A month before the presidential election, Jimmy Fallon invited Donald Trump to be a guest on The Tonight Show. Fallon's show is known for lip sync battles, beer pong and charades, so nobody expected a hard-hitting interview. However, one moment rankled some viewers. The host did a bit where he messed up Trump's bizarre roadkill-meets-birds-nest hair. Trump supporters found the segment endearing, but Trump critics were horrified. To them, Fallon 'normalized' a controversial political candidate who made many offensive comments.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fallon revealed that he regrets tousling Donald Trump's hair. "I did not do it to 'normalize' him or to say I believe in his political beliefs or any of that stuff," said Fallon. "I’m sorry. I don’t want to make anyone angry — I never do and I never will. It’s all in the fun of the show. I made a mistake. I’m sorry if I made anyone mad. And, looking back, I would do it differently."
Well, hindsight is 2020. There are more offensive things in the world than Fallon messing up a real estate tycoon's hair - like, say, the 2,000 children cruelly separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. It's unlikely a hair tousle changed anyone's mind. Plus, as Seth Meyers told CNN, Jimmy is an entertainer. Some people don't watch talk shows for politics. They watch talk shows to escape from politics. Who could stay mad at Jimmy Fallon, the puppy dog of late night?
The answer, evidently, is Donald Trump. The president took a break from his busy schedule of golfing and making false accusations about restaurants he's never visited to respond to Jimmy Fallon's interview. He tweeted that Jimmy should stop "whimpering" and "be a man." (And yes, he brags about the yuuuge ratings.)
".@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous “hair show” with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have “humanized” me-he is taking heat. He called & said “monster ratings.” Be a man Jimmy!"
Out of all the late night talk show hosts to start a feud with, it's odd Trump would single out Fallon. Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers and co. say much harsher things about him on a nightly basis. Also, there's nothing wrong with saying you regret something, and made a mistake. Many people consider that an admirable quality, especially in world leaders.
Well, Fallon took the high road with his response. He tweeted, "In honor of the President’s tweet I’ll be making a donation to RAICES in his name." (RAICES is The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Service, a nonprofit organization that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children.)
Fallon's ratings have fallen since the hair-messing debacle, but he rose to the occasion here.