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20 Facts About Jimmy Fallon That Will Surprise You

We all get a lot of pleasure out of Jimmy Fallon - a hilariously funny man that decently entertains us once he appears. The 48 years old man has had a long career as a host and comedian. His name was intertwined with Saturday Night Live when he first made his appearance as a celeb in 1998. He hosted the show for 6 years and rocked the world with his ultimate comedy, making it the fav show of many people. Although the show has still thrilled viewers with its ultimate content and many great casts, Jimmy Fallon's time was incredible and indelible.
After Saturday Night Live, Fallon has continued to bring fans his funniest stuff via many shows. In particular, his own successful late night called Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, or The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon considered massive Entertainment presents that audiences can watch all day. With what he made, Jimmy Fallon has won several esteemed awards throughout his career.
That’s all the basic information about this consummate showman, whom fans know like the back of their hand. But there are many secrets about this man that stun you a fair bit. We disclose 20 surprising (if not shocking) facts about Jimmy Fallon, including his fascinating behind-the-scenes stories related to Saturday Night Live. Scroll down to explore.

#1 He’s a College Dropout

Source: Pinterest

Kicking off this surprising string is that the usually smart Jimmy Fallon has never graduated from college. Fallon left school when he was only 15 credits away from graduating, therefore he never really received his degree. Although we wouldn't advise everyone to make this choice, Fallon made the decision to concentrate on his developing career instead, and the decision undoubtedly paid off for Fallon.
He was a computer science major at the time, so we can assume that he didn't regret completing his coursework to pursue a career as a stand-up comic. He obtained an honorary doctorate of humane letters and a bachelor's degree in communications from his previous college in 2009 after they made the decision to honor him nonetheless. Of course, the charming talk show host also gave the keynote address at the ceremony.

#2 His Childhood Dream Was to Appear on Saturday Night Live

Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images

He seems not to lie when disclosing that being a permanent cast member on Saturday Night Live was his childhood dream. Jimmy Fallon was a part of Saturday Night Live's contemporary era and appeared on the program for six seasons. He could not watch complete episodes of Saturday Night Live as a child due to his strict upbringing in a Catholic home.
Jimmy Fallon and his sister, however, would watch the unadulterated portions of the show that his parents had recorded and played back. They would then perform their own comedy act while acting out the show's scenes.

#3 He Wanted to Become a Priest When He Was Younger

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It’s hard to imagine that Jimmy Fallon appears as a man of the Church, yet he’s close to that. Fallon reportedly had a strong interest in becoming a priest when he was much younger and came close to enrolling in a seminary as a result. The comedian was reared as a Catholic and in a pretty conservative home; he even attended a Catholic private school. Fallon had previously recalled going to church around 6:45 a.m. on Sundays with his grandfather. Wow! The future presenter of the late-night talk show ultimately joined the altar and allegedly adored the atmosphere of being in church.
Fallon was so affected by this event that he was on the verge of giving up all he loved about comedy and music to become a priest. He particularly enjoyed how priests left people feeling good after their sermons. Fallon eventually gave up on this notion after developing a fascination with watching Saturday Night Live. By the time he was in college, he had completely forgotten about his former goals to join the Church as his impressions and musical aptitude had begun to flourish. We would have definitely enjoyed attending church a lot more if Fallon had been the priest in charge, so it's a shame!

#4 His First Saturday Night Live Tryout Was a Dismal Failure

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Well, How sad when the dream is broken! This incredibly entertaining stand-up comic failed his first Saturday Night Live audition. He was by no means bad, and even was liked by the producer, yet Tracy Morgan is just better for him at this time. Luckily, he won the second audition, and we now can feel how jubilant he was then.
He gave impressions of celebrities hawking Troll figurines on his first tryout. He had to refrain from performing the trolling act once again in order to receive a second interview. He joined the cast and crew of Saturday Night Live instead, doing impressions of Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Adam Sandler.

#5 He Was a Calvin Klein Model

Source: Pinterest

Can you believe it? The host of the program once disclosed that he was hired to model for none other than Calvin Klein.
Fallon managed to catch the eye of fashion industry experts when performing on Saturday Night Live in 2001, and he was given the opportunity to participate in a Calvin Klein cologne commercial. Both a print advertisement and a series of complimentary postcards featured Fallon.

