Career Timeline of Jimmy Fallon: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Jimmy Fallon, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Jimmy Fallon is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. He gained prominence as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1998-2004) and later hosted Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009-2014). Currently, he hosts The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, solidifying his position as a leading figure in late-night television.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1995: Drops out of College and Moves to Los Angeles

In 1995, Jimmy Fallon dropped out of The College of Saint Rose to move to Los Angeles and pursue comedy full-time.

1997: Auditions for Saturday Night Live

In 1997, after working with the Groundlings for two years, Jimmy Fallon auditioned for Saturday Night Live but was unsuccessful at first.

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September 1998: Debuts on Saturday Night Live

In September 1998, Jimmy Fallon debuted on Saturday Night Live as a featured player at the beginning of the show's twenty-fourth season and quickly rose to stardom.

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1998: Brief Appearance on Spin City

In 1998, Jimmy Fallon appeared briefly on the show Spin City in the second season as a man selling photographs.

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1998: Joins Saturday Night Live

In 1998, Jimmy Fallon had his breakthrough when he joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a cast member.

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1999: Releases "I Hate This Place: A Pessimist's Guide to Life"

In 1999, Jimmy Fallon released the book "I Hate This Place: A Pessimist's Guide to Life", co-authored with his sister Gloria, comprising e-mail exchanges.

2000: Minor Role in Almost Famous

In 2000, Jimmy Fallon played a minor role in the film Almost Famous.

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December 2001: Favorite SNL Sketch

In December 2001, Jimmy Fallon considered a Saturday Night Live sketch, in which he imitates Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in a mirror opposite Jagger, his favorite thing he had done up to that point.

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2001: Co-hosts MTV Movie Awards

In 2001, Jimmy Fallon co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards, leveraging his SNL success.

2003: Shoots Film in Los Angeles and Returns to SNL in New York City

In the fall of 2003, Jimmy Fallon split his time between shooting the film in Los Angeles and returning to New York City for SNL.

May 2004: Signs Off from SNL

In May 2004, with his contract ending, Jimmy Fallon's sixth season at Saturday Night Live was his last. He signed off at the conclusion of the show's twenty-ninth season.

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2004: Begins Film Career

In 2004, Jimmy Fallon began to pursue a film career, signing on for his first lead role in Taxi, a remake of a French film.

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2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live

In 2004, Jimmy Fallon left Saturday Night Live after being a cast member since 1998.

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2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live to Star in Films

In 2004, Jimmy Fallon left Saturday Night Live to star in films such as Taxi.

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2004: Taxi Premieres

In the fall of 2004, Taxi premiered but was a flop with critics and audiences, marking Jimmy Fallon's first failure.

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2005: Stars in Fever Pitch

In 2005, Jimmy Fallon starred in the film Fever Pitch.

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February 2007: NBC Offers Holding Deal

In February 2007, NBC offered Jimmy Fallon a holding deal to prevent him from being lured elsewhere, as Michaels believed he would be a good fit to take over NBC's Late Night franchise.

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May 2008: Announced as Successor to Late Night

In May 2008, Jimmy Fallon was announced as the successor to Conan O'Brien's Late Night.

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March 2009: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Premieres

In March 2009, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon premiered to mixed reviews, with its style solidifying when it used Susan Boyle as a joke.

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2009: Begins Hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

In 2009, Jimmy Fallon began hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

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2009: Appearance in Monty Python documentary

In 2009, Jimmy Fallon discussed the influence of Monty Python on his comedy when he appeared in the television documentary, Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut).

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2009: Returns to Television as Host of Late Night

In 2009, Jimmy Fallon returned to television as the host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC, where he became known for his emphasis on music and video games.

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2010: Hosts the Primetime Emmy Awards

In 2010, Jimmy Fallon hosted the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.

2010: Show Finds Footing and Viral Clip with Timberlake

In 2010, Jimmy Fallon's Late Night show found its footing, embracing social media and the Internet. That year the show also scored its first viral clip: Fallon and Timberlake performing a "History of Rap".

2012: Releases Comedy Album Blow Your Pants Off

In 2012, Jimmy Fallon released his second comedy album, Blow Your Pants Off, which compiles many of his musical performances on Late Night.

April 3, 2013: Announced as Successor to Jay Leno on The Tonight Show

On April 3, 2013, NBC announced that Jimmy Fallon would succeed Jay Leno to become the sixth permanent host of The Tonight Show.

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August 2013: Earns $11 Million a Year on Late Night

As of August 2013, Jimmy Fallon was earning a salary of $11 million a year for his work on Late Night.

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February 17, 2014: The Tonight Show Debut

On February 17, 2014, Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show debut on NBC's network engaged 11.3 million viewers.

2014: Becomes Host of The Tonight Show

In 2014, Jimmy Fallon became the anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

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September 15, 2016: Hosts Donald Trump on The Tonight Show

On September 15, 2016, Jimmy Fallon hosted Donald Trump on The Tonight Show during the United States presidential election, leading to criticism for uncontroversial questions.

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March 2017: Apologizes for Trump Interview

In March 2017, Jimmy Fallon apologized for his interview with Donald Trump on The Tonight Show in September 2016, stating he didn't mean to humanize or minimize him.

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June 2018: Further Apology for Trump Interview

In June 2018, Jimmy Fallon again apologized for his interview with Donald Trump, admitting he made a mistake and didn't intend to normalize him.

2020: Creates Limited-Edition Pacifiers

In 2020, Jimmy Fallon and pacifier company WubbaNub created limited-edition pacifiers based on the penguin and cow characters from his children's books.

January 2022: Criticism for discussing NFTs

In January 2022, Jimmy Fallon faced criticism for discussing and promoting NFTs, specifically his own, on his show during an interview with Paris Hilton. Concerns were raised about potential breaches of conflict-of-interest policies set by NBCUniversal's parent company, Comcast. NBC responded by stating that they did not believe Fallon had broken conflict-of-interest rules.

August 30, 2023: Hosting Strike Force Five podcast

On August 30, 2023, Jimmy Fallon started hosting the comedy podcast Strike Force Five with Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and John Oliver. The podcast was created to support their staff members who were out of work due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

September 2023: Allegations of toxic workplace culture

In September 2023, Rolling Stone published an article detailing allegations of a toxic workplace culture at The Tonight Show under Jimmy Fallon, citing mistreatment of staff, erratic behavior, and outbursts. On the day of the article's publication, Fallon apologized to his staff on a Zoom call.