Jimmy Fallon ‘cancelled’: What has Tonight Show host been accused of in Rolling Stone exposé?

Jimmy Fallon has been accused of behaving ‘erratically’ and creating a ‘toxic’ work environment by current and former Tonight Show staffers, a Rolling Stone exposé reveals. The American magazine contacted more than 50 employees, past and present, many of whom shared their experience working on the set.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show that premiered in 2014. The show is a continuation of the franchise which first aired on NBC in 1954.

But why has the show been criticised by current and former employees and what alleged role has host Jimmy Fallon played? Here’s everything you need to know.

Why has Jimmy Fallon been ‘cancelled’?

Jimmy Fallon has been subject to a number of damning allegations from current and former staff of The Tonight Show, the Rolling Stone reports. 16 current and former staffers raised concerns over Fallon’s ‘unexpected and inconsistent’ behaviour with some saying they recall being ‘afraid’ by his ‘outbursts’.

Against a backdrop of an ever-changing leadership team, which has seen a revolving door of nine showrunners in the past nine years, staff described the atmosphere of the workplace as ‘toxic’, ‘tense’ and ‘pretty glum’. A former employee alleged everyone at the company ‘walked on eggshells’ and that ‘nobody told Jimmy, ‘no.’

“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,” the former employee said.

Some staffers even felt belittled and intimidated by Fallon himself. According to Rolling Stone, the magazine reviewed photos of an employees’ alleged notes from Fallon which read: “Ugh, lame. What is going on with you? You’ve outdone yourself.”

In more serious allegations, one former employee said they suffered their first anxiety attack while working at the show and were subsequently placed on anti-anxiety medication for the first time. While others recalled having ‘nightmares’ about work.

Three people say they experienced suicidal ideation after working on the show while one employee said they ‘cried themselves to sleep every night’. According to the Rolling Stone investigation, staffers were allegedly heard joking about “wanting to kill themselves,” and would refer to guests’ dressing rooms as ‘crying rooms’.

What has Jimmy Fallon said?

After the Rolling Stone report was published, Fallon apologised to staffers in an all-hands Zoom call. According to two people on the call, the talk-show host said: “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.”

Representatives for Fallon would not comment on the record for this story. However a spokesperson for NBC said: “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 behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”