#6 He Was a Member of the Groundlings

Source: Araya Diaz / Getty Images for The Groundlings

Fallon worked with the renowned improv comedy group the Groundlings in the meantime to sharpen his improv skills. Former SNL cast members Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, and Will Ferrell were all a part of the group.
The host of the show has now thought back on this period and questioned just how 'manually became: “This was my ultimate goal. If I ever cut into a birthday cake and made a wish, I would wish to be on SNL. If I threw a coin into a fountain, I would wish to be on SNL. If I saw a shooting star, I would wish to be on SNL. […] I remember saying to myself, ‘If I don’t make it on [the show] before I’m 25, I’m going to kill myself.’ It’s crazy. I had no other plan. I didn’t have friends, I didn’t have a girlfriend and, I didn’t have anything going on. I had my career, that was it.”

#7 He Had a Mole Removed on TV

Source: Donna Ward / Getty Images

And it took place right on the well-known Dr. Oz show. Dr. Oz examined the mole and suggested it be removed because he was unsure whether or not it was melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer. More than 200 spectators came to see the operation. He's never made any jokes about it.

#8 He Blew His Chance to Date Nicole Kidman

Source: Eonline

Though they are both happily married now, he reflects on their fortuitous meeting and wishes he had done things differently. Their descriptions of what has happened differ slightly. It appears like an everyday buddy was attempting to arrange the two of them up. Nicole Kidman recalls the meeting as a mutual friend informing her that Jimmy Fallon wanted to meet her. She walked over to his place, but he was silent, had a video game on, and seemed uninterested in her.
She mentions how much she liked him back then. Jimmy Fallon recalls a common friend calling him and telling him Nicole Kidman wanted to meet him to discuss "Bewitched" and would meet him at his flat in ten minutes. In any case, the end outcome of this initial meeting is the same: Jimmy Fallon squandered his opportunity with Nicole Kidman.

#9 He Has a Giant Pickle in His Office Hanging From the Ceiling

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It’s not a typo. Jimmy Fallon's office features a gigantic pickle hanging from the ceiling. The pickle, it turns out, is a gift from none other than Conan O'Brien. It's actually a late-night talk show custom for one host to pass the pickle on to the next. David Letterman transferred the pickle to Conan O'Brien, who handed it to Fallon.
Later, Fallon offered the pickle to Seth Meyers, who took his place on the late-night show. We don't know if Fallon has any food hanging at his current workplace. It's a shame Fallon had to give away the pickle because the comic evidently enjoys fermenting fruits and vegetables at home! Yes, there must be some pickles in Fallon's house, as he has admitted to fermenting his own vegetables in the past.

#10 His High School Teacher Predicted That He Would Host the Late Night Show

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It sounds creepy! One of Fallon's professors at St. Mary of the Snow School in New York apparently correctly predicted that he would go on to host the Late Night Show later in his career. Wow! One of my Faleighth-grade grade teachers included her predictions for each student at the end of his yearbook. "“James Fallon will replace David Letterman on the Late Night Show.” she wrote for Fallon. Fallon eventually took over the Late Night Show from Conan O'Brien, therefore this prediction did (technically) come true! Lorne Michaels of Saturday Night Live petitioned NBC to cast Fallon, despite the fact that he had just finished a string of disastrous films.
NBC managwast was opposed to the concept, but Fallon was named Conan's replacement in May 2008. Since then, his career as a talk show host has grown steadily. Fallon earned more than $13 million per year at Late Night before moving on to The Tonight Show. Lorne Michaels has a lot to thank him for!

#11 He Had to Keep His Tonight Show Gig From His Parents

Source: Today Show

When Fallon was named host of The Tonight Show, we're sure he wanted to celebrate. He was following in the footsteps of comedy greats like Johnny Carson, so we're sure he was ecstatic to be awarded the role. However, the entire situation had to be kept under wraps until the show's executives made a public announcement. Fallon was forced to keep the news a secret, even from his own family. He didn't even notify his parents about the position until the night before the Tonight Show producers revealed it.
Fortunately, the show's producers also opted to return the series to New York (aka Fallon's hometown) for the first time since 1972. Executives were apparently taking advantage of a nice little tax credit from the state of New York, but hey, at least he got to stay close to his family! The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is currently being filmed at Rockefeller Center's Studio 6B.

#12 He Took up Piano as an Adult

Source: HappyHey

They say you can learn to play the piano at any age, but very few individuals follow through on their musical dreams. Fallon can already play the guitar, as shown on Saturday Night Live multiple times, but it wasn't until 2014 that he decided to add Beethoven's instrument to his repertoire.
On the Tonight Highlight in 2015, he performed a duet with comic icon Chevy Chase, and in 2018, he made a quick video to show his development. So, Jimmy Fallon, can you play the piano? The answer is definitely yes!

