Jimmy Fallon, American comedian, actor and the host of 'The Tonight Show', has apologised to his colleagues after a report claimed that he had fostered a "toxic" environment at his late-night program.
On Thursday, Rolling Stone published a report into the workplace at the talk show which alleged that "'The Tonight Show' has been a toxic workplace for years" due to Fallon's "erratic behaviour". The outlet spoke with 2 current and 14 former employees.
Now, hours after the report was published, CNN reported that Fallon addressed the claims over a Zoom call with employees and said that he did not intend to "create that type of atmosphere for the show". "It's embarrassing and I feel so bad," he told the staffers.
"Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends... i feel so bad I can't even tell you. I want the show to be fun, [it] should be inclusive to everybody. It should be the best show," he added.
In the original article, the 16 current and former employees described a difficult work environment at 'The Tonight Show' that in some cases they say was detrimental to their mental health. They alleged that Fallon had a history of "outbursts" and lashing out at staff when under pressure. They even claimed that previous senior staff on the show had bullied and belittled them, and that guests' dressing rooms were commonly known as "cry rooms" where employees could go let out their stress.
In response to the report, an NBC spokesperson told Rolling Stones, "As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate".
"As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behaviour inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly," the spokesperson added.
Notably, Fallon took over 'The Tonight Show' from Jay Leno in 2014 after five years as the host of NBC's 'Late Night'.
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