NEWSJimmy Fallon Realizes 'How Grateful' He Is for 'The Tonight Show' During First Show Back After Toxic Workplace Accusations
Jimmy Fallon has returned to his cherished talk show desk at last.
On Monday night, October 2, The Tonight Show was back with its first episode since the writers strikes began at the beginning of May — and all eyes were on the famed host to see if he would address recent shocking allegations regarding his "toxic" workplace environment.
Jimmy Fallon got emotional during his return to 'The Tonight Show.'
His opening monologue failed to address the negative accusations exposed by 16 of his current and former staffers, as the comedic host instead joked about politics and The Golden Bachelor.
Once sitting at his desk, however, Fallon decided to take a moment to be serious while giving a slight shout-out to his employees.
The talk show had been on a 5-month hiatus due to the writers strikes in Hollywood.
"I had a lot of time, five months, a lot of time to really just sit and think. And I finally just took a moment and realized how grateful I am for all of this and for this show," the 49-year-old expressed, appearing to get visibly choked up as he gathered his thoughts.
"I really love this job, I love doing it. I love telling jokes, I love interviewing people, I love making you laugh. I’m very lucky to have this show," Fallon admitted before throwing in his witty humor, adding, "and I want to thank you all for supporting and choosing to have me in your bedrooms at nighttime."
In September, a bombshell report exposed Jimmy Fallon's alleged 'toxic' workplace environment.
"This is what I love to do, and I want to do it for a long time," the Saturday Night Live alum noted of his lack of plans to leave his beloved gig any time soon.
"I’m so happy to be back," Fallon continued, concluding, "thank you to our crew, our staff, our writers are now back in the building and we are going to make some fun shows."
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Jimmy Fallon reportedly apologized to staffers, but insisted he never 'mistreated anybody.'
Fallon's subtle expression of gratitude toward his staffers was the sole comment he made during Monday night's show about a recent Rolling Stones report shockingly revealing the dad-of-two's allegedly harsh work environment, as OK! previously reported.
Last month, two current and 14 former workers accused The Tonight Show of being a "toxic workplace for years — far outside the boundaries of what’s considered normal in the high-pressure world of late-night TV."
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The staffers claimed the hostile environment ruined their "dreams" of working for a talk show as well-respected and sought after as Fallon's due to his "erratic behavior" and frequent "outbursts."
After the accusations came to light, Fallon reportedly apologized to his staff on a group call.
"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. There are things I’ve done in the past that are embarrassing, but I never mistreated anybody," Fallon allegedly stated.
