Rolling Stone published an exposé earlier this week alleging that “The Tonight Show has been a toxic workplace for years,” because of Fallon’s “erratic behaviour”, reportedly having spoken with two current and 14 former employees.
Hours later, the outlet reported that Fallon, 48, and showrunner Chris Miller responded to the allegations in a Zoom call with staff.
Fallon and NBC’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment from People magazine.
Two employees in the Zoom meeting told Rolling Stone that Fallon said he had no intention of creating “that type of atmosphere for the show”.
They recalled the TV host stating, “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”, adding that the apology sounded “pretty earnest”.
“I want the show to be fun, [it] should be inclusive to everybody,” Fallon reportedly said. “It should be the best show.”
After Rolling Stone’s initial piece was published, NBC said in a statement to People, “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.”
Some staffers told the outlet they’d seen Fallon “snap at crew members, express irritation over the smallest of things, and berate and belittle staffers out of frustration”, while another said he was “super communicative” and “a really, really positive guy”.
Host Jimmy Fallon during the monologue on Friday, April 28, 2023. Photo / Getty Images
The anonymous staffer said Fallon “makes a point of commending you when you do a great job and when he’s happy ... and any feedback I’ve received is always like, ‘Hey, we don’t need to do that again.’
“It’s been very constructive and helpful for me in continuing to put together a show that he’s happy with. I’ve never been belittled, yelled at, nothing like that. It’s all exactly how a boss should give feedback to an employee.”
Rolling Stone contacted around 80 employees, according to the outlet - but “while many of them praised Fallon’s immense talent and comedic gifts, not a single one agreed to speak on the record or had positive things to say about working on The Tonight Show.”
The staffer who spoke to People said current employees are “frustrated” by the negative accusations, adding that Fallon “just really wants to make people happy and have a really creative, fun show”.
“Things have changed so much for the better, and it’s disheartening to see some of these old accusations being brought up again,” they continued.
“It’s such a stressful time in the entertainment industry, I can understand how old experiences and grievances can bubble back up, but none of this sounds like the show that I’ve worked for for the past year, give or take.”
