The host of NBC\u2019s The Tonight Show<\/a> devoted much of Thursday\u2019s opening monologue<\/a> to Leavitt\u2019s exit from the Trump administration, announced weeks after she returned from maternity leave<\/a> for the birth of her second child. <\/p>\n His gag referred to this week\u2019s dramatic revelation that Trump secretly switched planes<\/a> at a Turkish airport in July to evade an assassination threat issued by Iran<\/a>, concealing himself inside a hydraulic catering truck to be loaded onto an C-32A jet while the likes of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Leavitt and the press corps were left aboard Air Force One, effectively serving as a decoy when it took off for England.<\/p>\n Fallon began by joking about the circumstances of Leavitt\u2019s resignation: \u201cYeah, between the non-stop White House construction and Trump, she wanted to be around something way quieter: a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cApparently, Trump was caught off guard by Leavitt\u2019s decision. And this is strange, Trump is now blaming her resignation on pool vandals.\u201d<\/p>\n The outgoing press secretary has a reputation for dogged loyalty <\/a>to her boss, prepared, for instance, to echo his insistence that vandals were responsible for the damage done to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool<\/a> in June \u2013 only for the administration itself to admit in court filings<\/a> that a \u201cbotched installation\u201d by the contractors was the real cause. <\/p>\n \u201cTrump was surprised by Leavitt\u2019s decision,\u201d Fallen went on. \u201cShe was like, \u2018I wanted to wait for a good time, but there hasn\u2019t been one, so…\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Turning his attention to her potential successor<\/a>, the comic joked: \u201cTrump\u2019s now looking for a replacement who can spin facts and numbers, so another good option is his doctor.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m 155 pounds\u2026\u201d he said, impersonating the president.<\/p>\n Fallon then cited a report suggesting CNN\u2019s resident conservative and Mitch McConnell-whisperer<\/a> Scott Jennings was the front-runner<\/a> and observed: \u201cWe\u2019re just lucky Trump turned on his TV to a news channel. We were this close to seeing Press Secretary Bluey!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course when hiring someone, it\u2019s also about personality, you know?\u201d he continued. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to think, like, \u2018Who am I OK being stuck inside a catering truck with?\u2019 You know what I\u2019m saying? You gotta think ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Not finished there, Fallon cut to a sketch where \u201cLeavitt\u201d (Rose Kelso) rebuked the comedian for questioning her about her decision to leave and accused him of political bias while opening multiple cans of beer and chugging from a keg, no longer restrained by the niceties of public office.<\/p>\n There was also a spoof video of the president serenading his press secretary in a parody of Neil Diamond<\/a>\u2019s \u201cSweet Caroline\u201d in which he paid tribute to her regular clashes with journalists<\/a> and mused about the possibility of hiring Nicki Minaj to replace her.<\/p>\n The host joked about Leavitt on Wednesday\u2019s instalment<\/a>, telling his studio audience, \u201cApparently, she\u2019s moving on to an easier job working as the press secretary for Taylor Farms lettuce,\u201d the business that health officials have pinpointed as the possible source of this summer\u2019s explosive diarrhoea outbreak.<\/p>\n Fallon famously interviewed Trump \u2013 and ruffled his hair<\/a> to prove it was real \u2013 in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election and has largely avoided attracting the president\u2019s animosity in the same way his late-night competitors Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have done.<\/p>\n![\"Jimmy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Jimmy-Fallon.png\")
Jimmy Fallon jokes about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt after she announced she was stepping down as President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman and had some advice for Trump on finding a replacement (The Tonight Show\/NBC)<\/p>\n![\"Leavitt\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2286677276.jpg\")
Leavitt\u2019s 18-month tenure was defined by clashes with reporters and a dogged loyalty to Trump (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n