Jimmy Fallon is the latest talk show host to be accused of creating a toxic on-set environment, with 16 current and former employees telling Rolling Stone that his "erratic" behaviour spoiled the "dream" that was getting to work on The Tonight Show.
In a new report entitled "Chaos, Comedy, and Crying Rooms," journalist Krystie Lee Yandoli exposes the culture of uncertainty and anxiety behind the scenes of the late-night show. According to her sources, it was common knowledge that there were what employees referred to as "good Jimmy days" and "bad Jimmy days." Of course, that is a normal and human thing, but when the host's jovial and charming onscreen presence was absent, he was reportedly belligerent and mean.
Writers for the show recalled degrading feedback on their jokes ("Ugh, lame. What is going on with you? You've outdone yourself"), and other employees reported witnessing him belittle and scold crew members.
UPDATE (9/8, 2:26 p.m. ET): Fallon has apologized to his staff members following the publication of the Rolling Stone exposé. "It's embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends. I feel so bad I can't even tell you," he reportedly told the show's employees on a Zoom call yesterday (September 7), as per Variety. "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."
There have been tabloid rumours for years that Fallon struggles with alcohol, and although he has denied it, some staffers alleged seeing him appear inebriated at work or smelling alcohol on his breath on multiple occasions. "Fallon's behaviour seemed to be dependent on if he appeared to be hungover from the night before," eight of the informants agreed.
While they claim that the toxicity begins with Fallon's erraticism, it also apparently trickles down into the program's ever-changing leadership teams — The Tonight Show has gone through nine showrunners in the last nine years — who allegedly struggle with saying no to the host.
These showrunners were also apparently often bullies to the workers, and HR provided no possible course of action. In fact, one whistleblower was even privy to emails between HR and a showrunner where the HR representative disparaged the employee to their boss.
"They are the worst bosses I've ever had in my life," one informant told the publication. "They use that position of power to bully and treat the staff that way, and the network is aware of how they treat people. They not only continue to enable it, but they reward it."
Several of the employees reported the deterioration of their mental health while working on the show, with three people claiming to have experienced suicidal ideation in the tense, "pretty glum atmosphere" of the workplace.
"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," another former employee said. "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?'"
None of the former showrunners Rolling Stone contacted offered statements of support, while a statement from NBC — the television network that has been airing the show since 1954 — failed to even mention Fallon by name:
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 behaviour inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.
In a new report entitled "Chaos, Comedy, and Crying Rooms," journalist Krystie Lee Yandoli exposes the culture of uncertainty and anxiety behind the scenes of the late-night show. According to her sources, it was common knowledge that there were what employees referred to as "good Jimmy days" and "bad Jimmy days." Of course, that is a normal and human thing, but when the host's jovial and charming onscreen presence was absent, he was reportedly belligerent and mean.
Writers for the show recalled degrading feedback on their jokes ("Ugh, lame. What is going on with you? You've outdone yourself"), and other employees reported witnessing him belittle and scold crew members.
UPDATE (9/8, 2:26 p.m. ET): Fallon has apologized to his staff members following the publication of the Rolling Stone exposé. "It's embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends. I feel so bad I can't even tell you," he reportedly told the show's employees on a Zoom call yesterday (September 7), as per Variety. "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."
There have been tabloid rumours for years that Fallon struggles with alcohol, and although he has denied it, some staffers alleged seeing him appear inebriated at work or smelling alcohol on his breath on multiple occasions. "Fallon's behaviour seemed to be dependent on if he appeared to be hungover from the night before," eight of the informants agreed.
While they claim that the toxicity begins with Fallon's erraticism, it also apparently trickles down into the program's ever-changing leadership teams — The Tonight Show has gone through nine showrunners in the last nine years — who allegedly struggle with saying no to the host.
These showrunners were also apparently often bullies to the workers, and HR provided no possible course of action. In fact, one whistleblower was even privy to emails between HR and a showrunner where the HR representative disparaged the employee to their boss.
"They are the worst bosses I've ever had in my life," one informant told the publication. "They use that position of power to bully and treat the staff that way, and the network is aware of how they treat people. They not only continue to enable it, but they reward it."
Several of the employees reported the deterioration of their mental health while working on the show, with three people claiming to have experienced suicidal ideation in the tense, "pretty glum atmosphere" of the workplace.
"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," another former employee said. "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?'"
None of the former showrunners Rolling Stone contacted offered statements of support, while a statement from NBC — the television network that has been airing the show since 1954 — failed to even mention Fallon by name:
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 behaviour inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.