Whelp, it appears like you’ll be able to add The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to the checklist of discuss reveals allegedly fostering a poisonous work surroundings. Just like Ellen DeGeneres and James Corden earlier than him, a number of present and former workers have come ahead about their horrible experiences working for Jimmy Fallon. Get prepared, Perezcious readers, as a result of there are lots of bombshell particulars to cowl right here!
In Thursday’s Rolling Stone exposé, 16 nameless staffers claimed the present has been “toxic” for years because of Jimmy’s “erratic behavior” on set — and it wasn’t helped by the ever-changing management groups. The late-night sequence has gone by 9 showrunners previously 9 years — all of whom by no means mentioned no to Jimmy regardless of the “pretty glum atmosphere” he allegedly created. What was occurring behind the scenes that made this job so horrible although?
Well, the report first famous that the 48-year-old host has “good Jimmy days” and “bad Jimmy days.” And let’s simply say, employees by no means wished to be within the presence of Jimmy when he was having a nasty day. Apparently he has a unstable mood! Employees claimed to the outlet to have witnessed him “snap at crew members, express irritation over the smallest of things, and berate and belittle staffers out of frustration” — generally even in entrance of different colleagues. He had random “outbursts,” which have been allegedly reported to HR. However, no motion was ever taken. As one former worker described:
“It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is f**ked. People wouldn’t joke around in the office, and they wouldn’t stand around and talk to each other. It was very much like, focus on whatever it is that you have to do because Jimmy’s in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off.”
Ugh. That isn’t cool, Jimmy. Another former employee equally mentioned:
“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners. You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit. Look how many showrunners went so quickly. We know they didn’t last long.”
It’s a reasonably unhealthy signal if he couldn’t get a showrunner to stay round over the previous 9 years. But based mostly on these allegations, it comes as no shock that they fled…
Two workers had a reasonably particular clarification that matches with the great days and unhealthy days — they are saying Jimmy appeared drunk at work in 2017. Yikes. Other employees members claimed to have smelled alcohol on his breath whereas they have been driving an elevator collectively on totally different events in 2019 and 2020. There have lengthy been rumors about Jimmy’s ingesting. Back in 2016, the New York Post ran a narrative claiming the NBC executives have been fearful about how a lot he had been consuming alcohol. He denied the accusations to the New York Times the next yr, saying:
“I could never do a day-to-day job if I was drinking every night. That’s just kicking you when you’re down.”
But possibly he wasn’t doing that job very properly? The staffers insisted he was inebriated at work generally. In truth, one former worker shared that what sort of Jimmy you bought that day on set trusted if he was hungover from the evening earlier than:
“When something was wrong, we all knew how to behave afterward, which was just sort of avoid eye contact and don’t make another mistake. It would happen over the smallest thing… We would have to shut the whole thing down, the sketch isn’t happening, and when things like that would happen, you would just beat yourself up.”
Oof…
Things have been so unhealthy and intense on set that many workers’ psychological well being was impacted. It was to the purpose the place a couple of former workers shared that it was regular for many individuals on the Tonight Show to joke about “wanting to kill themselves.” They would even use the visitor dressing rooms to decompress at work, calling them the “crying rooms.” This is terrible. Four workers mentioned they have been in remedy, and three others skilled suicidal ideation because of the toxicity of the present. A former staffer recalled:
“Mentally, I was in the lowest place of my life. I didn’t want to live anymore. I thought about taking my own life all the time. I knew deep down I would never actually do it, but in my head, I’m like, ‘Why do I think about this all the time?’”
Another revealed they have been so anxious and wired due to work that they misplaced virtually 20 kilos and cried themselves to sleep each evening:
“I know other people who were in [my] department who also were unhappy with [mis]treatment but it was never a thing where any of us were empowered enough to say anything. It just always felt like, ‘You should be grateful that you have a job, and you should be grateful that you have this position at this show, at this network. Everyone wants to be in this spot. You have worked hard to get here — it shouldn’t be a thing where you’re being ungrateful.’”
Our hearts break for these individuals. No job ought to ever make you’re feeling so wired to the purpose the place your psychological and bodily well-being are at stake. Eventually, many of those ex-employees both exited the present to guard their psychological well being or have been fired. For those that stayed, they lived in concern on a regular basis that they’d get the boot in the event that they made any form of mistake. Another former staffer defined:
“The producers felt this pressure, and that translated down to all of their employees. People that worked under them then felt this pressure that if you made one mistake, you were gone and would be easily replaced. You have all these NBC pages in the building who are ready, willing and waiting to take your job.”
Jeez. This office appears like an entire nightmare!
We’re beginning to perceive the timing now. With the WGA strike, the present has been on hiatus for the final three months. All the present staffers should have had an opportunity to get out from below the concern and strain for some time and realized simply what their lives had change into!
Oof.
Since these allegations got here out, a community spokesperson defended the present, saying:
“We are incredibly proud of ‘The Tonight Show,’ and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority. As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”
Meanwhile, a present supply advised Page Six that these claims within the Rolling Stone article primarily got here from former workers and issues have considerably modified on set since showrunner Chris Miller joined final May:
“He’s brought a renewed enthusiasm and positive energy to the show. Chris prides himself on being available to the staff and a transparent leader. He’s exactly what the show needed.”
Another producer for the present went on to defend Jimmy, saying he’s very “engaged” with the employees and “the atmosphere is very different” since new staffers, together with a brand new head booker and new head author, have been employed:
“There’s a new wave that came in a year and a half ago and has just made everything change.”
Hmm. Things may be totally different now, however after all they’re going to defend it nevertheless they’ll. It actually doesn’t imply the Tonight Show was all rainbows and sunshine all these years!
So what does Jimmy must say for himself? While the comic has not publicly spoken out, he reportedly hopped on a Zoom name with present employees members Thursday to apologize for his actions after seeing the piece. He allegedly advised everybody on the chat:
“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends… I feel so bad I can’t even tell you. I want the show to be fun, [it] should be inclusive to everybody. It should be the best show.”
But the place is the general public apology to the previous workers? They positively deserve one after allegedly being tormented throughout their time on the Tonight Show!
We ought to point out, that is NOT the primary time we’ve heard some actually problematic accusations about Jimmy. Two years in the past a younger lady got here ahead claiming she had been groomed by Horatio Sanz backstage at Saturday Night Live — and that Jimmy was his wingman for the entire thing. In truth, she’s nonetheless demanding he come ahead and reveal what he knew — however thinks he’s been protected because of how a lot has been invested within the present. We marvel if that’s nonetheless taking place…
Reactions, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF within the feedback beneath. You can even learn your complete Rolling Stone report of the poisonous office allegations HERE.
[Image via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube]