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Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon Apologises Following Reports of Toxic Workplace Culture

2023-09-09 , 5:58 pm

Although The Tonight Show may be on hiatus thanks to the ongoing Hollywood strikes, this doesn’t mean the host, Jimmy Fallon, is wholly removed from the spotlight.

Allegations of toxic workplace practices have been levelled against the host. Here’s what you need to know about it.

Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon Faced with Allegations of Toxic Workplace Culture

According to Rolling Stone, it isn’t always all smiles at the Tonight Show hosted by 48-year-old Jimmy Fallon.

I guess there’s always more than meets the eye.

On Thursday (7 September), American host-comedian Jimmy Fallon found himself at the centre of a whirlwind of allegations. Two current and 14 former employees alleged toxic workplace practices at the popular late-night talk show, The Tonight Show.

These employees hailed from various positions in the talk show. From production crew to writers, you name it; they have something to say about the toxic workplace culture.

Well, that’s aside from the 80 other current and former employees approached by Rolling Stone—none agreed to speak on the record nor had great feedback about working at the Tonight Show.

Silence speaks louder than words ever can, I suppose.

Jimmy Fallon’s Temper & Poor Senior Leadership

Jimmy Fallon’s bad temper is the key reason driving these allegations of a toxic workplace culture.

“You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit,” one former employee shared.

When the host was in a bad mood, most staff refrained from joking or speaking 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,” another former employee added.

TLDR: Working on the Tonight Show is akin to living in an Asian household with a tiger mom, Jimmy Fallon being the tiger mom here.

Many others alleged that Fallon would often lash out at employees when pressure was high—it happened so frequently that one former employee shared: “Sometimes we would get nice Jimmy, but that sometimes was not a lot.”

And because none of the senior leadership dared to say “no” to the host’s demands, the employees felt the full brunt of Fallon’s temper.

“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,” another former employee said.

Essentially, you’re easily replaceable as an employee at the Tonight Show, so you either lan lan suck thumb or leave.

This doesn’t just apply to staff members on the lower end of the food chain. Showrunners at the top of the food chain have also come and gone.

The Tonight Show has seen nine different showrunners in the past nine years. This is more extreme than any other late-night show.

Change employee like change clothes sia.

To make things worse, some of these showrunners also perpetrated a toxic workplace culture.

For one, Jamie Granet-Bederman, the showrunner from 2020 to early 2022, allegedly bullied and mistreated staff.

From asking a black employee, “What is going on with your hair?” to making distasteful remarks on how much staff members were eating, several former employees agreed that Granet-Bederman’s leadership was less than ideal.

Stress, Cry Rooms, Suicide Ideation

Actions have consequences, and the effect of the toxic workplace culture fostered by Fallon’s temper and poor senior leadership was a mental health crisis.

Employees shared that they would seek refuge in guests’ dressing rooms to cry when the stress became overwhelming.

It became so commonplace that employees began to call these dressing rooms “cry rooms”.

That’s not the end of it.

Three employees also mentioned that the workplace environment was so toxic that it pushed them to suicide ideation.

“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,” one former employee shared.

Others shared about experiencing nightmares related to work, having their first anxiety attack while working at the late-night talk show, hair thinning, weakened nail beds, and even having to sign themselves up for therapy.

That’s how widespread the ramifications of the toxic workplace culture at The Tonight Show were, and still are.

Jimmy Fallon Reportedly Apologises to Staff Over Zoom; NBC Responds

In response to these allegations, Jimmy Fallon has reportedly apologised to the Tonight Show staff the same evening these allegations were levelled against him.

The funniest thing? He apologised over a brief Zoom meeting.

We’re just surprised he didn’t draft a standard-form message to mass-email these employees.

According to Rolling Stone, Fallon said: “It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends.”

As Singaporeans would say: “Sorry, got cure?”

The 48-year-old host added: “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”.

NBC, which airs Fallon’s Tonight Show, has also responded to the allegations.

Of course, it’s your standard PR message lah.

“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,” an NBC spokesperson said.

Not the First Time Such Allegations Have Been Levelled Against Talk Show Hosts

This isn’t the first time a talk show host has found themselves in the internet’s crosshairs after allegations of toxic workplace environments were levelled against them.

If you recall, Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted the Ellen DeGeneres Show, also faced similar accusations a few years back.

Several former and current employees of the Ellen DeGeneres Show alleged facing “racism, fear and intimidation” at work, with others reportedly being victims of sexual harassment while working at the show.

The talk show eventually came to an end in May last year.

You can read more about the toxic workplace culture allegations against Ellen DeGeneres here.