-Welcome to "The Tonight Show."
[ Cheers and applause ] Thank you very much.
Uh, well, guys, we just had
some crazy weather here in New York City.
A powerful storm came in yesterday
that delivered nearly 3 inches of rain
and 50-mile-per-hour winds.
Yeah, and yet people still came to see
the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
[ Laughter ]
Because that's when you want to be there.
50-mile-per-hour winds next to an 80-foot tree
in a 3-foot stand. [ Laughter ]
Timber!
[ Laughter ]
Yeah, the wind was so nuts that the star on top of the tree
ended up in a pot of gumbo over at
Bubba Gump's Shrimp in Times Square.
[ Laughter ]
But here's the good news --
the rain washed away everything on the sidewalk
left over from SantaCon. So that's the good thing.
Most of it. Most of it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Hey, did you guys hear about this?
Today, former president Trump was supposed to testify
for the defense in his New York civil fraud trial
but canceled at the last minute
because he has "nothing more to say."
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
Wow. I'll take it.
-Wow! -It's weird.
Basically, Trump gave himself a gag order.
[ Laughter ]
Trump has nothing more to say?
That's like offering Cookie Monster a cookie
and hearing, "Me full." No, that's...
[ Laughter and applause ]
Yeah, Trump's decided not to speak,
which means, tonight, he's going to explode
on Truth Social like a -- like a self-driving Tesla.
Do you know what I'm talking about? Yeah.
Speaking of Trump, this weekend, he headlined the New York
Young Republicans Gala, and he shared some thoughts
on one of his lawyers.
-Oh. -Watch this.
-And she happens to be a beautiful woman.
But I never think about that
because I never talk about beauty.
To me, I can see the most beautiful woman in the world,
it doesn't register with me at all.
Beauty doesn't matter. But she's beautiful.
But she's a great lawyer.
[ Laughter ]
-Think he might have overdone it a little bit.
You know what I'm saying? It's like when someone says,
"I'm fine" six times, you know? "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine!
Okay. It's a little blood. Okay, fine. Yeah."
Trump's like, "When I watch 'Beauty and the Beast,'
I focus all my attention on the Beast."
[ Laughter ]
"I don't even look at Beauty. I look at the Beast.
Everyone loves the Beast." [ Laughter ]
Some more political news.
A bipartisan group of senators
just introduced a new Fans First bill,
aimed at reforming the live-event ticketing industry.
Yep, even senators are fed up with sites like Ticketmaster,
and already many of them are talking
about their favorite bands and shows
that they're excited to see under the new bill.
For instance, Senator Roger Marshall
is excited to see his favorite rock duo,
The White Strips, and, uh...
[ Laughter ]
Next up, Senator Debbie Stabenow is expected
to see her favorite show, "Hairspray."
And... [ Laughter ]
Senators Mark Kelly, Pete Ricketts and Cory Booker
are excited to see their favorite show,
Blue Man Group, and that's...
[ Laughter and applause ]
Next up, Senator James Lankford
is excited for his favorite band,
the Mild as Possible Chili Peppers.
[ Laughter ]
In fact, don't even include the peppers.
How about that?
And finally, 90-year-old Senator Chuck Grassley
is pumped for Megan Thee Stallion.
I didn't even know he's a fan. [ Laughter ]
He's a big fan. He's a big fan.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Guys, listen to this. During a livestream event on X
with Elon Musk and 100,000 listeners,
Vivek Ramaswamy forgot to mute himself
while going to the restroom.
[ Audience groans ]
Well, that gives a whole new meaning
to the word "livestream."
[ Laughter and applause ] -Whoa!
Hey! -Actually...
[ Cheers and applause ]
-European.
-How does that happen, though, you know?
Even Biden's never done this,
and he goes 30 times a day. You know what I'm saying?
Guys, some business news. I read that the department store
Macy's is considering a buyout for $5.8 billion.
-Ooh. -Wow. $5.8 billion for the store
people walk through to get into the real mall.
[ Laughter ]
-"This way! The perfume --"
[ Laughter ]
Meanwhile, JCPenney just received
a very competitive offer from a pack of wild dogs.
[ Laughter ]
I love JCPenney. Remember JCPenney?
Guys, I heard that a 17-year-old law clerk
just became the youngest person
to pass California's bar exam.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Impressive.
You know, you're a wild 17-year-old
when that's the bar you're trying to get into.
[ Laughter ]
Maybe he was struck by lightning, because right now
there's a 60-year-old law partner
doing jello shots at Señor Frogs.
And finally, guys, we have exactly 10 shows left
before we go on Christmas break, which means it's time
for that beloved "Tonight Show" tradition.
It's time for "12 Days of Christmas Sweaters."
[ Cheers and applause ]
-♪ 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters ♪
♪ 10 days left ♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
-That's right. Every show between now and Christmas,
we'll be giving one lucky audience member
a slappin' Christmas sweater
from the Countdown to Christmas Cabinet.
Since there are 10 shows left...
[ Cheers and applause ]
Since there are 10 shows left, let's open door number 10.
Even -- where -- Oh, this is it right here?
Oh, it looks big. It looks big.
Okay, go for it. Thank you.
[ Drumroll ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
-Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
That was a nice one. Let's, uh...
Now let's see who's going home with tonight's sweater.
Everyone look at your seat number.
If I call your number, I need you to jump up
and let me know where you are.
Quest, can I get a drumroll, please?
Who wants me to pick their number?
It's a good one.
[ Cheers and applause ]
2-4-7!
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
-Get over here!
♪♪
Hi! I'm so happy!
What is your name, and where are you from?
-Melinda Powell. I'm from Roanoke, Virginia.
-Hey! [ Cheers and applause ]
Welcome to the show. Thank you for being here.
Now, I know it can get a little chilly sometimes in Virginia,
so you need a --
You don't have anything like this, do you, at home?
Do you? -No, not quite.
-Not quite. Would you like to try it on tonight?
-Oh, absolutely. -Oh, my God.
[ Laughter ]
What a great accent.
There you go right there. -Okay.
-You gotta just kind of dive in.
Let me know...
Let me know if you're okay.
Are you okay? Are you okay?
-I don't know! -All right, hold on.
I think it's good. So far, so good.
Can you breathe? -My hands complete!
-No, no, your head can go -- You can do it.
-You can do it. Oh!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Wow! Look at --
You look gorgeous.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Wow! Whoa.
You look fantastic. You look gorgeous.
Thank you so much for being here.
Congratulations. -Thank you.
-Stick around. We'll be doing some special shout-outs
when we come back, everybody. It's gonna be fun.
[ Cheers and applause ] Congratulations!