An educational side hustle?
A pandemic-themed holiday song?
There's a lot you may not know about The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon.
Many comedians have dark pasts that fuel their need for laughter, but Jimmy Fallon had it
pretty well growing up by all accounts.
The future host of "The Tonight Show" was born in New York City to happy parents Gloria
and James Fallon.
As he'd later describe to Vanity Fair, his childhood was picture perfect.
He elaborated —
"My grandparents were so happy, everyone in the family was funny, and there was no divorce,
no unemployment."
Nevertheless, like many childhoods, Fallon's was full of rules: his parents were strict
in terms of what he was allowed to watch and where he was allowed to go.
There was eventually an exception to that rule, however: the NBC sketch comedy program
"Saturday Night Live."
As a teenager, Fallon became obsessed with the show.
He would stay up late every Saturday night to watch it, a tradition he continues now
with his wife and children.
Aside from "Saturday Night Live," Fallon was an avid listener of "The Dr. Demento Show,"
which introduced the world to comedy acts like "Weird" Al Yankovic.
Fallon's family was the perfect audience for his own early attempts at comedy, including
impressions of Dana Carvey and Pee-Wee Herman.
Soon enough, Fallon would be on his way to becoming an ambitious new face on the comedy scene.
Before Jimmy Fallon was fully committed to his future as a comedian, his other job prospects
were influenced by other aspects of his upbringing.
The Fallons were a family of devout Irish Catholics, which led a young Jimmy to consider
becoming a priest.
While many would feel inclined to do this out of a deep respect for their religion,
Fallon had more of an interest in the pageantry of the church, which he became acquainted
with as an altar boy.
As Fallon later recalled, being an altar boy was his first experience with being in front
of a crowd, but eventually it became clear he was desperate for a little more validation.
He echoed this idea on Mike Birbiglia's "Working It Out" podcast in 2022, mentioning that being
a funny priest seemed much easier than being a funny comedian.
Still, Fallon's interest in comedy eventually thrust him into the much higher stakes world
of stand-up.
Fallon performed stand-up comedy on the side during his college years, often taking the
bus from The College of Saint Rose in Albany to the famous Caroline's Comedy Club in Times Square.
Though his early attempts at telling jokes trended more towards Andy Kaufman-esque stunts,
he found a small amount of success through impressions, which guided him towards the
next stage of his burgeoning comedy career.
"First up, Mr. John Travolta…”
“Geezlikethanksforhavingmeisweartogodthesethingsaresoweirdoverhereright?"
After dropping out of college in 1995, Jimmy Fallon moved to Los Angeles with the goal
of pursuing comedy full-time — a prospect many have tried, but few have successfully
been able to do.
Nevertheless, his ambition was noticed by Hollywood professionals, eventually gaining
him a manager and earning him his first few dollars on stage.
He enrolled in improv classes with The Groundlings, a historic comedy school with alumni including
Conan O'Brien, Tyra Banks, and Dax Shepard.
It wasn't long before Fallon started to sneak his way into film and TV.
He landed his first TV gig with a guest appearance as a photographer in the second season of
ABC's "Spin City," a late '90s sitcom starring Michael J. Fox and Richard Kind.
Believe it or not, Fallon's casting on "Spin City" may be owed to a certain future Avenger.
During a 2023 episode of "The Tonight Show," Fallon and Chris Evans discussed the fact
that, around the time that Fallon appeared on "Spin City," Evans was an intern in the
casting office.
"I think you may have cast me—"
"Did I give you your first job?!"
"Wow!
This is…
I feel like I owe my whole career to you!"
"Yeah, that's amazing!"
Still, performing on "SNL" would remain Fallon's white whale for years to come.
Jimmy Fallon's determination to be a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" didn't wane
during his time in Los Angeles, and his opportunity to audition finally came when he was just
21 years old.
He didn't impress the show's producers enough to earn a spot on the cast or as a writer
— and for a moment, Fallon's childhood dream seemed crushed.
While others would have taken this loss as the end of their journey, Fallon kept his
chin up.
Over the next two years, he accrued more experience and TV roles, including a pilot for The WB network.
