Two current and 14 former employees of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” recently complained about a toxic working environment behind the scenes of the talk show. This was the result of a current investigation by the American ROLLING STONE, which was published on September 7th. Jimmy Fallon has now commented on the allegations to the workforce in a Zoom meeting.
The NBC anchor described the situation as “embarrassing” and apologized to his colleagues. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, your family and your friends. “I feel so bad I can’t even tell you,” Fallon said, according to two employees who were part of the meeting.
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The allegations related to an “oppressive atmosphere” during production and the presenter’s “erratic behavior.” Fallon was often said to be “drunk” or “hungover from the night before.” In addition, his feedback to employees is said to have bordered on “personal insults”.
The allegations also relate to the show’s constantly changing showrunners. It’s not just the fact that there have been nine showrunners over the show’s nine years. Former showrunner Jamie Granet Bederman is also said to have “harassed and mistreated” her employees. She is said to have responded to the complaints to the human resources department with sometimes racist comments and intimidation tactics.
To counteract these allegations, Jimmy Fallon praised the current series creator Chris Miller. The moderator describes him as a “great leader.” Miller himself addressed the staff via email. “I do not believe what was written reflects the overall culture of our extraordinary team… It does not capture the positive and inclusive environment I believe we have created together,” the showrunner wrote on Thursday (September 7). According to him, the working environment that was described was long in the past and referred to former producers.
According to their own statements, the dissatisfaction and unpleasantness in the working environment had an impact on the mental health of seven of the former employees, which in some cases even led to “suicidal thoughts”.
The American broadcaster NBC also released a statement. “We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show and creating a respectful work environment is our top priority,” NBC’s formal response said. The press spokesman continued: “We had employees who raised problems; these were investigated and action was taken where appropriate. 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.”
Jimmy Fallon has been the host of the popular talk show for nine years. Recently he was part of the livestream event of the rock band Rolling Stones, who announced their first album in 18 years, “Hackney Diamonds”.