USA star host Jimmy Fallon has apologized to his team after an investigation was published denouncing his “toxic” behavior.
Jimmy Fallon is singled out for his behavior. On Thursday, September 7, the magazine “Rolling Stone” published an exclusive investigation into the actions and behavior of the presenter. In total, sixteen people working for “The Tonight Show” testified. Several producers, authors and members of the technical team report a “toxic” and “rather gloomy” working atmosphere. Between daily intimidation, moral harassment, racism and bad decisions, employees are unanimous: Jimmy Fallon is “unexpected and inconsistent”. “You never knew which Jimmy you were going to run into, if he was going to send you flying while whistling. If Jimmy was in a bad mood, everyone’s day was ruined. Sometimes we had nice Jimmy, but it was rare,” reports “Rolling Stone”.
A professional environment which has had repercussions on the mental health of certain people. According to the magazine, the guest box was referred to as the “crying room,” and “it was common to hear people joke about wanting to kill themselves.” Of the sixteen people, a majority of them no longer work for the show, and would have reported Jimmy Fallon’s actions to human resources before their departure. However, nothing would have changed.
“It’s very embarrassing, I’m really bad”
The day after the publication of the survey, the presenter wanted to speak. Accompanied by Chris Miller, the director of the show, Jimmy Fallon apologized to his employees during a meeting organized by videoconference: “It’s very embarrassing, I’m really bad. I am truly sorry if I have embarrassed you or your loved ones. You have no idea how guilty I feel. I never wanted to create this type of work atmosphere. This show is supposed to be fun, and inclusive for everyone,” he said. For their part, employees hope that Jimmy Fallon will change and that he will make efforts to restore a better working atmosphere.
Statements which are reminiscent of the behavior of another television star. In July 2020, Ellen DeGeneres was accused by her employees of sexual assault, racism and bullying. Revelations which had caused the audiences of her show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, to drop, pushing her to cancel it after nineteen years on the show.