Fallon was deadly serious about his ambitions: he recounted to Rolling Stone —
"I remember saying to myself, 'If I don't make it on 'Saturday Night Live' before I'm
25, I'm going to kill myself.'"
Fortunately, things didn't come to that, as Fallon got a second chance to audition in 1997.
His winning bit was a parade of celebrity impressions, which included Jerry Seinfeld,
Chris Rock, and Adam Sandler, which pulled a rare laugh from "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels.
"So I was like, I was like — 'Yeah, my mom, uh, wants me to go on this walkathon, and
I keep telling her, you know, SHABADEDOO!'"
Fallon joined the cast of Season 24 in 1998.
After his audition, "Saturday Night Live" head writer Tina Fey testified that Fallon
was truly prepared to be a part of the cast.
Fey recalled Fallon's audition to Vanity Fair, saying —
"He's one of two people I've ever seen who was completely ready to be on the show."
Luckily, Fey's hunch proved correct, as Fallon quickly won over audiences with the same Adam
Sandler impression that won over Lorne Michaels.
Seemingly overnight, Jimmy Fallon went from struggling stand-up comic to the latest "SNL" star.
He appeared in recurring sketches like The Boston Teens with Rachel Dratch and had many
amusing instances of breaking character and cracking up with fellow cast member Horatio Sanz.
Fallon famously broke during the iconic "More Cowbell" sketch, as well as one disastrous
edition of Debbie Downer at Disney World.
"I can't have children!"
Fallon's escapades, partially with Sanz, weren't just limited to their on-air hijinks.
Notably, the two took full advantage of "Saturday Night Live's" culture of partying and alcohol,
staying out into the early hours of the morning drinking and getting into occasional bar fights.
Sanz later recounted to Vulture —
"We definitely fed into the fact that being out of control is good on that show."
"Saturday Night Live" quickly increased Jimmy Fallon's celebrity profile, as the comedian
was upgraded from featured player to main cast member after only one season.
Fallon later gained even more notoriety when he began co-hosting "Weekend Update" alongside
Tina Fey during his third season on the show.
Around the same time, Fallon played a minor role in Cameron Crowe's 2000 film "Almost
Famous," as promotional manager Dennis Hope.
Eventually, Fallon ended up being chosen to host various award shows for MTV over the
years, including the MTV Movie Awards and the Video Music Awards.
While hosting the former in 2005, Fallon first encountered a trio of writers and sketch comedians
known as The Lonely Island, consisting of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone.
Their unique sense of humor caught Fallon's attention.
Fallon ended up recommending the trio's online content to the producers of "Saturday Night
Live," and before long, Lorne Michaels invited them to audition.
Samberg joined the show as a cast member with Jorma and Akiva as writers, and the three
completely changed "SNL" for the digital age.
Even after each of them moved on from the show, the members of The Lonely Island have
appeared on "The Tonight Show" on occasion.
Jimmy Fallon eventually departed from "Saturday Night Live" following Season 29 in 2004, after
which he was replaced as Tina Fey's "Weekend Update" co-anchor by Amy Poehler.
Fortunately, the future looked bright for Fallon, as he had just starred in his first
lead film role alongside Queen Latifah in "Taxi."
However, the film ended up doing poorly at the box office when it was released that same
year, despite Fallon's performance charming some reviewers.
Fallon's second chance came with a role he seemed better suited for in the 2005 romantic
comedy "Fever Pitch" opposite Drew Barrymore.
The film centers on the romance between Fallon's character, a devout Boston Red Sox fanatic,
and Barrymore's, a workaholic who doesn't understand his obsession.
However, "Fever Pitch" also saw a lackluster return at the box office, while reviews from
critics and viewers were also generally lukewarm.
"Are you saying that she's out of my league?!"
"She's bringing some serious heat, man.
I don't know if you got the bat speed."
"Oh, I got the bat speed."
Following the failure of "Fever Pitch," Fallon hit a surprising dead end in his career.
Once film offers stopped rolling in, Fallon decided to move back to New York City, eventually
hitting a depressive period with no real insight on how he'd go forward.
