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). He hosted Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009-2014) before taking over as host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

September 19, 1974: Birth of James Thomas Fallon

On September 19, 1974, James Thomas Fallon was born. He is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer.

1982: Reference to 48 Hrs.

In 2004, Jimmy Fallon compared his upcoming movie Taxi to Eddie Murphy's first big film, 48 Hrs from 1982.

1992: Graduates from Saugerties High School

In 1992, Jimmy Fallon graduated from Saugerties High School.

1995: Drops out of college to pursue comedy

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

1997: Appears in Father's Day

In 1997, Jimmy Fallon appeared in the film Father's Day.

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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.

September 1998: Debut on Saturday Night Live

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

1998: Brief Appearance on Spin City

In 1998, Fallon made a brief appearance on the second season of the show Spin City.

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1998: Joins Saturday Night Live

In 1998, Jimmy Fallon fulfilled his lifelong dream by joining Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a cast member.

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

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

2000: Appears in Blackface

In 2000, Fallon appeared in blackface in a Saturday Night Live episode, impersonating Chris Rock.

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 sketch where he imitated Mick Jagger in a mirror opposite Jagger as his favorite.

2001: Co-hosts the MTV Movie Awards

In 2001, Fallon co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards.

2002: Co-hosts MTV Video Music Awards and Releases Comedy Album

In 2002, Fallon co-hosted the MTV Video Music Awards, and released his debut comedy album, The Bathroom Wall.

2002: Named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People

In 2002, Fallon was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.

2003: Shoots film while on SNL

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

May 2004: Final SNL Season

In May 2004, Jimmy Fallon's sixth season at SNL was his last.

2004: Pursues Film Career

In 2004, Fallon began to pursue a film career.

2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live to star in films

In 2004, Fallon left Saturday Night Live to star in films.

2004: Departure from Saturday Night Live

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

2004: Taxi Premiere

In the fall of 2004, the film Taxi premiered.

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2005: Stars in Fever Pitch

In 2005, Jimmy Fallon starred in Fever Pitch.

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February 2007: NBC Holding Deal

In February 2007, NBC gave Fallon a holding deal to prevent him from being lured elsewhere, anticipating him taking over the Late Night franchise.

August 2007: Engagement to Nancy Juvonen

In August 2007, Jimmy Fallon proposed to Nancy Juvonen with a bespoke engagement ring at her family home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. They were married four months later in December 2007.

December 2007: Marries Nancy Juvonen

In December 2007, Jimmy Fallon married producer Nancy Juvonen.

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 reconnected on the set of Fever Pitch.

May 2008: Successor to O'Brien's Late Night

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

March 2009: Premiere of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

In March 2009, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon premiered.

May 2009: Receives Bachelor of Arts and Honorary Doctorate

In May 2009, Fallon received a Bachelor of Arts in communications and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from The College of Saint Rose.

2009: Host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

In 2009, Fallon returned to television as the host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

2009: Appearance in Monty Python documentary

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

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2010: Hosts the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards

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

2010: Viral "History of Rap" Clip

In 2010, Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's "History of Rap" performance became a viral clip.

2011: Fondness for Latin Mass

In a 2011 interview with NPR, Jimmy Fallon mentioned his fondness for the Latin Mass, despite no longer being a regular churchgoer.

2012: Releases comedy album Blow Your Pants Off

In 2012, Fallon released his second comedy album, Blow Your Pants Off.

April 3, 2013: Announcement of Fallon as Tonight Show Host

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

August 2013: Fallon's Late Night Salary

As of August 2013, Jimmy Fallon earned $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: Blow Your Pants Off Wins Grammy

In 2013, Jimmy Fallon's album Blow Your Pants Off won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

February 17, 2014: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Debut

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

2014: Becomes host of The Tonight Show

In 2014, Fallon became the sixth permanent host of The Tonight Show.

2014: Birth of second daughter

In 2014, Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen welcomed their second daughter via surrogate.

2014: Anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

In 2014, Jimmy Fallon became the anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon after leaving Late Night.

June 2015: Release of 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 after tripping and catching his wedding ring on a countertop. He underwent microsurgery and spent 10 days in the ICU.

September 2015: Finger still had limited mobility

In September 2015, Jimmy Fallon discussed his ring avulsion injury. His finger still had limited mobility and would require another surgery, months after the initial injury on June 26, 2015.

September 20, 2015: Appearance at the Emmy Awards

On September 20, 2015, Jimmy Fallon attended the 67th Emmy Awards without a bandage on his injured finger for the first time since his accident on June 26, 2015.

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

On September 15, 2016, Fallon hosted Donald Trump on The Tonight Show, drawing criticism for his uncontroversial interview style.

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March 2017: Fallon Apologizes for Trump Interview

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

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November 4, 2017: Death of his mother, Gloria

On November 4, 2017, Jimmy Fallon's mother, Gloria, passed away at the age of 68. Fallon canceled tapings of The Tonight Show and paid tribute to her a week later.

June 2018: Second Apology for Trump Interview

In June 2018, Fallon apologized again for his interview with Donald Trump on The Tonight Show, acknowledging he "made a mistake".

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2020: Collaboration with WubbaNub

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

November 2021: Purchase of NFT

In November 2021, Jimmy Fallon most likely purchased an NFT for approximately $216,000. This purchase later became a point of controversy when he promoted the NFT on his show in January 2022.

January 4, 2022: Tested positive for COVID-19

On January 4, 2022, Jimmy Fallon announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 over the holiday season, crediting the vaccine for his mild symptoms.

January 2022: Criticism for discussing NFTs

In January 2022, Jimmy Fallon faced criticism for discussing and promoting NFTs, potentially breaching NBCUniversal's conflict-of-interest policies. His own NFT, purchased in November 2021, may have seen its value increase due to the promotion.

November 16, 2022: Twitter Hoax

On November 16, 2022, a hoax using the hashtag #RIPJimmyFallon began trending on Twitter, prompting Fallon to seek help from Twitter owner Elon Musk.

August 30, 2023: Hosting Strike Force Five podcast

On August 30, 2023, Jimmy Fallon, along with Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and John Oliver, started hosting the comedy podcast Strike Force Five to support their staff affected by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

September 2023: Article about The Tonight Show workplace culture

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