Jimmy Fallon apologizes to The Tonight Show staff, according to a Rolling Stone report.
Following one investigation through Rolling Stone into the work environment The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallontalk show host and showrunner Chris Miller addressed employees in a Zoom call on Thursday evening.
For a report released Thursday morning, Rolling Stone spoke with two current and 14 former employees who said Fallon’s erratic behavior — and the show’s constantly changing leadership teams — fostered an unhealthy work environment. Some employees say their mental health has been affected by their alleged experiences, and many employees say they have complained to human resources.
More from Rolling Stone
Two employees who attended the meeting said Fallon apologized and said he had no intention of “creating that type of atmosphere for the show.”
“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad,” employees say, Fallon said. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends… I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”
Fallon also acknowledged the level of turnover, according to employees who say the talk show host’s message “felt very serious.” The Tonight Show had in regards to its showrunners. They say Fallon stressed that current showrunner Chris Miller is “a great leader” and isn’t going anywhere.
“I want the show to be fun, [it] “It should be inclusive for everyone,” Fallon said, according to employees. “It should be the best show.”
Representatives for Fallon and NBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An NBC spokesperson defended the show in a statement, saying: “We are incredibly proud of it The Tonight Show“And creating a respectful work environment is a top priority,” the spokesperson said. “Like any workplace, we had employees who raised issues; These were investigated and, if necessary, action was taken. “As always, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior that is inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so we can address them appropriately.” (Representatives for Fallon did not comment Protocol.)
In the course of reporting this story Rolling Stone more than 80 contacted Tonight’s show Contributors past and present — including the program’s nine showrunners since 2014. While many of them praised Fallon’s immense talent and comedic chops, none agreed to talk about the record or had anything positive to say about working on it The Tonight Show.
An NBC employee not working The Tonight Show answer to Rolling StoneRequest an interview. They declined to speak on the phone and said they would not be available until next week, but in their email they said: “I love what I do and it has been a great honor to be here since Day 1 of SNL, followed by The Tonight Show, to work with Jimmy!” The Tonight Show! What a joyful adventure!!”
After the publication of Rolling Stone“‘s story,” said an anonymous “current employee of the show.” People magazine that Fallon was “super communicative” and “a really, really positive guy.”
Miller, who didn’t respond Rolling StonePlease comment on the original story about the behind-the-scenes environment of The Tonight Showalso sent an email to employees Thursday morning.
“I wanted to alert you all to an online story that just surfaced on Rollingstone.com containing previous allegations of inappropriate behavior on the show,” Miller wrote in the email.
“While I know the reporter reached out to many of you before publishing the article, I do not believe what was written reflects the overall culture of our exceptional team that I am so fortunate and proud to work with every day. The place described in the article is not the place I know. However, it is disappointing to see something released that does not reflect the positive and inclusive environment that I believe we have created together.”
In the email, Miller also encouraged employees to raise any concerns with him, their supervisors or human resources.
The best of Rolling Stone
