As Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert double down on their critiques of the Trump administration even in the wake of their shows’ respective suspension and cancellation, Jimmy Fallon is trying to stay right in the middle. “Our show has never really been that political, you know. We hit both sides equally, and we try to make everybody laugh, and that’s really the way our show works,” he said during a recent CNBC appearance to promote his new show On Brand, a competition series in which marketers pitch ad campaigns to major corporations. (Yes, really.)
“Our monologues are kind of the same that we’ve been doing since Johnny Carson was hosting the Tonight Show. So really, I just keep my head down and make sure the jokes are funny,” Fallon continued. He also praised his staff of “clever, smart writers” who he said are “just trying to make the best show we possibly can and entertain everybody.”
Fallon previously drew ire in 2016 for, in many people’s view, straying too far to the right side of center when he mussed Trump’s hair during an interview. He didn’t go so far as to directly reproach the administration or Disney for its recent attempt to silence Kimmel (he mostly joked about their shared first name), but he did call his fellow host “a decent, funny and loving guy.” “And I hope he comes back,” he added. The monologue that followed saw him cover Trump’s trip to the U.K. with certain bits dubbed over to make them seem more complimentary.
Of course, all this political wishy-washiness hasn’t saved Fallon from getting on Trump’s bad side. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” the president wrote on Truth Social after Kimmel’s suspension was announced. “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!” You can play both sides all you want, but it does feel kind of pointless when one side is actively rooting for your downfall.
