Jimmy Fallon Reigns Supreme
Jimmy Fallon had quite a year in 2015. Aside from nearly losing a finger (sheesh!), Fallon has been able to hold the reigns of late-night television. The New York Post reports that for 12 weeks of late-night TV, The Tonight Show has enjoyed the lead. Fallon’s 3.9 million viewers leaves his competitors in the dust, the competition being Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show at 3.1 million and Jimmy Kimmel Live with 2.5 million.
According to Billie Gold, Amplifi’s VP of programming research, Jimmy Fallon has only widened his late-night lead, and Colbert is struggling to keep up, giving CBS reason to be concerned.
“CBS probably does have a reason to worry. The ratings have gone down and I don’t see them going back up. Fallon has widened his lead. [Colbert is] doing worse than had been expected and he’s skewing a lot older than had been expected.”
Gold went on to elaborate, saying that what people watching late-night television want is entertainment, pure and simple.
“The people who watch network late-night just want to be entertained. He had all these political candidates on the first couple of weeks and I think it turned people off… Once you turn off to a show after you’ve given it a sampling, it’s very hard to go back.”
Compare this Stephen Colbert interview with Vice President Joe Biden with this hilarious lip sync battle between Jimmy Fallon and Emma Stone. Which is more entertaining?
But Jimmy Fallon may get a run for his money when Chelsea Handler returns to late-night, sort of. Handler once eyed the top late-night spot that Fallon won, coveting the job of hosting The Tonight Show. Now, Handler will have her own Netflix exclusive late-night television show that will target the on-demand generation. Youth Health Magazine reports that as of yet, they show does not have a name, nor have details been released revealing the nature of the talk show.
I miss watching @chelseahandler every weeknight. So ready for her Netflix documentaries! ?? pic.twitter.com/dAc906VdiO
— lori (@lorimeetsworld) January 6, 2016
However, Jimmy Fallon isn’t too concerned about the idea of Handler moving in on his turf. In an interview with Esquire last November, he said the competition was good.
“It’s good. It just makes everyone work a little bit harder. This is my Madison Square Garden. This is my home court, I’m comfortable here — this is where I play the best. I’ve learned from the best coaches and played with the best players. And I’m not worried. I play to win.”
Jimmy Fallon explains how Bono’s bad memory almost left him stranded in Madison Square Garden http://t.co/scu4MhjV0w pic.twitter.com/TZy9Ho9mLt
— Mohamed Omar (@MohamedOmar) July 24, 2015
And Jimmy Fallon is winning! Is it any wonder when he has such incredible entertainment on The Tonight Show? Last month, Time reported that Fallon, The Roots, and the whole Star Wars: The Force Awakens cast performed the Star Wars theme song, along with other Star Wars favorites. It was truly impressive! Even Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford joined in!
Jimmy Fallon is winning, in his career and at home with his family. USA Today reports that last week, Fallon posted an adorable photo of his family on Instagram.
It seems Fallon’s family has started a new holiday tradition of having frozen hot chocolate. Fallon sent his thanks out to the business that serves up the delicious treat.
“Thank you to the nicest people at Serendipity 3!!! Starting a new family tradition. #FrozenHotChocolate.”
Well, thank you, too, Jimmy Fallon, for leading the way in late-night television with your quirky ways and your hilarious games and skits. Jimmy Fallon is truly in command of late-night television, a trend that is likely to continue through 2016 and beyond.
[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]
