Jimmy Fallon joked and laughed his way through a Tonight Show interview with Fox News late-night rival Greg Gutfeld, who recently tried to reclaim the word “Nazi” as his own.
“In addition to Gutfeld! and The Five, you started hosting a new game show… I’m excited about this,“ Fallon said, in one of the few moments where he acknowledged what Gutfeld did for a living.
Greg Gutfeld on set of “Gutfeld!” at Fox News Channel Studios, Jan. 22, 2024. His show consistently outperforms other late-night hosts in the ratings, and the Fallon interview was his debut on a network late-night talk show. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Gutfeld also mocked late-night host Stephen Colbert after his show was canceled by CBS. It made his appearance on The Tonight Show even more surprising, given that Fallon had publicly expressed his support for Colbert.
Rather than question Gutfeld about any of these issues, Fallon allowed his guest to spend the interview reminiscing about how the two of them once hung out at a party.
“We have a mutual friend named Tracy,“ Gutfeld explained about he and Fallon. ”This is about 15 years, I think.”
Gutfeld told a story about how a drunken young Fallon had “run towards” him and tackled him “like a giant golden retriever.”
“You’re not making this up, I totally know what you’re talking about,” Fallon said.
When Gutfeld finished his story Fallon apologized for tackling him. Gutfeld replied, “It was great though. It was all very good-natured and it was a great memory.”
The Thursday interview marked a first appearance for Gutfeld, who is consistently outperforming other late-night hosts in the ratings, on any network late-night talk show.
Fallon and Stephen Colbert at the 2018 Costume Institute Benefit. Fallon’s friendship with Colbert made Gutfeld’s appearance on his show a surprise, since Gutfeld has mocked Colbert after his show’s cancellation. Taylor Hill/Getty Images
The softball approach from Fallon was hardly unexpected. The host has always adopted a largely apolitical approach to his late-night commentary.
Fallon conducted a famously lighthearted interview with presidential candidate Donald Trump shortly before the 2016 election. For many of his critics, the image of Fallon rustling Trump’s hair became the ultimate example of his lack of interest in challenging anyone with influence or power.