Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show is reportedly experiencing behind-the-scenes turmoil

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http://pagesix.com/2019/05/23/turmoi...-ratings-loss/

One day after Stephen Colbert won his first season-long victory over Fallon in the coveted 18-49 demographic, Page Six is reporting there is trouble behind the scenes of The Tonight Show. Fallon's longtime executive producer Katie Hockmeyer -- who has been with Fallon since his Late Night debut in 2009 -- is "suddenly and mysteriously out" of her job, Page Six reports. Meanwhile, Page Six reports showrunner Jim Bell is frustrated because he's trying to reinvent Fallon and his show but their boss, SNL legend Lorne Michaels, is "stuck in the past." Bell, the former executive producer of the Today show, was hired last October to "ape Colbert," whose Late Show problems were solved with CBS' hiring of former CBS This Morning executive producer Chris Licht to manage the day-to-day operations of The Late Show. In Bell's seven months, Fallon has done more political humor and outside-the-studio specials, like the Hamilton special in Puerto Rico with Lin-Manuel Miranda. But Fallon's total viewership of 2.4 million is now closer to Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s 2 million than Stephen Colbert's 3.8 million. And for the first time, Colbert narrowly topped Fallon in the all-important 18-49 demo. This season, Fallon's demo viewership nosedived 22%, compared to a 12% decline for Colbert and 18% for Kimmel.

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Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show: At Home Edition has been a boon for his politics-averse brand

"While The Tonight Show has long been a place for extreme silliness, especially under Fallon’s tenure, it’s always been presented inside a framework of formality and professionalism," says Kathryn VanArendonk. "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 into The Tonight Show: At Home Edition feels like something new. Fallon’s on-the-fly version has pivoted sharply to the aesthetics of quarantine, which are defined by constraints. It’s lo-res, intimate, immediate, and messy. It’s less Tonight, more At Home with Jimmy Fallon. It’s also been a boon for his brand. In the past several years, late night has become a high-profile space for political commentary, which has never been Fallon’s strong suit. As hosts like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers rose, the headlines about Fallon wondered how NBC could possibly reverse his steady plummet in the ratings. He never quite found his footing again after ruffling Donald Trump’s hair during the 2016 campaign. But the past few weeks have suggested a sea change in what audiences want from late-night hosts, and no one else has fulfilled it more quickly or effectively than Fallon. His role as the fun-loving nice guy of late night, determined to look for good things in the world, is now a balm. For the first time in Fallon’s run, it feels like the show has a mission, guided by his palpable desire to be of service to people, which, for him, means foregrounding as many charitable organizations as he can. And, of course, continuing to make the show itself." As Fallon tells VanArendonk via Zoom: "People need some type of distraction or any sign of normalcy." Fallon has previously said he looked back at the post-9/11 SNL and David Letterman shows for guidance on how to handle his talk show amid a pandemic. “The closest feeling I’ve had to something like this was 9/11,” he says. “I was on Saturday Night Live at the time, and everyone was scared and freaking out in New York City. I didn’t know who to really turn to.” Fallon says his wife Nancy Juvonen reminded him of Letterman's quote after 9/11, “I believe, because I’ve done a little of this myself, pretending to be courageous is just as good as the real thing.” Fallon said: "I love that. And I thought, I’ve got to do something. So I got in my car and I went out to PC Richards and I bought a bunch of tripods and a printer.”