The big day is finally here. All eyes are on America’s most beloved man-child, Jimmy Fallon, as he makes his much-anticipated debut on The Tonight Show. The first episode kicks off at midnight with Will Smith and musical guest U2. The pressure is on for Fallon, who is following in the footsteps of Jay Leno and, more notably, the legendary Johnny Carson who hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years. Even Fallon grew up watching him (but only after asking his parents if he could stay up late of course). The pressure is on but we have faith in Fallon.
Here are 10 reasons why Jimmy Fallon will take back The Tonight Show:
1. He’s actually funny – The Jay Leno crowd may have laughed their catheters out every night, but that’s because most of his jokes were low-hanging fruit. Leno told the jokes your awkward great uncle used to tell at holiday dinners after he was done with his Vietnam flashbacks. Fallon, on the other hand, is actually witty – even when he keeps it clean.
2. He can sing – Who would have thought the goofy kid from Saturday Night Live could actually keep up musically with the likes of Justin Timberlake?
3. He can dance – Once America realized that Fallon actually possessed musical talent, he pushed the envelope one step further by proving he could dance too. That’s funny, good voice and white guy who can dance, for anyone keeping score.
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4. The Roots – His house band is still The Roots. For five years on Late Night, people wondered how Fallon ever pulled that off. But now they’re even following him to The Tonight Show.
5. The things he gets people to do – Whether it’s cracking an egg on Tom Cruise, slow jamming the news with Mitt Romney or getting First Lady Michelle Obama to mom-dance, his powers of persuasion are unparalleled.
6. His BFFs – Timberlake, Andy Samberg, the Muppets. Fallon is backed by Hollywood’s best, and they also make great surprise guests from time to time.
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7. He loves New York – Fallon loves NYC and NYC loves him. He’s bringing The Tonight Show back to its home, where it belongs.
8. He comes without the awkwardly big chin
9. His sketches make viral videos – For 13 years, Fallon was the guy who couldn’t make it through an entire sketch without cracking a smile. It bothered some but eventually became part of his charm. Millions and millions of viewers can’t be wrong.
10. His musical collaborations – Just between ‘The History of Rap 1-4’ with Timberlake, ‘All I Want for Christmas’ with Mariah Carey and The Roots, and ‘Call Me Maybe’ with Carly Rae Jepsen with classroom instruments, he’s surpassed every late night TV host in the history of nighttime.
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See how Fallon’s jokes measure up to competition on College Humor via FilmOn:
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