The 'Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' host also talks about his other famous guests like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
- Sep 18, 2015
AceShowbiz - Jimmy Fallon talks about his A-list "Tonight Show" guests and keys to his success on the cover story for Billboard's newest issue. Gracing the magazine's front page, the comedian chats about Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and more.
He reveals a behind-the-scene drama during Bieber's visit to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". The Canadian singer performed his new single "What Do You Mean?" and did a drum-off with Questlove. He was also supposed to do a skit with the host.
Fallon had even hyped it up on Twitter as he wrote back in early September, "Tonight: Doing something fun with @justinbieber then he's performing w/@TheRoots! Plus @SalmanRushdie is here! #FallonTonight." Bieber, however, decided it call off the sketch at the last minute.
"It's like, I don't care," Fallon says. "I mean, I wish they'd told me weeks ago because today's the day, and now we have to crunch and think of an idea to do. And I have to apologize to the crew guys who built the set and the wardrobe people and everyone."
The host quickly adds, "But it's not what he does. He's here to sing, so as long as he's comfortable and it sounds good then we did our job. And if I talk to him and make him funny and make him look good, that's my job. That's all I have to do."
"If you want to just talk, that's great, I love to talk. Easy for me, man. But if you want to play, there's an option," Fallon says, referring to his various fun games. "You just see a different side to them. You want to see Liam Neeson in a bubble suit, running around. You want to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus trying to do an interview from under the desk."
One of the "Tonight Show" games even inspired a spinoff, "Lip Sync Battle", hosted by LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen on Spike TV. "It was a bigger success than we even thought it was going to be," says Fallon who produces the show. "But I'm letting other people take that over -- I don't have time. I want to put all of my energy into The Tonight Show."
Fallon's show also becomes a favorite among politicians for their early campaign stops without afraid of being put in a hot seat. "The fact that Trump decided to do our show over other shows is an honor. Hillary could have done any other show. But she chose ours," he says.
"I make fun of everyone. That's my job," he explains. "When it comes to the show, I don't have a dog in the fight. If they want to come on, my job is to make them look good, no matter who it is."
"We should be paying him," the comedian says of his plan during Trump's visit. "But it's interesting. He was a punchline six months ago, but something has happened -- the audience has shifted. They don't laugh at him like that anymore, so we have to find a different way for them to laugh at him."
"It's like, six months ago a joke about Hillary moving furniture into the Oval Office would have been a slam-dunk. Now they're not too sure - it's not guaranteed that she's going to the White House anymore. It's interesting how jokes shift."