However, all he ended up having to do was wait for an old mentor to come knocking with
the opportunity of a lifetime.
Even though it left his career at a standstill, Fallon has a lot to thank "Fever Pitch" for.
Through his work on the film, he ended up falling in love with Nancy Juvonen, the co-founder
of Drew Barrymore's production company Flower Films.
Fallon and Juvonen later recounted the specifics of their first introduction to each other
during an episode of "The Tonight Show: At Home Edition," when he produced episodes of
the show with his family during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.
On a walk outside their home, Juvonen recounted how they first met at "Saturday Night Live"
when Barrymore was hosting, and Fallon eagerly introduced himself to her.
Juvonen added that she later developed a crush on Fallon on the set of "Fever Pitch," after
a producer brought their kids to set and she noticed him playing with them.
"I think that's when my heart just sort of… melted even more."
"Awww.
I remember those kids, oh they were so cute."
"Yeah!"
The two got married in 2007 and currently live in New York with their two daughters,
who were born in 2013 and 2014.
Fallon's wedding to Juvonen wasn't without hijinks, as one would expect from a comedian's
wedding.
As he later recounted on "The Drew Barrymore Show" in 2020, his wedding was crashed by
none other than Kermit the Frog after the videographer heard their wedding song would
be "The Rainbow Connection."
Although it was a perfect wedding regardless, Kermit made it into every shot of the wedding video.
Following Jimmy Fallon's career slump after his failure in the world of movies, Lorne
Michaels made good on a promise he made to Fallon shortly before the comedian left "Saturday
Night Live."
At the time, Michaels and Tina Fey both suggested that Fallon could be a good replacement for
Conan O'Brien on "Late Night" when he eventually took over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno.
However, Michaels probably didn't expect that recommending Fallon for the job in 2007 would
result in conflict with NBC executives.
As Fallon later told GQ —
"NBC was like, 'This is going to flop.
This is going to be like Chevy Chase’s show.'"
Michaels remained supportive of Fallon despite the comedian's failure as a film star.
Nevertheless, those executives were proven right when "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"
debuted in 2009, as some critics considered the host a step down from Conan.
However, Fallon slowly began to win over audiences, especially as public behind-the-scenes turmoil
hit "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."
The relatively drama-free "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" became a sanctuary for upbeat,
positive comedy.
Fallon's success on late night TV was, inevitably, all thanks to Lorne's confidence, as he had
become a mentor figure for the comedian during his six years at "SNL."
Fortunately, Fallon lucked out with perhaps the best house band in all of late night:
The Roots, who made the show something truly worth watching.
Fallon taped "Late Night" at 30 Rockefeller Center, where he continued his talk show tenure
after inheriting "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno in 2014.
This also kept him in close proximity to "Saturday Night Live," where he has returned to host
three times so far over the years.
The comedian also made an appearance alongside Justin Timberlake in the sketch series' 40th
anniversary special in 2015, which gathered a who's who of Hollywood icons to celebrate
the show with reunion sketches, tributes, and musical performances.
The most memorable part of the night, however, took place after the cameras stopped rolling.
The cast, crew, and audience of "SNL 40" gathered at the Plaza Hotel for what would become the
most legendary after-party in the history of "Saturday Night Live."
Fallon recounted the event the next night on "The Tonight Show," revealing that there
was no scheduled musical performer, with the party instead arranged to have an empty stage
and instruments for anyone to jam.
After unintentionally accepting duties as the party's emcee, Fallon roped in all sorts
of musical performers.
Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Michael Bolton all played their hits, but the true highlight
of the night came when Prince played "Let's Go Crazy" to a starstruck audience of A-listers.
While his tenure on "The Tonight Show" has mostly been a good time, Jimmy Fallon also
had to host while dealing with tragedy in his personal life.
In 2017, the talk show host canceled a week of shows when his mother Gloria suddenly passed
away — and his first episode back was a rollercoaster of emotions.
"She would squeeze my hand three times and say 'I love you.'
And I would squeeze back, 'I love you too.'"
