History of Jimmy Fallon in Timeline
Jimmy Fallon is an American comedian, television host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. He rose to prominence as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1998-2004). He then hosted Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009-2014) before taking over as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Fallon is primarily known for his work in television, particularly in comedy and late-night talk shows.
September 19, 1974: Birth of Jimmy Fallon
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, Fallon saw comparisons between SNL alumnus Eddie Murphy's first big film, 48 Hrs. (1982).
1992: Graduates High School
In 1992, Fallon graduated from Saugerties High School.
1995: Moves to Los Angeles
In 1995, Fallon dropped out of college to move to Los Angeles and pursue comedy full-time.
1997: Acted in Father's Day
In 1997, Fallon had one line cut from the film Father's Day, but he can still be seen in the background.
1997: Auditions for Saturday Night Live
In 1997, after two years with the Groundlings, 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 start of the show's twenty-fourth season.
1998: Appears on Spin City
In 1998, Fallon appeared briefly on the show Spin City in the second season.
1998: Joins Saturday Night Live
In 1998, Fallon had his breakthrough when he became a cast member on NBC's sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live (SNL).
1999: Releases I Hate This Place: A Pessimist's Guide to Life
In 1999, Fallon released a book titled I Hate This Place: A Pessimist's Guide to Life, comprising e-mail exchanges with his sister Gloria.
2000: Appears in blackface on SNL
In 2000, Fallon appeared in blackface on an episode of Saturday Night Live, impersonating Chris Rock. He later apologized for the incident.
2000: Plays a minor role in Almost Famous
In 2000, Fallon played a minor role in the film Almost Famous.
December 2001: Favorite SNL sketch with Mick Jagger
In December 2001, Fallon considers his favorite SNL sketch was the one in which he imitates Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in a mirror opposite Jagger.
2001: Co-hosts 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.
2003: Shoots film in Los Angeles while on SNL
In the fall of 2003, Fallon split his time between shooting the film in Los Angeles and returning to New York City for SNL.
May 2004: Final episode on SNL
In May 2004, Fallon signed off at the conclusion of the show's twenty-ninth season. This was his last show at SNL.
2004: Pursues a film career
In 2004, Fallon began to pursue a film career.
2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live
In 2004, Fallon left Saturday Night Live after being a cast member since 1998.
2004: Leaves Saturday Night Live for film career
In 2004, Fallon left Saturday Night Live to pursue a film career, including starring in Taxi.
2004: Taxi Premiere
In the fall of 2004, Taxi premiered and was a flop with critics and audiences.
2005: Stars in Fever Pitch
In 2005, Fallon starred in Fever Pitch, which received mild reviews and tepid box office returns.
February 2007: NBC Holding Deal
In February 2007, Michaels urged NBC to give Fallon a holding deal so that he could not be lured elsewhere 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 Juvonen's family home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
December 2007: Marries Nancy Juvonen
In December 2007, Fallon married 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 met on the set of Saturday Night Live, but they did not become friends until later on the set of Fever Pitch.
May 2008: Announced as Successor to 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 to mixed reviews.
May 2009: Receives Bachelor of Arts and Honorary Doctorate
In May 2009, Fallon returned to The College of Saint Rose to receive a Bachelor of Arts in communications and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
2009: Host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
In 2009, Fallon became the host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
2009: Monty Python Documentary Appearance
In 2009, Jimmy Fallon appeared in the television documentary Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut), where he spoke about the influence of Monty Python.
2010: Hosts the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
In 2010, Fallon hosted the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.
2010: "History of Rap" Viral Clip
In 2010, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon scored its first viral clip with Fallon and Timberlake performing a "History of Rap".
2011: NPR Interview on Religion
In a 2011 interview with NPR, Jimmy Fallon expressed his fondness for the Latin Mass but stated he was no longer a regular churchgoer.
2012: Releases Blow Your Pants Off
In 2012, Fallon released his second comedy album, Blow Your Pants Off.
