Tonight Show Host Jimmy Fallon Accused of Creating Toxic Work Environment

A bombshell new report accuses members of the staff on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — including Fallon himself — with fostering a toxic work environment. The report, which was published by Rolling Stone on Thursday morning, collects comments from over a dozen different current and former staffers of The Tonight Show. The staff members claim that Fallon’s own “erratic” behavior has contributed to the behind-the-scenes culture of The Tonight Show, as well as the fact that the television program has had nine different showrunners in the past nine years, since Fallon first stepped in to host the show in 2014.

“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” one former employee claims in the report. “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.”

According to the staffers — who all requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation — the work environment of The Tonight Show led to nightmares, extreme weight loss, and anxiety attacks, with four employees enrolling in therapy as a result of their tenure, and three saying that they experienced suicidal 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 reveals. “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?’”

The report cites several different incidents of Fallon’s mood impacting the environment behind-the-scenes, with him allegedly berating and belittling crew members and sending them personal insults in notes and feedback. The report also dives into the 2020 controversy regarding a resurfaced video of Fallon in blackface while portraying Chris Rock on Saturday Night Live, claiming that Fallon did not directly acknowledge the situation with his staff. Although the show subsequently implemented internal diversity and culture meetings, a former employee claims that the culture was made worse once Jamie Granet-Bederman stepped in as showrunner, alleging that she bullied and mocked employees. Granet-Bederman ultimately exited the show in March of 2022.

Although The Tonight Show is currently on hiatus amid the ongoing WGA strike, the program has been renewed by NBC until 2026.

“I love The Tonight Show, and I love comedy. I gave my heart and soul to that place. I want to see them succeed and do well, but for that to happen, there are major changes that need to take place, starting with Jimmy,” a former employee says. “They all need to dig their heads out of the sand and do something about the very obvious problems that we all know are happening.”

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