Jimmy Fallon Remains Silent On Toxic Behavior Allegations
The Saturday Night Live alum has refused to comment on the bombshell report alleging his toxic behavior on the set of The Tonight Show.
Jimmy Fallon is a bit of a stranger when it comes to serious allegations. Since his Saturday Night Live debut in 1998, Fallon has remained somewhat squeaky clean. Throughout his 25 years on television, the worst publicly known aspect about his reputation was his inability to not break during a sketch.
Outside of rumors of Fallon’s love for alcohol, there weren’t many complaints made against him. Earlier this year, Fallon even made headlines for paying his writers out-of-pocket at the start of the WGA strike. By all accounts, Fallon appeared to do and say all of the right things.
But a jaw-dropping report from Rolling Stone has painted an entirely different picture of Jimmy Fallon.
Jimmy Fallon’s Alleged Toxic Behavior At ‘The Tonight Show’
Rolling Stone talked to 50 current and former employees of The Tonight Show throughout their investigation. 16 of those current and former employees went into great detail about Fallon’s alleged erratic and toxic behavior in the workplace.
Speaking in anonymity out of fear of retaliation, the employees highlighted a history of verbal abuse and general mistreatment of staffers on the show. They spoke about Fallon’s propensity to show up drunk and reeking of booze. But what employees most feared was Fallon’s mood swings.
“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” one former employee said. “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.”
While Jimmy Fallon hasn’t spoken about the allegations yet, NBC offered a blanket statement. In its statement to Rolling Stone, NBC opted to not personally address the Fallon accusations.
“We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” a spokesperson said. “As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”
‘The Tonight Show’ Employees Speak Out
While many of the employees noted Fallon’s toxic behavior, they also spoke about the toll his actions took on them. The anonymous employees detailed just how much the work environment affected their mental health.
“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,” said one former employee to Rolling Stone. “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?’”
Another former employee spoke about just how tense the working conditions were at the office. “It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is f*****,” the 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.”
With so many harsh allegations made against him, it’s only a matter of time before Fallon will be forced to address the situation. It remains to be seen if NBC will take action against the long-time host. Ellen DeGeneres faced similar toxic behavior allegations in 2020 which ultimately led to her show coming to an end.
What are your thoughts about the allegations made against Jimmy Fallon? Are you surprised to hear about them? Or are you just surprised they took this long to surface? Will these allegations lead to Fallon’s firing? Let us know what you think down below in the comments.
- NBC Cancels Two Reality Shows In Programming Shakeup - March 18, 2024
- ‘NCIS’ A Closer Look At Mark Harmon’s Feud With Former Co-Star - March 18, 2024
- ‘TAR’ Rod Gardner’s Net Worth: Does He Need The Money? - March 14, 2024