Jimmy Fallon Apologizes to 'Tonight Show' Team After 'Toxic Workplace' Article

Sagaponack resident Jimmy Fallon has apologized to his staff from The Tonight Show following Rolling Stone‘s article, “Chaos, Comedy, and ‘Crying Rooms’: Inside Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’” that called the NBC show a “toxic workplace.”

The article, published September 7, says 16 former and current staff members at The Tonight Show complained of Fallon’s “erratic” behavior, including possibly being drunk at work, and of a tense and “pretty glum atmosphere.”

According to Deadline, on a group call, Fallon told staff members, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I never set out to create that type of atmosphere at the show. I think sometimes I’m working with the best of the best, you guys are the top of the game.”

However, according to the outlet, Fallon did admit to doing “embarrassing” things in the past. He went on to say, “I want this show to be fun, it should be inclusive for everybody, it should be funny, it should be the best show, the best people. I just wanted to….say I miss you guys.”

Sources close to The Tonight Show told Deadline that new showrunner Chris Miller has improved the atmosphere surrounding the show and the majority of the claims told to Rolling Stone are from years ago.

“We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” NBC said in a statement.

The Tonight Show is currently not recording or airing new episodes due to the writers strike. The show’s writing staff was paid during the first few weeks of the strike, including out of Fallon’s own pocket, but non-union staff members who are not writers were given an “unpaid leave of absence,” HuffPost reported on May 16, two weeks after the strike began.