Rolling Stone published an exposé on Thursday (September 7th), in which two current and 14 former staffers on The Tonight Show accuse Jimmy Fallon of being drunk, erratic, and mean on set. As such, he has been accused of creating a “toxic workplace”—much like Ellen DeGeneres in 2021.
According to the report, dressing rooms for guests became “crying rooms” for staff members who were brought to tears by Fallon’s behavior.
“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” a former staffer told the outlet. “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.” There have been nine different showrunners since 2014.
Another former employee said, “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?'”
Fallon reportedly issued an apology to his current employees on Thursday (September 7th), following the release of the report. Two current employees told Rolling Stone that Fallon said he did not mean to “create that type of atmosphere for the show,” and that he “feels so bad I can't even tell you.”
