Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show' accused of creating a toxic workplace in new report

While late-night host Jimmy Fallon has been off-air amid Hollywood's actors and writers strikes, some of his staff members are speaking out about what they say is a toxic workplace culture behind "The Tonight Show."

In a Rolling Stone investigation published Thursday, two current and 14 former employees of the NBC talk show say their experiences working on the show included declining mental health, intimidation from higher-ups, including the 48-year-old Fallon, and poor treatment because of Fallon's erratic behavior.

The staffers, whose jobs ranged from production crew to office employees and writers, all requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

Of the more than 80 "Tonight Show" employees, past and present, who were contacted, no one who spoke with Rolling Stone senior entertainment reporter Krystie Lee Yandoli "agreed to speak on the record or had positive things to say about working on The Tonight Show."

Still, "many of them praised Fallon's immense talent and comedic gifts."

"Nor would any of the program's nine showrunners since 2014 comment about the program's namesake on the record – they wouldn't even give statements of support, as is common in the entertainment industry," according to the article.

In a statement, an NBC spokesperson said: "We are incredibly proud of 'The Tonight Show,' and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority.

"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.”

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for the show for comment.

Fallon and his showrunner, Chris Miller, addressed the outlet's reporting in a virtual meeting on Thursday.

A "Tonight Show" staff member, who was unauthorized to speak publicly about the situation, told USA TODAY that during the call, Fallon said, "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. I just wanted to… say, I miss you guys."

'Tonight Show' leadership has had high turnover rates over 9 years

The former "Saturday Night Live" star started hosting "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" on NBC in 2009 and has since become one of TV's most beloved late-night personalities. In 2014, he took over Jay Leno's hosting duties on "The Tonight Show."

And in the nine years "The Tonight Show" has been on air, there have been six different leadership teams and nine showrunners, according to Rolling Stone. This has allegedly caused some staffers to lose faith in the show's leaders; several also cited mistreatment by some showrunners, including bullying and racist microaggressions.

Several former employees who voluntarily left "The Tonight Show" told Rolling Stone they reported their experiences to human resources staff in exit interviews, while some others expressed distrust with HR employees.

"The Tonight Show" has not been on the air since May, when the Writers Guild of America strike began.

To tide fans over during the strikes, Fallon joined fellow late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and John Oliver in launching the Strike Force Five podcast last week. All proceeds from the episodes "will go to out-of-work staff from the hosts' respective shows," they said.

"Strike Force Five" podcast: Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and other late-night hosts support Hollywood strikes

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Fallon, 'Tonight Show' leaders accused of mistreating employees