History of Jimmy Fallon in Timeline
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.
September 19, 1974: James Thomas Fallon Born
On September 19, 1974, James Thomas Fallon was born. He is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer.
1982: Inspired by Eddie Murphy's 48 Hrs.
In 2004, Jimmy Fallon was attracted to the film Taxi's action comedy tone, seeing comparisons with SNL alumnus Eddie Murphy's first big film, 48 Hrs. (1982).
1992: Graduates High School
In 1992, Jimmy Fallon graduated from Saugerties High School, where he was a performer in most stage productions and twice a class social director.
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.
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.
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.
1998: Joins Saturday Night Live
In 1998, Jimmy Fallon had his breakthrough when he joined Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a cast member.
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: Appears in Blackface on Saturday Night Live
In 2000, Jimmy Fallon appeared in blackface in an episode of Saturday Night Live, impersonating Chris Rock.
2000: Minor Role in Almost Famous
In 2000, Jimmy Fallon played a minor role in the film Almost Famous.
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.
2001: Co-hosts MTV Movie Awards
In 2001, Jimmy Fallon co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards, leveraging his SNL success.
2002: Named One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People
In 2002, Jimmy Fallon was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, an honor he found embarrassing. Also in 2002, he co-hosted the MTV Video Music Awards and released his debut comedy album.
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.
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.
2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live
In 2004, Jimmy Fallon left Saturday Night Live after being a cast member since 1998.
2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live to Star in Films
In 2004, Jimmy Fallon left Saturday Night Live to star in films such as Taxi.
2004: Taxi Premieres
In the fall of 2004, Taxi premiered but was a flop with critics and audiences, marking Jimmy Fallon's first failure.
2005: Stars in Fever Pitch
In 2005, Jimmy Fallon starred in the film Fever Pitch.
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.
August 2007: Engagement to Nancy Juvonen
In August 2007, Jimmy Fallon proposed to Nancy Juvonen with a bespoke engagement ring on the dock of her family home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. They later married in December.
December 2007: Marries Nancy Juvonen
In December 2007, Jimmy Fallon married producer Nancy Juvonen, whom he met during the production of Fever Pitch.
December 22, 2007: Marriage to Nancy Juvonen
On December 22, 2007, Jimmy Fallon married film producer Nancy Juvonen. They had met on the set of Saturday Night Live and later became friends on the set of Fever Pitch. They married four months after Fallon proposed.
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.
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.
May 2009: Receives Bachelor of Arts and Honorary Doctorate
In May 2009, fourteen years after leaving, Jimmy Fallon returned to The College of Saint Rose to receive a Bachelor of Arts in communications and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
2009: Begins Hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
In 2009, Jimmy Fallon began hosting Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
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).
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.
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".
2011: Interview with NPR on religion
In 2011, during an interview with NPR, Jimmy Fallon discussed his Catholic upbringing and expressed fondness for the Latin Mass, though he mentioned he no longer regularly attended church.
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.
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.
2013: Birth of First Daughter
In 2013, Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen welcomed their first daughter via surrogate.
2013: Wins Grammy for Best Comedy Album
In 2013, Jimmy Fallon won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album for Blow Your Pants Off.
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: Birth of Second Daughter
In 2014, Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen welcomed their second daughter via surrogate.
2014: Becomes Host of The Tonight Show
In 2014, Jimmy Fallon became the anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
June 2015: Releases Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada
In June 2015, Jimmy Fallon's third book, Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada, a children's book, was released.
June 26, 2015: Ring avulsion injury
On June 26, 2015, Jimmy Fallon suffered a ring avulsion injury at his home when he tripped over a rug and tried to break his fall. The accident caused a near-detachment of his finger by his wedding ring, requiring microsurgery and a 10-day stay in the ICU. He discussed this injury on the July 13 episode of The Tonight Show.
September 2015: Update on finger injury recovery
In September 2015, Jimmy Fallon explained in an interview with Billboard magazine that his finger still had limited mobility following a ring avulsion injury in June 2015 and that he would require another surgery. He reiterated this point at the 67th Emmy Awards on September 20, 2015.
September 20, 2015: Appearance at the Emmy Awards after finger injury
On September 20, 2015, Jimmy Fallon appeared at the 67th Emmy Awards without his finger bandaged for the first time since his ring avulsion injury in June 2015. He had been recovering from microsurgery and a 10-day ICU stay.
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.
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.
November 4, 2017: Death of his mother, Gloria
On November 4, 2017, Jimmy Fallon's mother, Gloria, passed away at the age of 68 at NYU Langone Medical Center. In the following week, scheduled tapings of The Tonight Show episodes were cancelled as a result. One week later, Fallon paid tribute to her.
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.
November 2021: Purchase of NFT
In November 2021, it was deduced that Jimmy Fallon most likely purchased an NFT for about $216,000. This purchase became relevant when he promoted the NFT on his show in January 2022, leading to conflict-of-interest concerns.
January 4, 2022: Testing positive for COVID-19
On January 4, 2022, Jimmy Fallon announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 over the holiday season. He credited the COVID-19 vaccine for his mild symptoms and thanked medical professionals.
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.
November 16, 2022: Twitter Hoax #RIPJimmyFallon
On November 16, 2022, a Twitter hoax using the hashtag #RIPJimmyFallon began trending nationwide. Jimmy Fallon responded by asking Twitter owner Elon Musk for help, who joked about it. Fallon then made fun of the rumors in a skit on his show the following day.
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.
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