Jimmy Fallon might have let Stephen Colbert have his big Late Show debut, but he last night he enlisted both Justin Timberlake and Ellen DeGeneres in an attempt to reclaim the late-night ratings throne. (Colbert still reigned, barely.) In Timberlake, Fallon found someone to drink with, but also a way to continue the duo’s internet-friendly “History Of Rap” series. The six-minute bit kicked off The Tonight Show last night, placement that seemed like a direct “you wanna do this?” to Colbert and CBS.
Later in the show, Fallon pandered to his mom demographic with guest and fellow FOT (Friend Of Timberlake) DeGeneres, with whom he went head to head in a lip sync battle. Though Fallon came hard with Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” DeGeneres ultimately pulled out the victory with Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money.”
Over on The Late Show, Colbert took things in a bit of a different direction, having semi-serious chats with both Scarlett Johansson and Elon Musk before calling on Kendrick Lamar for a four-song medley of tracks from his To Pimp A Butterfly, including a powerful rendition of “King Kunta.”