Taylor Swift was in town to perform on "Saturday Night Live," and she agreed to be the musical
guest at the last minute in support of Fallon.
The moment was made even more special when Swift came on to perform the ballad "New Year's
Day" off her 2017 album "Reputation," which contains the line —
"You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi."
In a Twitter thread posted shortly after the episode, "The Tonight Show" producer Mike
DiCenzo revealed that, since the album had just been released days earlier, everyone
was shocked to hear the line that paralleled Fallon's story.
The host ended up in tears, and when the song ended he gave Swift a heartfelt embrace.
The song's producer, Jack Antonoff — a friend of Fallon and frequent collaborator of Swift
— also tweeted praise for the performance and moment the next day.
The COVID-19 pandemic derailed many things, including the world of late-night TV.
Jimmy kFallon embraced his time in quarantine by filming episodes of "The Tonight Show"
in his home with the help of his family, which made for a charming escape from the grim state
of the world.
However, as the pandemic continued into 2021, Fallon decided he wanted to do a little more
to help people escape their struggles.
Recorded at New York City's Electric Lady Studios, Fallon released a collaboration with
Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion titled "It Was A...
(Masked Christmas)."
Fallon described his intent behind the song to the Associated Press, saying —
"I wanted to write something reflecting on how tough it was for everyone last year during
the holidays and that it's gonna get better."
The song covers relatable topics such as getting booster vaccines, staying masked in public,
and participating in family Zoom sessions.
"It Was A ... (Masked Christmas)" is only the most recent in a long history of Christmas-themed
singles from Fallon.
In the past, he duetted with the legendary Dolly Parton for a cover of Mariah Carey's
"All I Want For Christmas is You," and he also performed Paul McCartney's iconic "Wonderful
Christmastime" with the former Beatle, The Roots, and the cast of "Sing" back in 2016.
However, this 2021 tune was his first original Christmas classic.
Aside from hosting "The Tonight Show" since 2014, Jimmy Fallon has also made a career
for himself as an author of children's books.
This journey started for Fallon in 2015, when he was inspired by recent fatherhood to write
"Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada."
In an interview with NPR, Fallon described the book's premise as an act of selfishness,
explaining how he tried to trick his daughter into saying the word "Dada."
He joked —
"I would call everything in the house 'dada.'"
Fallon continued to regularly release children's books over the years, all inspired by his
experiences as a parent.
He even channeled his love for Christmas into a 2020 book titled "5 More Sleeps 'Til Christmas."
However, his most adventurous experience came in 2022, when he collaborated with none other
than Jennifer Lopez on a children's book titled "Con Pollo: A Bilingual Playtime Adventure."
This team effort aims to teach kids Spanish with the help of a lovable chicken amigo.
"Eating chicken."
"No, you're not eating the chicken in this.
This — you're friends with the chicken."
"Your friends eat the chicken."
"No one eats the chicken."
Though the team-up between Fallon and Lopez may seem random, it was something they both
had wanted to do for a long time.
Fallon told People that approaching Lopez to write the book with him was inspired by
his respect for her as a mother, saying —
"One of the many things I love about her is how great of a mom she is."
What started for Fallon as a way to channel his parenting anxieties has now become a successful
side venture for the comic.
By 2023, Jimmy Fallon had accomplished a lot in his career, much of which he probably never
anticipated when he was just a struggling actor.
While the comedian has plenty to look forward to in his future, one bucket list item for
him has recently been crossed off.
In 2022, Fallon invited Cameron Crowe onto "The Tonight Show" to promote a Broadway adaptation
of his movie "Almost Famous," which Fallon appeared in over 20 years earlier.
On the show, Crowe personally invited Fallon to reprise his role as Dennis Hope onstage
at some point before "Almost Famous" closed in January 2023, which Fallon accepted.
Sadly, Fallon never made good on his promise to Crowe, but he did make a special appearance
during one of the last nights of the musical's run on Broadway.
After attending a performance with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Crowe, Fallon was pulled on stage
by one of the cast members during their ending bows, which was met with roaring applause
from the audience.
It's clear that Fallon has come a long way from where his career was at the turn of the
century — and that he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.