70 Facts About Jimmy Fallon

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

Best known for his work in television, Jimmy Fallon's breakthrough came during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2004.

Jimmy Fallon grew up with a love of comedy and music, moving to Los Angeles when he turned 21 to pursue stand-up comedy.

Jimmy Fallon joined Saturday Night Live as a cast member in 1998, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Jimmy Fallon left the show in 2004 to star in films such as Taxi and Fever Pitch.

Jimmy Fallon moved from that show to become the sixth permanent host of The Tonight Show in 2014.

James Thomas Fallon was born in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of New York City's Brooklyn borough on September 19,1974, the son of Gloria and James W Fallon.

Jimmy Fallon's paternal grandmother was a German immigrant from Osterholz-Scharmbeck, while his matrilineal great-grandfather was a Norwegian immigrant from Fredrikstad.

Jimmy Fallon's father spent his adolescence singing in street-corner doo-wop groups then served in the Vietnam War.

Jimmy Fallon has described his childhood as idyllic, while his parents have been described as overprotective.

Jimmy Fallon attended the Roman Catholic school St Mary of the Snow.

Jimmy Fallon considered becoming a priest, inspired by his experiences as an altar boy, but became more interested in comedy instead.

Jimmy Fallon spent many nights listening to the radio program The Dr Demento Show, which exposed him to both comedy and music; he often recorded it on a reel-to-reel recorder.

Jimmy Fallon watched it religiously, although he was only allowed to see "the clean parts" that his parents taped for him.

Jimmy Fallon was musically inclined and started playing guitar at age 13, going on to perform comedy and music in contests and shows.

At Saugerties High School, Jimmy Fallon was a performer in most stage productions and was twice a class social director.

Jimmy Fallon won a young comedian's contest with an impression of Pee-wee Herman.

Jimmy Fallon graduated in 1992 and then attended The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, where he was a computer science major before switching to communications in his senior year.

Jimmy Fallon was an average student who would perform stand-up comedy on weekends.

Jimmy Fallon did not graduate, leaving college a semester early to pursue a comedy career.

Fourteen years later, in May 2009, Jimmy Fallon returned to receive a Bachelor of Arts in communications, awarded by Saint Rose officials who granted him experiential learning credits for his television work.

Jimmy Fallon joined his classmates at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to collect his degree, where along with his BA, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

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

Jimmy Fallon secured a manager and got bookings by the age of 21.

Jimmy Fallon often did stand-up at the Improv, earning $7.50 per set, and he joined classes with the Groundlings, an improv comedy troupe.

Jimmy Fallon appeared in the feature film The Scheme.

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

When he was cast in a pilot presentation for The WB, Jimmy Fallon made sure to include a clause in his contract specifying that if he were to join SNL he would be released from his contract.

Jimmy Fallon's manager sent videotapes to Marci Klein and Ayala Cohen, producers for SNL.

Jimmy Fallon landed his second audition at the age of 23.

Jimmy Fallon feared being outshined by the comic before him, who came armed with an arsenal of props.

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

Jimmy Fallon became a star by his fourth episode, when he performed Halloween-themed versions of songs by popular artists, as well as his Sandler impression.

Jimmy Fallon became a celebrity, considered charming by his largely female fan-base, receiving numerous letters from fans, and becoming the subject of numerous fan-sites.

Jimmy Fallon became the program's most featured mimic, doing popular impressions of Robert De Niro, Jerry Seinfeld, and Howard Stern.

Jimmy Fallon starred as many original characters, including Nick Burns, an IT support nerd, Pat "Sully" Sullivan, one of the Boston Teens with Rachel Dratch, and in Jarret's Room, a fictional webcast hosted by stoner college students Jarret and Gobi.

Jimmy Fallon was promoted to repertory player in his second season.

Jimmy Fallon initially planned to spend three years at SNL, like John Belushi, but he was persuaded to stay on for three more when given the reins to Weekend Update.

Jimmy Fallon's co-hosting of Weekend Update with writer Tina Fey further increased his profile.

Jimmy Fallon called a December 2001 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.

Jimmy Fallon became known for his tendency to break character in sketches, an attribute he, as well as Michaels, disliked.

Jimmy Fallon was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2002, an honor Jimmy Fallon found embarrassing.

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

Jimmy Fallon had spurned most major roles due to lack of time and disinterest in the dozens of scripts he read.

Jimmy Fallon signed on for his first lead role in Taxi, a remake of a French film, after co-star Queen Latifah became attached to the project.

Jimmy Fallon was attracted to the film's action comedy tone, seeing comparisons with SNL alumnus Eddie Murphy's first big film, 48 Hrs.

Jimmy Fallon met his wife, producer Nancy Juvonen, during production of the film, and the two wed in December 2007.

Jimmy Fallon had entered what he has called a "lost period", drinking more alcohol and beset by confusion over his next career moves.

Michaels urged NBC to give Jimmy Fallon a holding deal in February 2007 so that he could not be lured elsewhere.

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

Jimmy Fallon was considered an odd choice for the job, both by executives at NBC and among the general public.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon premiered in March 2009 to mixed reviews.

Jimmy Fallon proved himself different from other late-night hosts, with more of a reliance on music, dancing, impersonations, and games.

Jimmy Fallon's show found its footing in 2010, during The Tonight Show debacle.

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

Discussions for Jimmy Fallon to take over The Tonight Show began in early 2013.

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

On September 15,2016, Jimmy Fallon hosted Donald Trump on The Tonight Show during the United States presidential election.

In January 2022, Jimmy Fallon was criticized for discussing NFTs on his show during an interview with Paris Hilton, which may have breached conflict-of-interest policies set by NBCUniversal's parent company Comcast; his own NFT was deduced to have most likely been purchased in November 2021 for about $216,000, and his promotion of it on the show could have boosted its asking price.

NBC responded to the criticism by stating that it did not believe Jimmy Fallon had broken its conflict-of-interest rules.

In September 2023, Rolling Stone published an article about Fallon and The Tonight Show workplace culture titled "Chaos, Comedy, and 'Crying Rooms': Inside Jimmy Fallon's 'Tonight Show'", based on interviews with 16 former and then-active employees.

Jimmy Fallon told David Steinberg on the Showtime series Inside Comedy that as a child he and his sister would imitate Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd's "Wild and Crazy Guys" routines from Saturday Night Live, and that he listened to comedy records, learning to imitate Rodney Dangerfield from them.

Jimmy Fallon married film producer Nancy Juvonen on December 22,2007.

Jimmy Fallon proposed in August 2007 with a bespoke engagement ring on the dock of Juvonen's family home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.

One week later, Jimmy Fallon paid tribute to his mother following that night's monologue, becoming emotional and calling her "the best audience".

Jimmy Fallon was taken to the emergency room and then sent to a surgeon who performed microsurgery on his finger.

Jimmy Fallon spent 10 days in the ICU before going home.

Jimmy Fallon reiterated this point at the 67th Emmy Awards on September 20,2015, when he appeared in public without his finger bandaged for the first time since the accident.

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

Jimmy Fallon thanked medical professionals and credited the COVID-19 vaccine with making him "lucky enough to only have mild symptoms".