This past Monday, Jimmy Fallon made his debut on The Tonight Show on NBC. This week marked The Tonight Show’s highest ratings in more than 20 years. Even though many suggest this was boosted by Olympic lead-ins, it’s no secret that NBC executives are hoping the regime-change will keep up with this past week. There is no doubt in my mind that Jimmy Fallon is the man to make this happen.
Fallon is joined on The Tonight Show by The Roots, the band we have come to know on Late Night, and his announcer, Steven Higgins. In addition, the first week was packed with guests of every caliber in Hollywood, especially the first night with a slew of people — including Robert De Niro, Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, Stephen Colbert, and Lady Gaga — who were “paying off a bet” that he would never make it to The Tonight Show.
Fallon is obviously overwhelmingly known for his comedic roles in countless movies, as a cast member of SNL, and his previous gig on Late Night. Whether or not some of his games and skits from other venues will make it to The Tonight Show is yet to be seen. However, if they do carry over to combine with the hilarity we have already seen on The Tonight Show, then the show will definitely be a hit.
Here are five of the best moments (in no particular order) from Late Night and the first week of The Tonight Show that should be more than enough reasons to get you to watch:
1. History of Rap installment #5 with Justin Timberlake
2. Jimmy Fallon, Robin Thicke, and The Roots perform Blurred Lines
3. #WorstAdvice
4. Interview With Michelle Obama
5. Jimmy Fallon, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Stephen Merchant have a sing-off