The late-night host makes a quarantine comeback, with an assist from his wife and kids.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
I dont know if well ever have an audience again, Jimmy Fallon says.
How long has it been?
he yells to his wife, Nancy Juvonen, whos in the kitchen with their two daughters.
Twenty-one … Actually, its Friday, so 22 days!
Im in my house in New Jersey; Fallon and his family are in New York.
I miss it, he says.
I miss the audience already.
But the alternative, which he cannot stand, is doing no show at all.
Some of his familiar bits are still there.
Theres a monologue, interviews, and musical appearances along with returning franchises like Thank-You Notes and Tonight ShowHashtags.
But instead of the fancy studio, episodes are filmed inside Fallons house.
Hosts wear suits and stand in front of velvet curtains.
Over many decades, each person in the role has primarily been a steward of the institution.
But this shift intoThe Tonight Show: At Home Editionfeels like something new.
Fallons on-the-fly version has pivoted sharply to the aesthetics of quarantine, which are defined by constraints.
Its lo-res, intimate, immediate, and messy.
Its lessTonight,moreAt Home With Jimmy Fallon.
Its also been a boon for his brand.
He never quite found his footing again after ruffling Donald Trumps hair during the 2016 campaign.
And, of course, continuing to make the show itself.
People need some throw in of distraction or any sign of normalcy, he tells me.
The closest feeling Ive had to something like this was 9/11, he continues.
I was onSaturday Night Liveat the time, and everyone was scared and freaking out in New York City.
I didnt know who to really turn to.
I love that, Fallon says.
Fallon then went out to join his family at their house on Long Island.
There was no plan for what would come next and whether thered be a show at all.
(They eventually corrected the spelling of starring.)
As the shows grew smoother over the next several episodes, Fallons sense of openness became its own appeal.
But thats what you get, he says.
Youre in this business, and you just kind ofokay, cowboy up.
Buck up, and go,Yeah, this is the time when people need you to be funny.
The house itself feels like a familiar space after three weeks ofAt Homeepisodes.
Juvonen recounts its history.
A collapsing barn owned by friends of her family, she and Fallon bought it seven years ago.
Its full of colorful nooks and crannies and features anow-famous slidethat shows up regularly on the show.
I dont do Instagram, I dont do Facebook, Juvonen says.
[Jimmy] begs once a year, Can we just do [one photo with the girls]?
People need to know I have a family.
Look, this is what weve got, Juvonen continues.
Nearly every segment is filmed in one take.
Ill say to Jimmy sometimes, Is it okay, or did people get mad at us yet?
Is it too cutesy?
says Juvonen, who, in addition to operating the camera, also directs and produces.
Hes like, Nope, its great.
I go, Okay, thats all I need to know.
Lets just elevate a little bit if we can but stick with what were doing.
The news is changing so fast, he says.
Fallons interviewing style is the element thats stayed closest to his original format.
He doesnt wantThe Tonight Showto be stressful.
He doesnt want to wallop the members of his audience with more of the realities theyre confronting all day.
But in other ways, my brain has changed, Fallon says of the last few weeks.
Ive been promoted to a YouTube star, he adds, laughing.
Maybe thats the format that works for us.
Maybe its the more intimate bang out of late-night show, more of a hangout.
He hasnt stopped missing the audience.
The crowd changes your rhythm, Fallon says.
Just hearing people laugh makes you laugh, so when you hear silence, it makes you second-guess yourself.
But its pushed him to understand himself better, to follow his instincts.
Its almost like you have to force yourself into being confident.
Ive just gotta go by my gut.
Im learning, he says, how to find myself again.
