Bethenny Frankel Weighs In on Jimmy Fallon Workplace Toxicity Allegations

Bethenny Frankel has weighed in on the allegations of Jimmy Fallon fostering a “toxic” workplace behind the scenes on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, suggesting the host was likely “extraordinarily stressed” at the time.

Fallon, who took over from Jay Leno as host of the late-night NBC show in 2014, was the subject of a Rolling Stone report published on September 7, in which several former and present staffers stepped forward accusing the comedian of “erratic” behavior behind the scenes.

With the program having gone through nine showrunners over the past nine years, the staffers shared allegations of working in a “pretty glum atmosphere,” where they claim they faced intimidation from their bosses and Fallon himself.

Hours after the article was published, Rolling Stone further reported that Fallon apologized to staffers. According to the report, Fallon and The Tonight Show showrunner Chris Miller spoke with the employees via a Zoom call.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Fallon and The Tonight Show via email for comment.

With the show being one of several that have been off the air in recent months due to the soon-to-end Writers Guild of America strike, Fallon has not yet publicly addressed the allegations that have been leveled against him.

At the time the Rolling Stone article was published, a spokesperson for NBC defended The Tonight Show, telling the publication in a statement: “We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority.

“As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”

Frankel, who became a household name through her role on reality show The Real Housewives of New York City, has stated that on the estimated “10 to 12” times she met Fallon, she always had a positive experience with him.

“I know Jimmy—not like we’re best friends,” Frankel said on her Just B podcast. “I see him in the Hamptons… His wife [producer Nancy Juvonen] is nice. When you see them, they’re very pleasant, they’re very fun, they’re very genuine.”

Recounting the “many times” she made appearances on Fallon’s show, Frankel went on: “He comes into your dressing room… He greets you. He’s really really, like, animated and charming in a way that is so nice and so pleasant for the guest, but seems like it would be exhausting for the host.”

Adding that “it’s very important for him to be liked and to have a good image because he’s a host,” the TV personality said that Fallon’s role appears to involve “a lot of pressure,” particular with competing shows battling it out ratings.

“I will say that if there was improper treatment behind the scenes at that talk show, that’s obviously something to be addressed,” Frankel said. “I know that Jimmy apologized… and for some reason, whatever reason that is, I don’t think that Jimmy Fallon should be canceled…

“From what I’ve experienced… he’s always been very, very kind… Every experience I’ve ever had with Jimmy Fallon has been a positive one. But it has always been in my mind that it must be so exhausting to be so cheery and so positive and so ‘on.'”

While she spoke favorably of the comedian, Frankel said that when it came to the complaints about Fallon, she was “erring on the side of them all being valid claims about the workplace environment and how they’ve been treated.”

Frankel also acknowledged that some might say her experiences with Fallon stand at odds with the complaints about him because she’s “famous.” Frankel said that she’s “accounting for that as well” in her assessment of the situation.

“I don’t know what it’s like behind the scenes, and there’s no excuse for it,” she told her listeners. “I’m just saying when I think about it, it’s not like I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, couldn’t happened to a better person.’ I think like, ‘Oh, the pressure probably really got to him. He was probably extraordinarily stressed.'”

“The landscape has changed too,” Frankel continued in her suggestion of Fallon being under great pressure. “People don’t watch TV the same way they used to. The pressure is there and TV doesn’t do as well, ratings don’t do as well. Stand-up comics, or people that want to perform, they’ve got to perform, and there’s a sadness inside and you never know what’s going on with someone.

“So I’m just saying I don’t want to be for cancel culture, and I’m treading lightly because I don’t know everything about them behind the scenes. And I don’t want you to say… that I’m defending someone who is abusive in the workplace.”

While Rolling Stone‘s initial article on the Fallon allegations described the comedian as snapping at and belittling staffers, another employee described a completely different working environment in an interview with People.

The unnamed staffer described Fallon as “a really, really positive guy” who is “super communicative” with those who work for him. The employee, who said they had worked on the show for approximately one year, told People it was “disheartening” to see “these old accusations being brought up again.”