A lot of people thought his act on his show was disingenuous. Reminds me a lot of the Ellen Degeneres situation. So aggressively nice on screen it was hard to believe. Not that surprising it turned out to be an act and they were toxic behind the scenes, even by toxic Hollywood standards.
I too am not too surprised about this news. For one thing, it has long been an open secret that Jimmy Fallon is a hardcore alcoholic in private. There was that incident where he almost lost his finger after he tripped at home presumably, while blitzed. And Jimmy as it is, does give off this immature, goofy, frat-boy, party boy vibe. But it's more grating instead of endearing.
Jimmy too always came across as disingenuous and as if his affable nice guy act was just that, a performance. He's the type of person who tries way, way too hard to be liked and to have people's approval. Hence, why his comedy and his shtick as a whole is so corny, toothless, and mealy mouthed.
There doesn’t seem to be anything mean-spirited or “toxic” about Fallon. You could tell way back in his SNL days he was just a silly, fun guy. And friends like Drew Barrymore would not swear by him if he were toxic and mean to a film staff. People in general have just become ultra sensitive pussies and victims.
Letterman and Carson were notoriously closed off (and in Letterman’s case, would even have fits in his dressing room after shows). Heck…they’d even take occasional shots at guests if they were in a crabby mood.
Being the host of a show like that can be a pressure cooker…and sometimes things can get heated behind the scenes (especially for a perfectionist like Letterman). People should know when they apply to work behind the scenes in show biz that sometimes things can go sideways, and you can’t shatter like glass if someone is a little gruff with you.
People have changed in the past 20 years, dramatically. Pussies….victims….SJW’s….and impatient, entitled assholes. Just spend 15 minutes driving on the roads or even in a parking lot to get a good snapshot of human nature these days.
Fallon isn’t the problem. It’s the people trying to claim he’s a problem.