «unexpected and inconsistent behavior,» as well as his «passive-aggressive feedback» and «personal insults.» Despite reporting the situation to Human Resources, it allegedly persisted.

A situation that significantly impacted the mental health of affected employees, who said it was common for the staff to jokingly talk about «wanting to kill themselves» and refer to the guest artists’ dressing rooms as «crying rooms» because that’s where they would go to vent about the alleged mistreatment. Numerous specific instances are recounted where Fallon allegedly mistreated and humiliated his team.

Amidst all these accusations, the magazine suggests that rumors about Fallon’s problematic relationship with alcohol have circulated in the industry over the years. In fact, The New York Post once reported that NBC executives were concerned about the host’s drinking habits, something he later denied in an interview with The New York Times in 2017.

«I couldn’t do a daily job if I drank every night. That’s just kicking you when you’re already down,» the host stated.

However, several employees have claimed to have witnessed Fallon displaying clear signs of having consumed alcohol at work in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Up to 8 former employees have concurred that «Fallon’s behavior depended on whether he was hungover from the previous night.»

The popular host wouldn’t be the only high-ranking figure associated with the show receiving harsh criticism from their employees, as they have also alleged inappropriate behavior from former showrunners Jamie Granet-Bederman and Needa Sweiss.

Apologies

Upon learning of the information presented in the impactful report, Jimmy Fallon apologized to his employees in a Zoom meeting this past Thursday, also convened by the current program director, Chris Miller.

«It’s embarrassing, I feel really bad. I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed you, your families, and your friends… I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.» These were the words, according to the involved workers, in which the host delivered a «sincere apology.» This sad news has rocked the American media landscape in the midst of a writers’ strike that has left this show and many others still on hold, with their employees on leave.