Does "Rolling Stone" Article Expose The REAL Jimmy Fallon? - Kevin's Blog

94 HJY's Kevin here to discuss the shocking "Rolling Stone" article just published about Jimmy Fallon and the behind-the-scenes nightmare surrounding his "Tonight Show". Read the article HERE.

So here we go: The recent "Rolling Stone" article about the culture of Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” and about Fallon’s character in particular was very eye-opening to me. While I’ve never been a huge fan of Fallon’s brand of comedy as a talk show host, I have always acknowledged that he oozes talent in a variety of areas, most notably celebrity impressions and integrating his substantial musical chops into his comedy.

And while his tendency to break character and smile and laugh needlessly (and sometimes, I felt, on purpose as a desperate ploy to get cheap audience reaction) in “SNL” skits, I always had the impression that, off-camera and on, he was a generally affable, charming, harmless, overall decent, regular guy. But, in regard to this bombshell “Rolling Stone” article, I apparently stand corrected.

Simply put, it is very, very difficult to get 30 people to unanimously agree - especially on the record - on anything. And these shocking allegations about Fallon’s true, off-stage personality and character flaws from SO many former and current “Tonight Show” staffers, chronicling Fallon’s years and years of despicable behavior and treatment of his fellow human beings, is more than enough evidence to me that he is just another damned Hollywood phony. A typical, spoiled, two-faced, mean-spirited, entitled show biz sociopath who hypocritically hides behind a contrived “aw shucks” public persona merely for his own personal gain and obscene financial success.

Some people may attribute his awful behaviors just revealed to an alleged, though previously well-publicized, alcohol problem, with a defense that it’s a disease and that he should at least somewhat be given a pass. But if your general, chronic abuse of people “beneath” you on the entertainment industry food chain is such that innocent staffers just trying to make a living are driven to quit their jobs en masse, routinely cry in dressing rooms, seek mental health therapy and are literally losing significant amounts of weight and even their hair from stress and anxiety solely because of your "moods" as this article reports, and if some of your employees are actually ultimately driven to thoughts of suicide as alleged by individuals who’ve worked for Fallon in this article, you need to immediately remove yourself from your career, enter rehab for your alcohol addiction, undergo serious mental health therapy, and just basically get your sh*t together as a human being, never mind as an entertainer.

And, if what this article alleges is true, shame on “The Tonight Show” producers and their HR department, as well as the NBC brass who have enabled and sheltered Fallon’s needlessly cruel, demeaning, spoiled brat tantrums and treatment of people who entered this business simply to make a living and maybe have a little fun. It’s supposed to be a COMEDY show after all, right? Yeah, I get it. No one’s perfect. I have many bad days myself, make mistakes, and have said and done several things I regret and wish I could take back. But if you gathered a roomful of people - family, friends, co-workers, etc. - to testify to the overall character of myself or most people, I seriously doubt any of us would get the unanimous indictment of our reputations that this article alleges regarding Fallon.

One of my least favorite human qualities is phoniness. Followed closely by hypocrisy. And, after reading this article, I can’t help but liken Fallon to Ellen DeGeneres. In the past I had always found Ellen to be immensely talented, funny, unique, likable, and a truly kind, genuine human being. But when things started coming out in dribs and drabs about her alleged cruel, elitist, unnecessary treatment of her talk show’s staffers, a backstage epidemic that apparently went on for many years, I was totally done with her. All of that, “be kind to one another, love one another” B.S. she spewed, all of the on-air gifts charitably given to Average Joe guests of hers who were in desperate need and the on-camera hugs and the tears that followed - now it appears it was all just for show. An over-compensation to mask her true, sometimes insidious, indefensible nature.

I guess we all need to be aware of personality types like DeGeneres and Fallon whose likability, sweetness, charm, and projected outer qualities of love, kindness, compassion, and respect almost seem too good to be true. They were both just duping their fans to get ratings and untold millions of dollars and to get ahead in an oftentimes dirty, self-serving business, driven by egomaniacs who so desperately need to be liked and loved by the very types of people they heartlessly mistreat when the cameras are off. Phonies. Hypocrites. Narcissists. Snakes in the grass.

My advice? For good or for ill, just be who you are. What you see is what you get. My late night hero, David Letterman, had his many personal flaws, a damaging sex scandal, and was notoriously and even unapologetically known to not be the most pleasant guy to work with oftentimes. But at least his public persona was consistent with his private one - a generally miserable, angry, sometimes mean-spirited, sarcastic curmudgeon who didn't necessarily care for humanity and who presented himself that way to his audience nightly for the entirely of his 30-plus year career, often self-deprecatingly calling attention to what a jerk he felt he was.

Letterman was a massive, decades-long success despite all of that, or perhaps even because of it. He didn't play the Hollywood a$$-kissing game, the phony schmoozing, kissing babies like a transparent, one-dimensional politician. In fact, he frequently made a career out of calling out the phonies in Hollywood, the absurdity of fame and show business, putting Hollywood power players in their place, risks to his own career be damned. He spoke truth, and didn't rely on a big lie about who he wanted you to think he was. He relied and thrived due to endless talent and the fact that he was simply damn funny. And always, always real. I can respect Letterman's brand of transparency and honesty, warts and all. At least he was human.

I generally loathe “cancel culture,” but am glad DeGeneres is no longer on my TV screen. And after reading this article about the huge black eyes of the current “Tonight Show” culture and its "wolf in sheep's clothing" host, as far as I’m concerned, Fallon can join her.

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