How I Built This with Guy Raz

The Tonight Show & Electric Hot Dog: Jimmy Fallon

Jun 27, 2022

Jimmy Fallon, a comedian, actor, and beloved television host of "The Tonight Show," shares his entrepreneurial journey beyond comedy. He discusses how ordinary experiences can spark innovative ideas, like creating unique products such as all-day pajamas. Fallon reflects on his path from performing for family to a pivotal audition for Saturday Night Live, celebrating the triumphs and rejections. He also dives into the challenges of leading a late-night show and the creative adaptations made during the pandemic, including engaging segments that highlight children's inventive spirits.

01:11:50

Episode guests

Jimmy Fallon

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

4min

The Path to Late Night Success and Entrepreneurial Spirit

6min

The Comedy Journey: From Home to Hollywood

17min

From Rejection to Opportunity: The Path to Late-Night Stardom

5min

From Audition to Opportunity

20min

The Art of Creative Collaboration in Late Night

6min

From Performer to Leader

4min

Creative Resilience in Challenging Times

18min

Innovative Creations on The Tonight Show

3min

Jimmy Fallon may talk like a comedian, but he thinks like a restless entrepreneur. In addition to his day job as host of The Tonight Show, he runs a TV production company, writes best-selling children’s books, and creates products you never knew you needed, like all-day pajamas and “hands high” jerseys that show the name of your favorite team in the armpit. As a kid, Jimmy was obsessed with perfecting his impressions of Richard Pryor and Steve Martin, with the goal of one day starring on Saturday Night Live. After an incredibly successful 6-year run on that show, he tried to make it in film, only to eventually find his way to one of the most coveted jobs in television. Today, he’s constantly generating new ideas, whether for a new TV show, or a Christmas tchotchke called Elvis on the Shelvis.

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