The funnyman got real about his late mom’s death
Eminem notwithstanding, everybody loves their mom. Losing your mother is one of the hardest things there is, and that goes for ditch diggers and late night talk show hosts.
Jimmy Fallon’s mother passed away recently, and after cancelling a week of shows, the comedian returned to late night on Monday with a heartfelt tribute to his mom, who, as tweets from several members of the show made clear, was beloved by many members of the staff.
It wasn’t an easy night for anybody, and watching it just might inspire you to give your mom a call, if you’re lucky enough to still have her around.
Jimmy pays tribute to his mother Gloria pic.twitter.com/YVpZfeuI9A
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) November 14, 2017
Before the episode aired, Questlove, the drummer for The Roots, Fallon’s houseband on the show, sent a tweet out urging people to watch.
Tonight was a special @FallonTonight. I suggest you watch it y’all. #ijs
— B.R.O.theR. ?uestion (@questlove) November 14, 2017
Later, Mike DiCenzo, a writer and producer of Late Night, shared his thoughts on the emotional evening, starting with a little background about Jimmy’s mom, and how the show’s staff felt about her.
A few words (i.e. a thread) about tonight's show. It was our first show back after Jimmy's mom passed away…
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
It was a really tough day for our whole staff. A lot of us knew his mom Gloria, and she was the best. The best. She loved the show, she loved all of us, and most of all, she loved Jimmy.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
He got into Jimmy’s close relationship with his mom…
They talked on the phone every day. As Jimmy said, she was his biggest fan.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
And the staff’s relationship with Jimmy.
And as @Questlove said, Jimmy is not only our boss, he's our family. We love him. So we were devastated for him last week, and we were feeling for him today.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
I'm sure today was especially tough for Jimmy. The fact that he came out, stood there, and did a normal monologue for the crowd is a testament to how strong he is.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
But at the desk, you could hear his voice break when talking about our musical guest Taylor Swift, and that's because he knew what he was about to say...
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
Then he brought up the night’s musical act, Taylor Swift…
Jimmy's words about his mom were beautiful. "Mom, I'll never stop trying to make you laugh. I love you." I was crying. We all were.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
The story about his mom squeezing his hand 3 times to say "I love you" when he was a kid, and then him squeezing her hand in the hospital - he hadn't told any of us that story... More on that in a second.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
…how she unexpectedly became a part of the special show…
First, a quick word about Taylor Swift. She was not scheduled to do our show today. But we wanted something special for this first show back, so we asked her on a complete whim, since she had been in town doing SNL. She said yes with zero hesitation.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
…and the stirring coincidence made possible by the song she played.
She sang "New Year's Day." No one had heard it. Suddenly she sings the line, "Squeeze my hand 3 times in the back of the taxi." I nearly gasped. Tears. I think everyone in the audience started sobbing.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue. We all lost it. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance. "Hold on to your memories, they will hold on to you," Taylor sang.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
It seems she picked the perfect song for the occasion. And Jimmy clearly appreciated it.
That hug between Jimmy and Taylor after the song was 100% real emotion. Whatever you think of Taylor, she did something beautiful for Jimmy and our show today, and we're forever grateful.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
As did Mike, and the rest of the staff.
Thank you to Taylor, the Roots, Higgins, our whole staff and crew, and to all the FalPals, fans, and everyone who reached out to and supported Jimmy and his family. I can tell you it meant everything to him.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
They even left in a little tribute of their own to Jimmy’s mother.
One last note: our show was right on time today, but we edited out a minute to leave room for Jimmy high-fiving audience members during the end credits. It was Gloria's favorite part of the show.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
We love you, Gloria.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
Viewers who watched the show responded to Mike’s thread with condolences, and nice words about what the show means to them.
THANK YOU Mike for sharing this, I am sobbing as I read this. The Falpals love you and thank you all for being there for Jimmy and his family. I love watching the show and Jimmy and the show has impacted my life so much in the past couple of years
— Evelyn Robinson (@EvelynRobinson) November 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/930318226063609856This made me cry and heartbroken. Such a beautiful tribute.
— Hallie 🍀 (@Falpal_Hallie) November 14, 2017
This made me cry and heartbroken. Such a beautiful tribute.
— Hallie 🍀 (@Falpal_Hallie) November 14, 2017