Will Jimmy Fallon get canceled? A look at recent allegations against the ‘Tonight Show’ host

Jimmy Fallon might be getting canceled.

Fallon’s lighthearted, funnyman persona doesn’t seem to follow him behind the scenes, some employees allege. Last week, the “Tonight Show” host was accused of fostering a “toxic” workplace environment by 16 anonymous former and current employees. Allegations of a “tense” work atmosphere, which reportedly took a toll on several employees’ mental health, are outlined in a recent Rolling Stone exposé.

“I know other people who were in (my) department who also were unhappy with (mis)treatment but it was never a thing where any of us were empowered enough to say anything,” one employee told Rolling Stone. “It just always felt like, ‘You should be grateful that you have a job, and you should be grateful that you have this position at this show, at this network. Everyone wants to be in this spot. You have worked hard to get here — it shouldn’t be a thing where you’re being ungrateful.’”

Fallon got his start on “Saturday Night Live” and took over as host of the “Tonight Show” in 2014, following Jay Leno.

As we have seen in the past, similar allegations against public figures often have a snowball effect, prompting further accusations to surface. A decades-old interaction between Fallon and his former “Saturday Night Live” costar Amy Poehler has already experienced a viral resurfacing, per USA Today.

Late night hosts such as Ellen DeGeneres and James Corden both watched their talk shows crumble in wake of allegations similar to the recent claims against Fallon.

Recent events beg the question: Will Fallon continue to host “The Tonight Show”?

Let’s take a look at the allegations regarding Fallon and “The Tonight Show” workplace environment and dig into the future of the late-night show.

Key claims in the Rolling Stone exposé

A Sept. 7 story from Rolling Stone, headlined “Chaos, Comedy and ‘Crying Rooms’: Inside Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show,’” outlines allegations from 16 employees who claim Fallon fosters a “toxic” work atmosphere.

Current and former employees describe the ‘Tonight Show’ as a ‘toxic’ work environment

More than a dozen “Tonight Show” employees — two current and 14 former — claim that working on the late night comedy show has been a “toxic,” “tense” and “pretty glum atmosphere” for years, per Rolling Stone.

Working on major television shows has a reputation for being high pressure, but according to employees, Fallon’s “erratic” behavior and sudden “outbursts” made their work environment unnecessarily intense.

“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.”

According to one former employee, getting a dream job writing for late night quickly went sour due to the “Tonight Show” atmosphere. Employees told Rolling Stone they witnessed Fallon express irritation over minute details, snap at crew members and belittle staffers.

“It’s a bummer because it was my dream job,” a former employee told Rolling Stone. “Writing for late night is a lot of people’s dream jobs, and they’re coming into this and it becomes a nightmare very quickly. It’s sad that it’s like that, especially knowing that it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Since 2014, there have been nine “Tonight Show” showrunners

Since Fallon took over as host of the “Tonight Show” in 2014, the program has cycled through nine showrunners.

Josh Lieb was the first showrunner to work with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” in 2014. He was followed by Mike DiCenzo, Katie Hockmeyer and Gerard Bradford, who took over in 2016 as a trio. Then between 2018-2019, Jim Bell took over. Bell was followed by Gavin Purcell from 2019-2020. Jamie Granet-Bederman and Nedaa Sweiss became the co-showrunners in 2020. Chris Miller took over as showrunner in March 2022, as reported by Rolling Stone.

“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” another former employee told Rolling Stone. “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.”

Fallon allegedly came to work drunk

Two employees allege that Fallon seemed intoxicated at work on one occasion in 2017. Another two claim they smelled alcohol on Fallon’s breath at work during two separate occasions. Eight former employees believe Fallon’s workplace behavior depends on if he was hung over the previous night, per Rolling Stone.

Fallon has faced several rumors regarding his drinking habits during his time on the “Tonight Show.” In 2016, Page Six published a story claiming NBC executives expressed concerns Fallon’s relationship with alcohol was “out of control.”

The comedian rejected these claims in a 2017 profile with The New York Times. “I could never do a day-to-day job if I was drinking every night. That’s just kicking you when you’re down,” he told the Times.

While rehearsing in 2017 for an upcoming sketch, Fallon appeared to be confused and couldn’t remember tasks he had just completed.

“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, he (seems) drunk. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. This could be awful — this could be the end of the show right here,’” an employee told Rolling Stone.