#13 He Has a Golden Retriever Named Gary Frick

Source: Pinterest

Did you know Fallon has a puppy Golden Retriever? To everyone's delight, the dog occasionally appeared on his Late Night show. For whatever reason, Fallon named his dog Gary Frick. An odd fact made much stranger by the fact that Gary Frick is actually a lady! We hope he'd bring the adorable pup on more of his shows.

#14 His Talk Show Is Responsible for Lip Sync Battle

Source: Theo Wargo / NBC / Getty Images

Jimmy Fallon created Lip Sync Battle. Lip Sync Battle is both a Spike TV show and a live New York show, but it began as a segment on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. This bit is still used on his late-night talk program, much to the joy of his audience. Some of Jimmy Fallon's most memorable Lip Sync Battles have featured the talented Paul Rudd, John Krasinski, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Stone, and Melissa McCarthy.

#15 He Inspired Ben & Jerry to Create His Own Ice Cream Flavor

Source: Brand Eating

As a way of celebrating the completion of his first season of the Tonight Show, Ben and Jerry unveiled The Tonight Dough. The ice cream carton features Jimmy Fallon's visage, and all revenues from this unique ice cream flavor go to charity. The ice cream features swirls of chocolate cookie, peanut butter cookie dough, and chocolate chip cookie dough, as well as caramel and chocolate ice cream.

#16 His Favorite Sketch Was One He Did With Rolling Stones Frontman Mick Jagger.

Source: Chordify

Fallon has created a large number of sketches over the years. But he once revealed that his favorite scene was with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. Fallon first performed the skit while still a member of Saturday Night Live. Fallon was rehearsing looks and talking to himself in front of a dressing room mirror, pretending to be Mick Jagger.
Of course, the real Jagger was sitting next to him, trying to imitate all of Fallon's moves! Fallon is frequently spotted attending athletic events with Jagger and his family, implying that the duo hit it off during their time on the show. We have to admit that we're a touch envious!

#17 He Once Appeared in Band of Brothers

Source: Reddit

Jimmy Fallon appeared in the miniseries Band of Brothers in a small role. Jimmy Fallon portrays 2nd Lieutenant George Rice in Tom Hanks' drama Crossroads. This minor job is the polar opposite of what you'd expect Jimmy Fallon to play. It's nothing resembling a comedy. However, it demonstrates Fallon's versatility as an actor. If he wanted to, he could easily perform more serious roles.

#18 His SNL Co-stars Created a Game Called “Jimmy Falloning.”

Source: Imgur

There's always one performer who can't keep a straight face... On Saturday Night Live, that person was Jimmy Fallon. His coworkers saw that the show's host couldn't always keep it together, especially during the funniest routines. This produced a fascinating dynamic within the group... Some of his castmates suspected Fallon was doing it on purpose to draw attention to himself, as many SNL viewers enjoyed seeing Fallonugh up.
Some of his coworkers, though, took it as a personal challenge and attempted to make Fallon laugh as much as possible during a sketch. It became a game, and any future cast members would be trained in the skills of 'Fallonloning.' He certainly enjoys a good laugh!

#19 He Was Named One of 50 Most Beautiful People

Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images for NBC

It’s not a typo again! Back in the day, Fallon was (and still is!) a very attractive man, which drew the attention of the American media. In fact, Fallon was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People! That's right, Fallon was included on the infamous People magazine list in 2002, along with a slew of other notable models and actresses.
Fallon later stated that the prize was "embarrassing." Awww! Fallon's charm and charisma have contributed to his popularity among US audiences, and we're sure his excellent looks don't hurt either. We're sure he was secretly pleased with the People magazine prize…

#20 He’s a Grammy winner

Source: Evan Agostini / Getty Images

Jimmy Fallon is unquestionably a gifted musician. He can perform incredible impersonations of some of the greatest musical artists of all time, like Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and he also plays the guitar exceptionally well! But did you know he once won a Grammy Award? With the release of Blow Your Pants Off, Fallon received a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in 2012. Nice! Fallon has broken into more than just the music industry.
He's also a budding author, having published several books so far. His first book, I Hate This Place: The Pessimist's Guide to Life, was published in 1999 with his sister Gloria. Since then, the show's host has written five more books, the most recent of which was released in 2017 and named Everything Is Mama.
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