Jimmy Fallon Is Reportedly Terrified That ‘The Tonight Show’ Could Be on NBC’s Chopping Block
After NBC cut down the schedule of Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from five nights per week to just four, what’s next — zero shows per week?
It’s not exactly a secret that the late-night comedy industry isn’t quite as booming in 2024 as it was when Fallon first hit the scene in 2009, stepping up as Conan O’Brien’s replacement behind the desk of Late Night. A Saturday Night Live darling and rom-com star, Fallon quickly found his niche in the then-competitive field of late-night comedy by focusing on his playfulness and his boyish charm in stark contrast to the elder statesmen who dominated the ratings, and when Jay Leno finally left the seat that he swiped from Conan during NBC’s disgraceful Tonight Show musical chairs hosting debacle, Fallon landed the most hallowed and desirable job in all of late-night in early 2014.
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Flash-forward to 10 years later, and despite the fact that he’s held down the Tonight Show more than 20 times as long as Conan’s tenure, some industry insiders report that Fallon, whom several of his staff accused of creating a toxic and abusive work environment back in early 2023, is even more anxious about his job than the PA who holds his cue cards on a “Bad Jimmy” day.
The report comes from the entertainment news and gossip outlet Radar Online who claim to have spoken to experts within the industry that cite the problems plaguing the entire late-night industry as a source of Fallon's occupational stress — plummeting ratings, advertisers scaling back their spending and bloated budgets have all given networks ample reason to rethink legacy late-night shows like Fallon's Tonight Show, and NBC slashing one night per week from Fallon’s schedule is a bad omen.
“When Jimmy took the Tonight Show job 10 years ago, he insisted on five tapings a week and promised the decision would pay for itself, and it did for the first few years,” one source explained. “But today, the number of advertisers willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for commercials has definitely shrunk, and even Jimmy admits that.” However, Fallon does have a few advantages in his fight to stay on the air. “Jimmy does have a knack for getting big guests,” that insider commented, “and coming up with unusual bits. Jimmy also uses his personal connections to music stars to help increase ratings.”
“To Jimmy’s credit, The Tonight Show has become Billie Eilish’s go-to venue to debut new music, and Jimmy still has a lot of favors he can call in from across the music business,” the source suggested.
Plus, as the insider noted, Fallon has plenty of figures within the comedy business pulling for him. “The show’s producer, Lorne Michaels, is one of the most powerful people in television, but it’s going to be an uphill battle to grow the audience with an hour less of original content a week.”
Still, Fallon's contract runs through 2028, so until then, NBC can only slash his screen time rather than his paychecks.
