Jimmy Fallon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jimmy Fallon
Fallon in 2013
Birth name	James Thomas Fallon
Born	(1974-09-19) September 19, 1974 (age 50) New York City, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up television film music books
Alma mater	College of Saint Rose (BA)
Genres	Observational comedy musical comedy sketch comedy clean comedy impressions satire
Subject(s)	American culture American politics everyday life pop culture current events
Spouse	Nancy Juvonen ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	2

James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is a famous American comedian, TV host, actor, singer, writer, and producer. He is best known for his work on television. Jimmy became very popular during his time on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2004.

He hosted the late-night talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. After that, he became the main host of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy grew up loving comedy and music. He moved to Los Angeles at age 21 to start a career in stand-up comedy.

Joining Saturday Night Live in 1998 was a dream come true for him. During his six years on SNL, Jimmy co-hosted the show's Weekend Update news segment. He left in 2004 to act in movies like Taxi (2004) and Fever Pitch (2005).

After his movie career, Jimmy returned to TV in 2009 to host Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. On this show, he became known for using lots of music and video games. In 2014, he moved from Late Night to become the sixth host of The Tonight Show. Besides his TV work, he has released two comedy albums and seven books, many of which are for children.

Jimmy Fallon's Early Life

James Thomas Fallon was born in New York City on September 19, 1974. His parents are Gloria and James W. Fallon. His family moved to Saugerties, New York, when he was young. Jimmy has said his childhood was very happy.

He went to a Roman Catholic school called St. Mary of the Snow. For a while, he thought about becoming a priest. But he became more interested in comedy instead. He loved listening to The Dr. Demento Show on the radio. This show introduced him to both comedy and music.

Growing Up with Comedy

As a teenager, Jimmy became obsessed with Saturday Night Live. He watched it all the time. He and his older sister, Gloria, would even act out sketches with their friends. In his teens, he was good at impressions, like of actor James Cagney and comedian Dana Carvey.

He also loved music and started playing guitar at age 13. He performed comedy and music in contests and shows. In junior high, people called him a class clown. But they also said he was "nice and well-mannered."

At Saugerties High School, Jimmy performed in most school plays. He won a young comedian's contest by doing an impression of Pee-wee Herman. He finished high school in 1992. Then he went to The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. He studied computer science before changing to communications.

He was an average student who performed stand-up comedy on weekends. He often traveled to perform at Carolines on Broadway in Times Square. He left college a semester early to chase his dream of becoming a comedian. In May 2009, he returned to the college to receive his degree. He also received an honorary degree.

Jimmy Fallon's Career Journey

Starting in Comedy

In 1995, Jimmy Fallon left college and moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to focus on comedy full-time. By age 21, he had a manager and was getting comedy shows. He often performed stand-up at the Improv club. He also took classes with the Groundlings, a group that does improv comedy.

He appeared in a movie called The Scheme (1998). A small part he had in the 1997 film Father's Day was cut. In 1998, he had a brief role on the show Spin City.

Jimmy really wanted to join Saturday Night Live. He auditioned in 1997 but didn't get in. He made sure his next TV contract allowed him to leave if SNL wanted him. He sent videos to the show's producers.

He said joining SNL was his biggest dream. He wished for it all the time. He felt like he had no other plan besides being on the show.

Jimmy got his second audition for SNL when he was 23. He was told that the show's creator, Lorne Michaels, rarely laughed during auditions. But Jimmy did well. He performed impressions of famous comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. Michaels and others laughed.

Tina Fey, a head writer at SNL, said Jimmy was completely ready for the show. Three weeks later, Michaels told him he was hired. Jimmy felt like it was a slow-motion moment. He told Michaels he would make him proud.

His Time on Saturday Night Live (1998–2004)

Fallon in 2004

Jimmy Fallon joined Saturday Night Live in September 1998. He became a star quickly. By his fourth episode, he was performing funny Halloween songs and his Adam Sandler impression. He became very popular, especially with female fans.

He was known for his many impressions, including Robert De Niro and Howard Stern. He also played original characters like Nick Burns, an IT support nerd. He also played Pat "Sully" Sullivan, one of the Boston Teens, with Rachel Dratch. He was promoted to a main cast member in his second season.

While on SNL, Jimmy released a book with his sister Gloria called I Hate This Place: A Pessimist's Guide to Life (1999). He also had a small role in the movie Almost Famous (2000).

Later Years on SNL

Jimmy had planned to stay at SNL for three years. But he was convinced to stay for three more years when he started co-hosting Weekend Update. He co-hosted with writer Tina Fey, which made him even more famous. He became close with Lorne Michaels, who gave him advice on many things.

Jimmy loved a sketch from December 2001. In it, he imitated Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger in a mirror, with Jagger himself watching. Later, he co-starred in "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" with musician Justin Timberlake. They played the Bee Gees brothers. This started a long friendship and many collaborations with Timberlake.

Jimmy became known for sometimes laughing during sketches, which is called "breaking character." He and Lorne Michaels didn't like this habit. It started during the famous "More Cowbell" sketch. After that, other cast members would try to make him laugh. Some thought he was trying to make the sketch about himself. This became a running joke during his last year on the show.

During this time, Jimmy also hosted the 2001 MTV Movie Awards and 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. He released his first comedy album, The Bathroom Wall (2002). It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. He also modeled for Calvin Klein. In 2002, People magazine named him one of the 50 Most Beautiful People.

In a 2000 episode of Saturday Night Live, Jimmy did an impression of Chris Rock. He later apologized for this, saying it was "unquestionably offensive."

Moving to Movies (2004–2008)

Fallon in 2007

Jimmy Fallon started acting in movies in 2004. He had turned down many roles before because he didn't have time or wasn't interested. He took his first main role in Taxi. He liked that it was an action comedy film.

