Jimmy Fallon and the Comedy of No Consequences
Jimmy Fallon keeps telling us he has learned.
After the infamous 2016 interview with Donald Trump, where he playfully mussed Trump’s hair and helped normalize a presidential candidate at a pivotal moment, Fallon later admitted he got it wrong. He said he had underestimated the significance of the interview and the responsibility that came with his platform.
Years later, multiple current and former employees described The Tonight Show as a toxic workplace, alleging an atmosphere of fear, emotional strain, and unpredictability. Fallon again apologized. Again, he said he had learned. Again, he promised to do better.
Learning is a wonderful thing.
Unless it only lasts until the next interview.
Last night, Fallon welcomed Conor McGregor back to The Tonight Show as McGregor promotes his return to the UFC after five years away from the cage. During the interview, McGregor reminded Fallon about the last time they were together.
“We went out drinking.”
Fallon laughed.
McGregor said he couldn’t wait to do it again.
Fallon enthusiastically agreed.
You might know the details of McGregor. You certainly didn’t learn them from Fallon’s interview.
This wasn’t simply another athlete making the promotional rounds. McGregor was found civilly liable in Ireland for sexually assaulting a woman. He has denied wrongdoing and is appealing the judgment. During the trial, photographs and testimony describing the extensive injuries to the woman’s body became part of the public record.
Jimmy Fallon knows how to read.
His producers know how to read.
NBC knows how to read.
Yet none of that seemed to matter. The interview wasn’t difficult. It wasn’t probing. It wasn’t even cautious. It was nostalgic. Two guys talking about old times and looking forward to having another drink together.
What is it about Jimmy Fallon that allows him to keep walking away from accountability?
Is it the little boy face that mothers love? Is it that he can sing? Is it that he’s genuinely talented? Quick witted? I love a quick wit. On my best day, I have one.
Or have we simply become so accustomed to confusing charm with character that we no longer notice the difference?
America is interrupted because we continue to elevate men whose public personas overwhelm their judgment. We excuse behavior that, in any other profession, would force a reckoning. We keep rewarding likability while asking women to carry the consequences.
This isn’t about canceling Jimmy Fallon.
It’s about our own personal standards.
Every minute we spend watching someone is a vote. It tells networks who deserves another interview, another season, another multimillion-dollar contract.
Maybe it’s time we cast a different vote.
Turn him off. Tell everyone to turn him off. Tell the advertisers, not so much.
Stop rewarding the ratings.
Stop giving one minute of your attention to men who continue to normalize or celebrate those whose actions toward women have already been laid bare in public.
Some people belong on center stage.
Others shouldn’t even be backstage.
End of story.