Employees call the dressing rooms ‘cry rooms’

Current and former “Tonight Show” employees allege that Fallon’s behavior was inconsistent and it was common knowledge that there were “bad Jimmy days” and “good Jimmy days.” However Fallon felt impacted the entire workplace, per Rolling Stone.

“Sometimes we would get nice Jimmy, but that sometimes was not a lot,” a former employee told Rolling Stone. “It was just really, really sad to me that this really talented man created such a horrible environment for the people there.”

Employees began relying on the guests’ dressing rooms as a place to release their emotions and nicknamed them “crying rooms.”

“That’s where they would go to let out their emotions when they were upset with their alleged mistreatment,” reports Rolling Stone.

Working on the “Tonight Show” took a toll on employees’ mental health

Several former employees told Rolling Stone they left their jobs on the “Tonight Show” due to their mental health. Some admitted they were fired from the show.

“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,” one former employee told 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?’”

Former employees claim they had work-related nightmares, experienced anxiety attacks, noticed declining health such as thinning hair and nails, a sudden need for therapy and suicidal ideation, per Rolling Stone.

NBC and Jimmy Fallon issue statements over allegations

Both NBC and Jimmy Fallon have released statements regarding the allegations in Rolling Stone surrounding “The Tonight Show” and Jimmy Fallon.

“We are incredibly proud of ‘The Tonight Show,’ and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” an NBC spokesperson told Rolling Stone. “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.”

Following the Rolling Stone report, Fallon apologized to staffers for his alleged workplace behavior during a Zoom meeting with all “Tonight Show” employees, reports Variety.

“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends,” Fallon told staffers during the Zoom call, per Variety. “I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”

“I want this show to be fun, it should be inclusive for everybody, it should be funny, it should be the best show, the best people.”

Jerry Seinfeld shares his version of the Jimmy Fallon incident

The Rolling Stone exposé details an interaction between comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jimmy Fallon in which Seinfeld asked Fallon to apologize to a crew member.

According to two employees, Fallon was taping with Seinfeld when he scolded the crew member holding his cue cards. Seinfeld allegedly told Fallon to apologize to the worker and he did.

“It was very awkward, and Jerry (Seinfeld) was like, ‘You should apologize to him,’ almost trying to make it a joke,” a former employee told Rolling Stone. “It was one of the strangest moments ever and so many people were there, so it’s kind of hard to forget.”

After the Rolling Stone story ran, Seinfeld issued a statement regarding the alleged incident.

“This is so stupid,” Seinfeld said, per Variety. “I remember this moment quite well. … I teased Jimmy about a flub, and we all had a fun laugh about how rarely Jimmy is thrown off. It was not uncomfortable at all. Jimmy and I still occasionally recall it and laugh. Idiotic twisting of events.”

Tense interaction between Jimmy Fallon and Amy Poehler resurfaces

Following the recent “Tonight Show” allegation, a backstage interaction between former “Saturday Night Live” co-stars Fallon and Poehler has resurfaced via X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter. The tweet was shared by Erin Overbey, former New Yorker archive editor.

“Tina Fey had Jimmy Fallon dead to rights more than a decade ago in her memoir ‘Bossypants.’ Will never forget this account about his exchange w/Amy Poehler in an SNL writers’ room…” Overbey wrote in her post.

The heated moment between co-stars is outlined in Fey’s 2011 memoir, “Bossypants,” per USA Today.

“Amy Poehler was new to SNL and we were all crowded into the 17th-floor writers’ room, waiting for the Wednesday night read-through to start,” Fey writes in “Bossypants.”

“Amy was in the middle of some such nonsense with Seth Meyers across the table, and she did something vulgar as a joke. I can’t remember what it was exactly, except it was dirty and loud and ‘unladylike.’”

“Jimmy Fallon turned to her and in a faux-squeamish voice said, ‘Stop that! It’s not cute! I don’t like it.’”

“Amy dropped what she was doing, went black in the eyes for a second, and wheeled around on him. ‘I don’t (expletive) care if you like it.’”

Poehler has not commented on the recent resurgence of this interaction.

Will ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ get canceled?

Not yet.

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” is currently renewed through 2026, reports Distractify.

Amid the ongoing actors and writers strikes, the “Tonight Show” has already been put on hold, per The New York Times.

During an appearance at the 2023 Met Gala, Fallon expressed solidarity with the writers strike, saying: “I wouldn’t have a show if it weren’t for my writers, I support them all the way. They gotta have a fair contract, they got a lot of stuff to iron out, and hopefully, they get it done,” per Distractify.