I know he’s not everyone’s favorite, but I actually like Jimmy Fallon. I miss him on Saturday Night Live, and when I see the odd clip of his last night show, he usually makes me chuckle. I think he’s a better interviewer than people give him credit for, and he’s successfully taken his ego out of his career, and has come across as very humble and genuine in many of the interviews I’ve seen with him lately. Anyway, Jimmy decided to chime in about the Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno drama at NBC, and with all of the sniping, stupidity, and ballsy moves, it’s weird that Jimmy comes across as one of the few adults in the situation (video below). I actually feel for the kid:
Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC’s ‘Late Night,’ has stayed relatively quiet about the storm brewing at the network over ‘The Jay Leno Show’ and ‘The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien.’ But now he is speaking out.
Fallon, whose 12:35 time slot is in limbo, took the high road and praised both Leno and O’Brien without bashing the network.
“Here’s what I know, Jay Leno is going to go back to 11:30. Conan O’Brien was offered 12:05, and he said he didn’t want to do that. He said it wasn’t fair to him and he said it wasn’t fair to me, which was very nice of him to say,” Fallon began.
“I’m happy to have a job. I really am. I have a lot fun doing this show. We all do. But it’s kind of weird because these are two of my heroes and two of my friends,” he added.
“Leno, I was on his show so many times before I was even at this job and when I got this job he gave me so much advice, as did Conan,” Fallon continued. “Conan O’Brien if he didn’t kick ass here for 17 years, I wouldn’t be here, I wouldn’t have a job.”
“I feel like I’ve met a great woman, I got married and now I’m finally getting to know my in laws and they are crazy,” he joked.
[From PopEater]
I guess no matter what happens, Jimmy is kind of screwed. Either they’re going to put Leno back on the Tonight Show, or maybe Conan will leave, or maybe Leno will leave, or maybe all of the above or whatever. No matter what happens, I guess Jimmy is still going to have his late-late show. Throughout it all, Jimmy has been keeping his head down which might earn him points with NBC. Maybe not, though. NBC is being run by morons. Here’s the video from last night:
I love Jimmy Fallon, though I have to admit I can’t watch his show. He’s a little too…animated…or at least he was in the early days, maybe I should try again. Hopefully his interviews have gotten better but he was all over the place when I tried to watch it.
Thought he was hilarious on SNL and it always cracked me up when he could never keep a straight face during the skits.
NBC really is run by a bunch of morons. And Leno is an a-hole. I read the threads from yesterday and agree with those who said Leno had voluntarily quit/retired from the Tonight Show, so there should be no question that Conan keeps it and Jay is out of a show. Period. Someone said something about Conan should be a man, it’s the real world, if you don’t perform you get fired…true…but that should be directed at Leno, since it’s his new show that failed. Helloooooooooooo
Yes, even though I am not a Fallon fan, he is showing much more class in his comments, compared to the nasty crap both Letterman and Kimmel have been spewing at Leno. At least Fallon has a right to comment, since it indirectly involves him. Letterman needs to STFU, since he is just bitter that he was passed over for Leno as the Tonight Show host years ago.
Bottom line, it is all NBC’s fault for letting Leno have an hour of prime time in the first place. Once Leno retired, that should have been it, but they made the decision to let Conan have the Tonight Show, Leno have the prime time hour slot, and then cancel Leno and basically tell Conan “Do what we want or else”
Let’s face it NBC has pretty much doomed a show that has been around since the 1950’s. All the years with Steve Allen, Jack Parr, Johnny Carson are going to be flushed down the toilet because of NBC monkeying with everything in their line up. Leno should have retired, and Conan should have brought the same show he had back east to the west coast, and NBC shouldn’t have cut Conan before he had at least a year under his belt.
NBC sucks, and they should realize they have ruined the Tonight Show forever.
LOVE Jimmy. His show is cute.
My first boss in programming once taught us “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Can’t wait for the book to be written about Zucker. I will give him this, the man is brilliant at managing up. Messes up a network or stands guard while it dies and yet still signs a new contract. Brilliant. He is the real winner in this mess.
I like Fallon. I tried to like Conan in the Tonight Show-Im not surprised it is tanking, the skits are lame, he’s funny but a little too oddball for Prime time. Jay should retire, maybe Ellen Degeneres could do the Tonight Show-time for a woman!
I feel for the guy. Leno and Conan can walk away from this and be fine. Fallon doesn’t have as many options. Smart move for him to keep his head down and hope for the best right now.
Jimmy would be well within his rights to take a few pot shots but probably a good idea to leave it.
Saw Conan’s show last night – loved his f-off to NBC. Also taped/saw Letterman’s… he was also pretty funny. He went after Zucker, who is it the #1 douche over there. I think his sympathies lie with Conan for a number of reasons, one being he had the ratings over him at this stage.
@canadianchic– Please, no more Ellen.
Team COCO.
Leno retired. NBC brought him back, cut some tv (they really had great dramas and such, loved them for most of my life) put leno EVERYWHERE, didn’t promote COCO and then when Leno fails they want some more of him.
I say fire Leno. Pay out his contract so he can’t do anything else for however long, and maybe, just maybe we’ll welcome him back in 9-10 years.
@atticus, Jimmy was the only person I’ve ever accepted looking at the cameras and laughing mid-skit. It’s like he was looking right at me saying “come on now, that was funny.”
Real Housewives of late night is hysterical. Jimmy in drag looks like that manly woman from the jersey show.
why is this surprising? fallon has always been a sweet guy and notoriously upbeat
That’s nice of him. And yeah, a great career move as well. Joining the “battle” might make him collateral damage.
Roma – that’s exactly it! He pulled it off as a sheepish, come on you get it right thing. Great way to put it.
Aw, Jimmy Fallon is the best. I think he’s quite likable.
Every interview I’ve ever read on Jay Leno says he is a workaholic I think he finds it impossible to let go! That being said he needs to get a hobby..you can’t go home again..O’Brien has earned his slot, let Jay be on quarterly with 5 interviews mixed with monologue, people eat up the Baba Wawa ones. His would be even better!