Fast Facts
Title: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Host: Jimmy Fallon – 2009 to Present
Previous Hosts:
- Conan O'Brien – 1993 to 2009
- David Letterman – 1982 to 1993
House Band: The Roots – 2009 to Present
Past Bands:
- Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg Seven – 1993 to 2009
- The World’s Most Dangerous Band with Paul Shaffer – 1982 to 1993
Announcer: Steve Higgins, former Saturday Night Live producer and writer.
Format: One-hour, monologue, comedy sketches and celebrity guests
Broadcast information: NBC, weeknights, 12:35 a.m. to 1:35 a.m. ET
Tapes: Weekdays, originating from Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, New York City.
Premiere Date: March 2, 2009
Overview:
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon follows the standard late-night talk show format, infused with comedy sketches, unique characters and celebrity interviews. Some of those comedy bits include "Slow-Jammin' the News," in which Fallon riffs on headlines to the smooth jazz of his house band, The Roots.
Fallon, a former featured performer on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, was announced as the new host of Late Night on May 12, 2008. He succeeds Conan O’Brien, who will take over as host of The Tonight Show on June 2, 2009. Current Tonight Show host Jay Leno will launch a new primetime talk show on NBC in the fall.
In early December, Fallon launched a behind-the-scenes video log that served as both a program preview and a way for Fallon to warm-up for the main show. Short episodes debuted at 12:35 a.m. each weeknight leading up to the network debut.
Fallon selected hip-hop band The Roots as his house band. Members include Black Thought, ?uestlove, Kamal Gray, F. Knuckles, Captain Kirk Douglas, and Owen Biddle.
Guests on his first episode included Robert De Niro, Justin Timberlake, and Van Morrison.
