Host and comedian Jimmy Fallon reflects on the production practices and pressures during his early tenure on Saturday Night Live.
Insight
Why bombing on stage is necessary to build a comedian's baseline skills
“You actually have to go through it. And what happens eventually is, years later, you miss those days. And you kind of laugh about those days. And I go, now I can talk to you about those days. At the time, I couldn't even walk back into the improv. I was so emb…”
Assertion Not publicly verifiable
Lorne Michaels threatened to quit if NBC didn't give Fallon Late Night
“NBC didn't want me for late night because the movies didn't work and I wasn't hot, you know. And so, they wanted other people, and they were gonna give it to someone else, and then I remember Lorne just stepping in, kind of, and saying, look, I know, he's like…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Celebrities sometimes privately admit to Fallon their new project is a flop
“Sometimes people know when it's a flop. You know, they come on the show and they're like, Jimmy, this one is a rough one.”
Assertion Supported
Fallon's 8th-grade yearbook named him most likely to replace David Letterman
“I do remember graduating from eighth grade, my yearbook said, and this is true, I can, if you can believe me over this podcast I can somehow get a photo to you somehow, or maybe I'll tweet it when this airs, but it said most likely to replace David Letterman.”
Disclosure
Fallon plans to host The Tonight Show indefinitely
“I just think, I feel like I could do this for the rest of my life. As long as NBC and the audience would, will have me, I will.”
Disclosure
Fallon earned $7.13 a night for early Improv stand-up sets
“The Improv was my home club. I auditioned for them, and so they said, yeah, so you'll get like a Thursday night spot, or something like that, and I go, ok, so Thursday night, they put you up, 10 45, or 11 o'clock at night, and you get paid seven dollars and 13…”