Jimmy Fallon threw ‘hissy fits,’ acted ‘drunk’ and made employees cry with ‘erratic behavior’ on Tonight Show set
JIMMY Fallon has reportedly apologized to his staff after the crew made shocking allegations about the famous host.
Fallon, 48, has hosted The Tonight Show since 2014 and some staffers have made claims about his poor behavior on set.
Two current and 14 former employees said that Jimmy has "outbursts" and appears "drunk" while on the job, according to .
Some of the staff also reported poor mental health due to their work experiences.
After the were made public on Thursday, Jimmy reportedly apologized to his staff.
"I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I never set out to create that type of atmosphere at the show," he said, according to .
"I think sometimes I’m working with the best of the best, you guys are the top of the game."
Jimmy admitted to having done "embarrassing" things in the past.
“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," he said.
"I just wanted to… say I miss you guys.”
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Jimmy also told employees: “It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad," according to .
“Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends… I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”
Crew members on the call said Jimmy's remarks “felt pretty earnest,” according to Rolling Stone.
'ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN'
NBC also released a statement earlier on Thursday.
“We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” a network 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.”
SHOCK BEHAVIOR
Speaking of the comedian's reported unpredictable manner, one staffer alleged an incident in 2017 in which the TV star seemingly couldn't remember having crossed out some jokes on his notes before the show.
"He couldn’t remember he had just crossed it out himself. 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,'" the person claimed.
According to the outlet, two employees claimed that they saw Jimmy "seemingly inebriated" in 2017. Two others claimed that in 2019 and 2020 "they thought they smelled alcohol on Fallon’s breath when they entered an elevator with him during the workday."
Eight former staffers also suggested that the household name's behavior could be judged "dependent on if he appeared to be hungover from the night before."
Speaking of Jimmy's reported poor moods, one person claimed: "It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is f**ked. 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."
'A NIGHTMARE'
According to Rolling Stone, the people they spoke to reported "outbursts" from Jimmy which led to a "toxic" atmosphere, but claimed that HR and showrunners were unwilling to step in.
A former employee said: "Nobody told Jimmy, 'No.' Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners.
"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."
Leading from this, another alum claimed: “It’s a bummer because it was my dream job. 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."
Shockingly, another ex-employee suggested that they suffered from suicidal thoughts during their time working on the show.
They anonymously shared: "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.
"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?'"
JIMMY'S WORLD
Jimmy is a stand-up comedian, television host, actor, writer, producer, singer, and musician, who was born on September 19, 1974, in New York City.
He got his start in the entertainment industry back in the 1990s on the Los Angeles comedy scene.
His breakthrough then came in 1998 when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live.
The star was seen on the late-night sketch comedy series from 1998 to 2004.
After his SNL stint, he went on to try his hand at acting with roles in the productions of Fever Pitch (2005), Doogal (2006), and The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008), before returning to our screens as the host of his own talk show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which aired from 2009 to 2014.
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Thanks to the success of his career, he has earned a fortune of $60million, which includes an estimated annual salary of $16million, according to .
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988 or chat on . You can also text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line.