August 2013: Fallon Salary for Late Night
As of August 2013, Fallon was earning a salary of $11 million a year for his work on Late Night.
2013: Wins a Grammy Award
In 2013, Fallon won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for Blow Your Pants Off.
2013: Birth of First Daughter
In 2013, Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen's first daughter was born via surrogate.
February 17, 2014: Tonight Show Debut
On February 17, 2014, Fallon's Tonight Show debut on NBC engaged 11.3 million viewers.
2014: Anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
In 2014, Fallon became the anchor of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
2014: Becomes host of The Tonight Show
In 2014, Fallon left Late Night to become the sixth permanent host of The Tonight Show.
2014: Birth of Second Daughter
In 2014, Jimmy Fallon and Nancy Juvonen's second daughter was born via surrogate.
June 2015: Releases Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada
In June 2015, 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 home when he tripped on a rug and tried to break his fall, resulting in his finger nearly being torn off by his wedding ring. He underwent microsurgery and spent 10 days in the ICU.
September 2015: Billboard Interview
In a September 2015 interview with Billboard magazine, Jimmy Fallon explained that his finger still had limited mobility after his June 26 accident and that another surgery would be required.
September 20, 2015: Appearance at the 67th Emmy Awards
On September 20, 2015, Jimmy Fallon appeared at the 67th Emmy Awards without his finger bandaged for the first time since his June 26 accident. He still had limited mobility in his finger and another surgery was required.
September 15, 2016: Hosts Donald Trump on The Tonight Show
On September 15, 2016, Fallon hosted Donald Trump on The Tonight Show during the United States presidential election, leading to criticism for the uncontroversial nature of the interview.
March 2017: Apologizes for Trump Interview
In March 2017, Fallon apologized for his interview with Donald Trump on The Tonight Show.
November 4, 2017: Death of Mother Gloria Fallon
On November 4, 2017, Jimmy Fallon's mother, Gloria, passed away from undisclosed causes at the age of 68 at NYU Langone Medical Center. Scheduled tapings of The Tonight Show were canceled for the following week.
June 2018: Again Apologizes for Trump Interview
In June 2018, Fallon again apologized for his interview with Donald Trump on The Tonight Show, stating he "made a mistake".
2020: Creates Limited-Edition Pacifiers
In 2020, Fallon and pacifier company WubbaNub created limited-edition pacifiers based on the penguin and cow characters from his children's books.
November 2021: NFT Purchase
In November 2021, Jimmy Fallon's NFT was deduced to have most likely been purchased for about $216,000.
November 29, 2021: That's My Jam Debut
On November 29, 2021, Jimmy Fallon debuted a new NBC game show called That's My Jam. The show features musical games in the style of those on The Tonight Show.
January 4, 2022: COVID-19 Diagnosis
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 with minimizing his symptoms.
January 2022: Criticism for Discussing NFTs
In January 2022, Jimmy Fallon faced criticism for discussing NFTs and promoting his own during an interview with Paris Hilton on his show. This raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest with NBCUniversal's policies. NBC responded by stating that they did not believe Fallon had broken its conflict-of-interest rules.
November 16, 2022: Twitter Hoax
On November 16, 2022, a Twitter hoax using the hashtag #RIPJimmyFallon spread and began trending nationwide. Fallon reached out to Twitter owner Elon Musk for help, who responded with a joke. The following day, Fallon addressed the rumors in a comedic skit on his show.
August 30, 2023: Hosting Strike Force Five Podcast
On August 30, 2023, Jimmy Fallon began co-hosting the comedy podcast Strike Force Five with Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and John Oliver. The podcast supported staff members affected by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.
September 2023: Rolling Stone Article on The Tonight Show Workplace Culture
In September 2023, Rolling Stone published an article titled "Chaos, Comedy, and 'Crying Rooms': Inside Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show'" detailing allegations of Fallon's mistreatment of staff and contribution to a toxic workplace culture. The article cited interviews with 16 former and then-active employees. Fallon later apologized to his staff.
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