Jimmy Fallon has to his colleagues over allegations outlined in a published Thursday about a difficult work environment at âThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,â CNN has learned.
During a Zoom call with staff of âThe Tonight Showâ held after the story published, Fallon reportedly said he did not intend to âcreate that type of atmosphere for the show,â according to a follow-up story by Rolling Stone, citing unnamed employees who were on the call.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Fallon.
An NBC representative referred CNN to the networkâs statement printed in Rolling Stoneâs original report.
âItâs embarrassing and I feel so bad,â the employees claim Fallon said, according to the Rolling Stone article.
âSorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends⌠I feel so bad I canât even tell you,â the article quotes Fallon.
âI want the show to be fun, [it] should be inclusive to everybody,â Fallon also reportedly said. âIt should be the best show.â
In the original story, 16 current and former employees described a difficult work environment at âThe Tonight Showâ that in some cases they say was detrimental to their mental health. The individuals were not identified by name in the story, citing fear of professional repercussions. CNN has not independently verified their claims.
Fallon and the âTonight Showâ did not provide comment for the first story, but a statement from NBC was included in the report.
âWe are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,â NBCâs statement read. âAs 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 behaviour inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.â
In 2020, Fallon came under fire for a resurfaced clip from a âSaturday Night Liveâ sketch where he performed an impersonation of Chris Rock in which he appeared in blackface.
Fallon issued an after the clip of the sketch, which originally aired on âSNLâ in 2000, resurfaced on social media and prompted criticism.
In recent weeks, Fallon has appeared on the with fellow late-night hosts John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers while their shows are dark amid the ongoing writersâ strike. The proceeds generated by the podcast will go to out-of-work staff from the hostsâ respective shows, they said.