Photo: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
Jimmy Fallon isn’t heading for the exit. In fact, he’s angling to try something new to keep The Tonight Show around.
The host reiterated his commitment to the show in a new interview with Adweek, telling the outlet he’d like to host The Tonight Show “until people stop caring.”
“There’s no plan for an exit,” Fallon said. “I’ll just keep my head down, work hard, and try to make people happy.”
Fallon’s current contract—a four-year deal he signed just last year—keeps him on the air through 2028. But since Fallon put ink to paper on the new agreement, the late-night landscape has changed dramatically. Fallon’s competition across the genre is thinning, with CBS effectively exiting the late-night time period altogether come May of 2026 after Stephen Colbert’s current contract ends. Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel remains mum on any plans to renew or exit Jimmy Kimmel Live! when his contract expires in May 2026.
“It’s weird that the landscape is going to change come May,” Fallon says of Colbert’s cancellation. “I just know that I’m gonna miss him, and I’m gonna miss playing with him in that class. It just keeps getting smaller.”
Fallon, however, is looking for ways to keep The Tonight Show alive amid the seismic changes in linear TV’s profitability.
While Adweek reports that Fallon’s “advertiser-coveted, family-friendly brand” commands up to 25% higher ad rates than other shows, Fallon also says he’s open to experimenting with other ways to capture eyeballs.
“There’s nothing that says we can’t do the show live, too. I would totally do it,” he says. Fallon didn’t clarify whether he’s open to the idea of doing that full-time, but he did offer a reason for why that scenario might be difficult. “Booking it would be tougher,” he said, “but we could at least do a special week or something.”
Indeed, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has waded into live waters before. The show first broadcast live following Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, and repeated the stunt in 2018. In 2019, Fallon went live following both nights of the Democratic presidential primary debates, and did it again for a week that September.
Live episodes would also be a return to The Tonight Show’s roots. Steve Allen originated the franchise as a live show, and the format continued into Jack Paar’s tenure.
Fallon’s interview with Adweek comes as the host gears up for the launch of the new NBC competition series he created and hosts, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon. On Brand premieres on Tuesday, September 30 at 10 PM, and will air new episodes every Tuesday and Friday through October 31.