https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/business/media/jimmy-fallon-producer-bell.html
Last week's ratings report put Fallon in third place behind Jimmy Kimmel Live! by just 3,000 viewers. Since taking over The Tonight Show last fall, Bell (https://pagesix.com/2019/11/04/outgoing-jimmy-fallon-producer-jim-bell-hoping-to-join-presidential-campaign/) has tried ratings stunts like a visit to Puerto Rico, an homage to The Larry Sanders Show and special live editions after Sunday Night Football. But they haven't been able to stop Fallon's ratings slide. Bell's last episode is yet another stunt: a Tonight Show visit to University of Texas at Austin on Thursday.
Olympics viewers sad to see games end, glad to not have to hear from Jimmy Fallon anymore (https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/olympics-viewers-jimmy-fallon-sick.html)
"I swear NBC has spent so much money effort and money trying to convince the world that Jimmy Fallon is funny."
By Sean Keeley on 08/11/2024
By all accounts, NBC Sports hit it out of the park with their coverage (https://forums.primetimer.com/forum/8853-2024-paris-olympic-games/) of the 2024 Paris Olympics (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/2024-summer-olympics-watch-thread-spoilers-will-be-included.5675861/page-496), which ended (https://www.resetera.com/threads/paris-2024-summer-olympics-paralympics-ot-let-the-games-begin.921354/page-289) on Sunday (https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2466819/paris-olympic-games-day-16-sunday-11th-august-2024-live-discussion-thread/p53).
Sure there were some mistakes (https://awfulannouncing.com/olympics/mike-tirico-apologized-martinique-flag-palestine.html) and issues (https://awfulannouncing.com/olympics/nbc-leigh-diffey-100-meter-finish-noah-lyles-announcer.html) along the way, but that will happen with this kind of sprawling production.
Thanks to Gold Zone, Primetime in Paris, and the works of Snoop Dogg (https://awfulannouncing.com/olympics/nbc-american-viewers-gold-zone-primetime.html), it’s likely to go down as one of the most memorable Summer Games in some time.
The games also united many viewers in unexpected ways, such as the refreshing lack of sports betting commercials (https://awfulannouncing.com/olympics/viewers-lack-gambling-commercials-nbc.html). And while NBC trotted out many celebrities and network talents during their Olympic run, they also appeared to unite viewers in the feeling that Jimmy Fallon can go away now.
The NBC late-night host has been an ongoing presence throughout the Paris Games (https://officialfan.proboards.com/thread/635266/2024-paris-olympic-games-thread?page=32), notably appearing on the court (https://x.com/sam_amick/status/1822386689211609455) following Team USA’s win over France for the men’s basketball gold medal on Saturday.
Fallon joined Mike Tirico Sunday to schmooze about his experience at the Olympics, doing the kind of grandparent-friendly schtick that reminded everyone why he has the No. 3 network late-night show (https://latenighter.com/news/here-are-final-late-night-ratings-for-q1-2024/).
Fallon also stuck around on Sunday to provide further insightful thoughts on the games, the athletes, and the closing ceremony (https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/2024-closing-ceremony-summer-olympics-watch-thread.5692038/page-2).
One joke in particular, in which Fallon asked Katie Ledecky if she intended to swim home from Paris, landed with such a thud (https://www.the-sun.com/sport/12173533/katie-ledecky-jimmy-fallon-paris-olympics-closing-ceremony/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebarweb) it deserved a medal of its own.
While some celebrities and NBC folks added value to the Olympics broadcast, the general consensus on social media appeared to be that Fallon sucked the life out of the coverage.
Given his status as host of The Tonight Show, NBC was in a no-win situation when it came to Fallon, who is under contract through 2028. It makes a lot of business sense to have him be a part of the Olympics coverage. However, given the fading goodwill (https://medium.com/@ernestsewell/why-is-everything-so-funny-to-jimmy-fallon-c217d5f9dd50) he has as a performer as well as reports of toxic behavior behind the scenes (https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/sep/08/jimmy-fallon-toxic-workplace-tonight-show-apology#:~:text=According%20to%20Rolling%20Stone's%20report,employees%20could%20go%20let%20out), he seems like an entertainment albatross stuck around their neck.