In late 2003, he split his time between filming in Los Angeles and returning to New York City for SNL. His contract ended, and his sixth season was his last. He left SNL in May 2004.

Taxi came out in the fall of 2004. It was not popular with critics or audiences. This was Jimmy's first movie that didn't do well. But 20th Century Fox had already signed him for another big role. He starred with Drew Barrymore in the 2005 romantic comedy Fever Pitch. Fever Pitch also received mixed reviews and didn't make much money.

He met his wife, producer Nancy Juvonen, while making Fever Pitch. They got married in December 2007.

Jimmy started getting fewer movie offers. He called this a "lost period" where he felt confused about his career. He moved back to New York.

Before Jimmy left SNL, Lorne Michaels told him he would be a good host for NBC's Late Night show. This would happen when the host, Conan O'Brien, moved to The Tonight Show. Michaels encouraged NBC to offer Jimmy a deal in February 2007.

To get ready to be a late-night host, Jimmy performed new comedy routines at colleges and clubs for eight months. He also studied the comedy of other hosts like Johnny Carson. In May 2008, it was announced that Jimmy would take over Late Night.

Some people thought Jimmy was a strange choice for the job. This was even joked about in an early ad for the show.

Back to Television: Late Night (2009–2013)

Late Night's Fallon (left) interviews President Barack Obama on the campus of UNC at Chapel Hill in April 2012.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon started in March 2009. The show became known for its positive and fun humor. Jimmy was different from other late-night hosts. He used more music, dancing, impressions, and games.

With his own musical talent and his house band, The Roots, Late Night became a very musical comedy show. He did sketches where he parodied famous musicians. These sketches often became very popular online.

Jimmy's show became very successful in 2010. It used social media and the Internet a lot. This online interaction was key to its success. In 2010, Jimmy and Justin Timberlake performed a "History of Rap" sketch. It became a huge viral hit.

Jimmy also hosted the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards in 2010. In 2012, he released his second comedy album, Blow Your Pants Off. It included many of his musical performances from Late Night. The album won a Grammy in 2013 for Best Comedy Album.

Hosting The Tonight Show (2014–Present)

On April 3, 2013, NBC announced that Jimmy Fallon would take over from Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show. This happened after the 2014 Winter Olympics. Jimmy and Jay Leno even sang a funny song together about The Tonight Show.

Jimmy's first Tonight Show episode on February 17, 2014, was watched by 11.3 million people.

His third book, Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada, a children's book, came out in June 2015.

On September 15, 2016, Jimmy hosted Donald Trump on The Tonight Show during the 2016 United States presidential election. Some people criticized Jimmy for asking easy questions. Jimmy later apologized for the interview. He said he "made a mistake" and didn't mean to "normalize" him.

Fallon on the set of The Tonight Show in 2019

In 2020, Jimmy worked with a company to create pacifiers based on characters from his children's books.

In January 2022, Jimmy was criticized for talking about NFTs on his show. He promoted one of his own NFTs during an interview. NBC said they didn't believe he broke any rules.

On November 16, 2022, a false rumor spread on Twitter that Jimmy had passed away. Jimmy asked Twitter owner Elon Musk for help. The next day, Jimmy joked about the rumors on his show.

On August 30, 2023, Jimmy started a comedy podcast called Strike Force Five. He hosted it with other famous hosts like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers. They did this to help their staff members who were out of work because of a writers' strike.

Workplace Allegations

In September 2023, an article was published about the workplace culture at The Tonight Show. It included claims from former and current employees. They said that Jimmy sometimes treated his staff poorly. They also said his behavior could be unpredictable. Jimmy apologized to his staff, saying he felt bad if he had embarrassed them. NBC defended the show.

Jimmy Fallon's Inspirations

Jimmy Fallon has shared that when he was a child, he and his sister would imitate comedy routines from Saturday Night Live. He also listened to comedy records. He learned to imitate comedians like Rodney Dangerfield from these records. In 2009, he spoke about how much Monty Python influenced him.

Jimmy Fallon's Personal Life

Jimmy Fallon married film producer Nancy Juvonen on December 22, 2007. They first met on the set of Saturday Night Live. But they became friends later while working on the movie Fever Pitch. Jimmy proposed to Nancy in August 2007. They were married four months later.

Their two daughters were born in 2013 and 2014 through a special process called surrogacy. They own a house in Sagaponack, New York. They also have a female Golden Retriever dog named Gary Frick. Gary has even appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

On November 4, 2017, Jimmy's mother, Gloria, passed away at age 68. The Tonight Show tapings were canceled for the following week. A week later, Jimmy honored his mother on his show. He became emotional and called her "the best audience."

Jimmy was raised Roman Catholic. In a 2011 interview, he said he liked the Latin Mass. However, he also said he no longer goes to church regularly.

Health Challenges

On June 26, 2015, Jimmy had a serious finger injury. He tripped over a rug at home and tried to catch himself. His wedding ring almost tore his finger off. He had surgery and spent 10 days in the hospital. He talked about this on his show and thanked the doctors and nurses. A month later, he still couldn't feel much in his finger. He later said he would need another surgery.

On January 4, 2022, Jimmy announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 during the holidays. He thanked medical workers. He also said that the COVID-19 vaccine helped him only have mild symptoms.

Jimmy Fallon's Film and TV Appearances

Movies

Television Shows

Jimmy Fallon's Music Albums

Studio Albums

Singles

Awards and Recognitions

Images for kids

• 

  Fallon in 2013

• 

  Fallon in 2004

• 

  Fallon in 2007

• 

  Late Night's Fallon (left) interviews President Barack Obama in April 2012.

• 

  Fallon on the set of The Tonight Show in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Jimmy Fallon para niños