- Jimmy Fallon is an American comedian and actor
- He is currently the host of 'The Tonight Show'
- THIS is what staffers allege his behavior to be
Despite his incredible success, Fallon is not without his detractors, and now, new allegations are threatening to derail his career! After many other television hosts have been slammed in recent years for toxic work environments, many are starting to ask, if it's even possible to run a daily television show without having it full of workplace toxicity?
In the last few years, we’ve seen several exposés from the sets of very popular programs like 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', 'The Kelly Clarkson Show', and 'Dr. Phil', featuring accusations of bullying tactics by producers which deteriorated mental health for their staffers. 'The Tonight Show' starring Jimmy Fallon can now be added to that list as well after more than a dozen current and former show employees have spoken to 'Rolling Stone' magazine about a culture of fear and anxiety on set that largely came from Fallon's very own "erratic" behavior.
Is there any truth to the allegations?
Back in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic when every show was shooting from inside the hosts' home, there were already rumors of a toxic work environment that circulated online, specially on YouTube, that claimed Jimmy would show up to the set intoxicated.
The staffers told 'Rolling Stone' there was a lot of uncertainty as to whether Fallon would come to work cheerful and friendly or belligerent and mean, which would affect how everyone would behave in the office. Show writers talked about getting degrading feedback from the host on their jokes with comments like, "Ugh, lame. What is going on with you? You’ve outdone yourself". While others claim they saw him scold or belittle crew members. For many supporters, he's just a difficult boss...that's all!
For many years now, the tabloids have alleged that Fallon has a problem with alcohol, although he has publicly denied it, some of the employees who spoke with 'Rolling Stone' say they witnessed him appear inebriated or even smelling alcohol on his breath on different occasions in 2017, 2019, and 2020. Eight employees said that "Fallon’s behavior seemed to be dependent on if he appeared to be hungover from the night before."
What's worse for producers is that the show has also suffered from high turnover in the higher-ups, having nine different showrunners over the course of nine years. That's quite a record! Employees also allege that the showrunners, too, were often bullies as they tried to keep order on the set. "We’re just eating a lot today and not caring about what we look like?," one reportedly said to staffers.
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The trouble was that they seemed to have no defense either. The whistleblowers supposedly found no help from human resources, and one staffer was even privy to emails between HR and a showrunner where the HR representative denigrated the employee to their boss! If all of this is true, then the show's days could very well be numbered.
"They are the worst bosses I’ve ever had in my life. They use that position of power to bully and treat the staff that way, and the network is aware of how they treat people. They not only continue to enable it, but they reward it,” one ex-employee said. The main problem here, is that many have said that their mental health deteriorated on the job, with three claiming to have experienced suicidal thoughts as a result.
"Mentally, I was in the lowest place of my life. I didn’t want to live anymore. I thought about taking my own life all the time. I knew deep down I would never actually do it, but in my head, I’m like, ‘Why do I think about this all the time?" said another ex-employee.
The lack of mental health resources is what is most shocking to critics, and the symptoms are quite clear. In response, 'Rolling Stone' noted that none of the ex-showrunners contacted for the piece offered statements of support. A statement from NBC didn’t even mention Fallon by name either saying this:
"We are incredibly proud of 'The Tonight Show', and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority. As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly."
This could be the beginning of the end. After allegations against Ellen DeGeneres' behavior towards staffers on her show came out in recent years, producers quickly announced the show would be coming to its end. Many seemed positive that the allegations were the real reason for the show ending.
'The Tonight Show' is a staple of American television, and if these allegations are true, in all likelihood, it will be Jimmy who gets cancelled and not the show.
