In this special Emmy edition of the Water Cooler Podcast, Jazz Tangcay talks to The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon host himself, Jimmy Fallon about career choices, doing a beer run with Kobe Bryant and taking the show to Puerto Rico.
West Coast Emmy voters were treated to a very Friday night when late-night host Jimmy Fallon flew into town for a whirlwind visit. Before leaving to make a surprise visit to Saturday Night Live, I headed to NBC/Universal in Universal City to sit down with Fallon for this special Water Cooler Podcast.
Fallon recalls living in LA when he was doing the standup circuit. “I think back to when I was struggling here and doing standup and living off of ramen soup. I look back with great memories. I had no money. I kept auditioning and kept trying and being told no.”
The city did have some fun memories for him, like that one time he met a young basketball player called Kobe Bryant. “I’m at this party once and he’s probably 18-years-old. He goes, ‘What do you do for a living?’ I tell him I’m a comedian and I ask him, ‘What do you do?’ He goes, ‘I play basketball.'” Assuming he was in college basketball, Fallon asked him, ‘Where do you go to school?’ Bryant replied, ‘I’m actually on the Lakers.’ Fallon shares how the two went on a beer run.
Since 2014, Jimmy Fallon entertains night after night on NBC whether he’s slow-jamming with Democratic candidate or getting the entire cast of The Avengers to sing ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’. Fallon injects that burst of energy and fun into late night.
Listen as Fallon, a six-time Emmy winner shares :
A story about working with Gordon Hunt for acting lessons.
Why Larry Sanders inspired him.
Taking over Central Park and filling it with 1500 audience members.
Taking the show to Puerto Rico to help shine a light on hurricane relief.
Who he wants to play at Wii Tennis Aces after beating Stan Wawrinka last time.
Going to Wimbledon each year.
And how he considered being a priest and a mailman at one point.
