The United States is currently dealing with various problems related to the global pandemic. Some states are struggling to contain the virus right now while others, including New York, have flattened the curve. This week, The Tonight Show opted to go back into production in NYC’s famous 30 Rock plaza for the first time in months and Jimmy Fallon shared his feelings about the return to the stage after facing challenges at home recently.
After addressing concerns for states who are in the middle of what New York was going through just a few months ago – Arizona, Florida, Texas and California – Jimmy Fallon said that even though his team had to make changes to how The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is produced, even just being able to film in studio feels like a big win. He also addressed how he’s been feeling about bringing comedy to the table in a time that has felt like it has little levity.
I dunno if anyone else feels this way but any type of normalcy feels great. So hopefully, we can put a smile on your face for an hour every night. Let you sit back and relax while we try to bring you just a little bit of normal. These are the hardest times to do comedy, but they’re also the times when we need it the most.
It’s very clear from the first look at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon returning to the studio that tons of modifications and protocols are in place to help as the show goes on. In the first-look footage at Fallon’s return to the studio, we see him getting a temperature check and wearing a mask as he leaves his home.
Of many of the late night hosts, Jimmy Fallon had a pretty admirable run creating The Tonight Show at home. His competitors and peers, including Late Night host Seth Meyers, all had some variation of an at-home version running on TV and YouTube. However, Jimmy Fallon’s personal stories and his intimate walks with his wife made for great TV, even with the limited production quality.
Fallon gets some flack for being too light-hearted sometimes, but he showed a really nice balance of earnestness and entertainment during quarantine – even when he was facing blackface sketches that had resurfaced for the umpteenth time. Perhaps these are the times Jimmy Fallon was built for.
Anyway, he’s back in his regular office now and will hopefully be able to continue to film in studio as the time passes. He also addressed what is going on elsewhere throughout the country, noting,
As you can see, we are back in the studio at 30 Rock Plaza her in New York City. And as a New Yorker, I want to say ‘Thank you’ to everyone who helped get us back now. Wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands, quarantining, it all helps. And to all the states going through the tough parts now, our friends in Florida, Arizona, Texas, California, all over the south – I know how hard it is and I’m not going to lie to you, ‘It’s rough.’ But I guess I’m here to show you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel if we all do our part to keep each other safe.
Fittingly, guests on night one included Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Charlize Theron, who was there supporting her new Netflix movie, The Old Guard. New episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon air weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET, only on NBC.
