Jimmy Fallon has emotional response to Charlottesville, calls Trump 'shameful'

Caitlin George Parker

Jimmy Fallon responded emotionally to Saturday’s tragic events in Charlottesville, Va., where one person was killed and 19 injured when a car plowed into counterprotesters following a rally of white nationalists.

A ‘shameful’ president

Fallon said, “The fact that it took the president two days to come out and clearly denounce racists and white supremacists is shameful. And I think he finally spoke out because people everywhere stood up and said something.”

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is not particularly known for being political. When Fallon notoriously ruffled Trump‘s hair on the show last year, many people called foul. But in this case, Fallon felt that it was his responsibility to “stand up against intolerance and extremism.” He said, “What happened over the weekend in Charlottesville, Va., was just disgusting. I was watching the news like everyone else and you’re seeing like Nazi flags and torches and white supremacists and I was sick to my stomach.”

Fallon has two daughters and, for him, the events resonated. He said, “One brave woman in Charlottesville, Heather Heyer, died standing up for what’s right at the age of 32. I can’t look at my beautiful, growing, curious daughters and say nothing when this kind of thing is happening.”

Speaking from the heart

While other late night hosts addressed the events in Charlottesville mostly through jokes, Fallon spoke from the heart and spurred a call to action. “We all need to stand against what is wrong, acknowledge that racism exists, and stand up for what is right and civil and kind,” he said. “And to show the next generation that we haven’t forgotten how hard people have fought for human rights. We cannot do this. We can’t go backward. We can’t go backward.”

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on NBC. Watch clips and full episodes of The Tonight Show free on Yahoo View.

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