The public knows Jimmy Fallon as the giggling, everything-is-great late-night host. But to those who worked on The Tonight Show, he could be “dismissive,” “irritable,” and “erratic.”
Rolling Stone spoke to two current and 14 former employees about The Tonight Show‘s “toxic” environment, and how those who worked with Fallon never knew if they were going to get a “good Jimmy” or “bad Jimmy” day. “Mentally, I was in the lowest place of my life,” one former staffer said. “I didn’t want to live anymore. I thought about taking my own life all the time. 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?’”
Here’s an example of a “bad Jimmy” day, involving Jerry Seinfeld:
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.
“It was very awkward, and Jerry was like, ‘You should apologize to him,’ almost trying to make it a joke,” one says. “It was one of the strangest moments ever and so many people were there, so it’s kind of hard to forget.”
The Tonight Show has cycled through nine showrunners in the past nine years, leading to not only inconsistency in leadership but also a “pretty glum atmosphere” where people are afraid to tell Fallon “no.” One person who worked on the show said, “Everybody walked on eggshells… 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.”
“It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is f*cked,” another former employee said. “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.” You can read the entire expose at Rolling Stone.
(Via Rolling Stone)