It’ll be difficult to fake laugh your way out of this one, Jimmy. In a recent Rolling Stone report, allegations have emerged from both past and present staff members of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, citing a troubling work environment. The article features testimonies from 14 former employees and two individuals currently working on the NBC late-night show, who claim the employees were left in a “constant state of fear” due to a combination of what they claimed to be a chaotic atmosphere within the staff, as well as an erratic and volatile host in Fallon, with allegations of the host berating staff and turning up to recordings of the show in a supposed state of inebriation.

Seven former employees have asserted that their mental well-being was adversely affected by their reported encounters during their tenure on the program. Quoted in the article, some of these former staff members disclosed that they have grappled with distressing nightmares, heightened anxiety, and, in three instances, even contemplated suicide. They attributed these challenges to the purported “erratic” conduct of Jimmy Fallon and the frequent turnover of senior production staff members, in particular showrunners, with the late night show hiring a new showrunner every year since it began in 2014.

According to several people speaking to the publication, it is “common knowledge” that “Fallon’s temperament, mood, and treatment of staffers is erratic”. “Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” a former employee was reported as saying, by the publication.

“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.”

Employees also claimed that Fallon would give “passive-aggressive” and unnecessarily personal feedback, while noting that they would go into guests’ dressing rooms in order to cry and calm down their emotions.

An Unfortunately Common Trend of Toxic Workplaces

The allegations against Fallon are just the latest in what is sadly a growing list of toxic workplace environments that seem to revolve around talk shows, both late night and not, in the United States. The Ellen DeGeneres Show faced allegations of a toxic work environment in 2020. These allegations stemmed from various reports and accounts from former and current employees. Some of the key reasons cited for the perceived toxicity included workplace bullying and intimidation, elements of favouritism and nepotism in the staff, racial discrimination and insensitive behaviour. DeGeneres claimed to have zero knowledge of what had gone on, but ultimately public perception of the host shifted dramatically, and her show ended in 2022 when the host’s contract expired.

Another late night host, James Corden, has been party to a number of disturbing allegations during his time in the United States. As well as being accused of stealing material by better-known and more accomplished comedians, he’s had his share of run-ins with fans in public, and business owners, often behaving like an overgrown schoolboy who didn’t get what he wanted for Christmas. Corden was also slammed for failing to name a single cameraperson that worked on his show in 2017, and was described as the ‘most difficult and obnoxious presenter’ he’s ever worked with by television director Craig Duncan. Like Ellen, his show came to an end not long after the allegations reached boiling point.

Rolling Stone also helped uncover an alleged toxic workplace environment behind the scenes of The Kelly Clarkson Show, stating that executive producer and showrunner Alex Duda, created a workplace that was filled with bullying, cursing, and yelling, although it should be said that Clarkson herself was never accused of any troubling behaviour.

A spokesperson for NBC defended the programme in a statement made to Rolling Stone, providing a number of employees by name who were apparently willing to give positive testimonials towards Fallon, and the show. However, the publication noted that they were not given contact details for these employees and, when contacting them directly, found that none of them had positive comments to offer.

via Collider