Jimmy Fallon has been accused of creating a toxic workplace environment by 16 current and former employees of NBC‘s The Tonight Show.
In an expose from Rolling Stone, the staffers’ allegations ranged from erratic behavior, mistreatment of workers, and an alleged drinking problem. Some claim that Fallon scolded them in the presence of their peers, while others contend that they received passive-aggressive messages and confrontational emails critiquing their work. Eight former employees proposed that Fallon’s mood depended on whether he was hungover from the previous night. There were also several days Fallon showed up to work with alcohol on his breath.
In 2016, NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt attempted to dispute tabloid reports about The Tonight Show host by telling reporters Fallon “doesn’t have a drinking problem that any of us know about.” The following year, in an interview with The New York Times, Fallon said he “could never do a day-to-day job if I was drinking every night.”
However, in the report, workers say Fallon seemed confused during rehearsal that day in 2017 as he crossed out jokes on a piece of paper he had, riffed with the audience for a bit, and then weirdly looked back at the same piece of paper.
“He couldn’t remember he had just crossed it out himself,” the employee says. “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.” Another staffer said they witnessed the incident from a live studio feed from their office.
This reported pattern of toxic conduct is said to have begun when Fallon moved from Late Night to The Tonight Show. Due to the frequent turnover of showrunners who seemed incapable or unwilling to intervene, employees allegedly endured outbursts during Fallon’s “hard” days. They tried to maintain their best behavior, as it was feared that if they were seen chatting and “he sees that, he might fly off.”
Meanwhile, showrunners have been accused of terminating certain staff members abruptly and without apparent reason. Over the past nine years, the series has seen nine different showrunners; some have faced allegations of making inappropriate remarks and engaging in intimidation.
“The producers felt this pressure, and that translated down to all of their employees. People that worked under them then felt this pressure that if you made one mistake, you were gone and would be easily replaced,” one former employee says. “You have all these NBC pages in the building who are ready, willing, and waiting to take your job.”
Staff also addresses the constant turnover of showrunners on the Tonight Show.
“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” a former employee 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.”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, NBC defended The Tonight Show. However, it did not mention Fallon by name. “We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” a 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.”
