Critical Flop Melania Doc Premieres at Kennedy Center | Liam Neeson, Patrick Dempsey, Reggie Miller, Nick Thune | Thursday, January 29

Summary

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – January 30, 2026 Episode Summary

Main Theme & Purpose
This energetic episode of The Tonight Show features Jimmy Fallon's signature monologue skewering current news, an all-star lineup—Liam Neeson, Patrick Dempsey, Reggie Miller, and stand-up from Nick Thune—and memorable comedic sketches. Celebrity guests share behind-the-scenes stories, insights into their latest projects, and moments from their personal lives.

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1. Monologue Highlights: "Critical Flop" and Playful Conspiracies

Timestamps: 01:14–04:37

• Melania Documentary:
  • Fallon riffs on the poorly received documentary premiere at the Kennedy Center:
    • "Right now, Trump is encouraging everyone to see it in an IMAX so his hands look regular size. But critics are saying the film isn’t great." (01:26)
    • Jokes about celebrities at the premiere and pokes at pop culture media coverage.
• Winter Weather:
  • Mocks over-hyped weather phenomena:
    • "It is a weather phenomenon experts are calling January." (01:57)
• Super Bowl Conspiracies:
  • Satirical deep-dive into a Super Bowl promo photo, concocting a "hidden" Seahawks message.
  • Reggie Miller and Patrick Dempsey join in, with Jimmy delivering the punchline:
    • “D, U, M, B. Dumb.” (04:21)
• Memorable Quote:
  • Reggie Miller: "You cracked the code." (04:29)

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2. Comedy Sketch: Real Housewives Dramatic Re-Enactment

Timestamps: 04:37–07:14

• Fallon and Liam Neeson hilariously reenact the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion drama:
  • Fallon as Heather and Neeson as Lisa, delivering verbatim reality TV dialog with theatrical flair.
  • Quote:
    • “What you feel and the truth are two very different things.” (06:11 – Jimmy as Heather)
  • Neeson's deadpan style brings a unique flavor to reality TV dramatics, leading to audience applause.

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3. Interview – Liam Neeson: From "Cold Storage" to Gardening Wisdom

Timestamps: 07:45–15:35

• On his Comedy Hit:
  • Fallon congratulates Neeson on "Naked Gun" becoming a surprise comedic smash.
  • Neeson responds, “Well, I’m glad, you know, I gave people a few giggles, you know.” (08:25)
  • When asked about a sequel: “No.” (08:37)
• Wellness Chat (Cold Plunges):
  • Fallon and Neeson swap stories about cold plunging and Wim Hof breathing exercises:
    • "It’s very, very, very good for your immune system, and it’s very good for your brain." (10:19 – Neeson)
• Gardening Talk:
  • Neeson describes his walled garden and love of daffodils:
    • “Especially Carlson daffodils. They’ll last for 40, 50 years…” (11:17)
• Classic 'Taken' Story:
  • Relays a darkly funny story from the first "Taken" shoot:
    • Neeson’s driver comments,“By page 43, you had killed 26 human beings.” (12:41)
    • Neeson: “It’s just a movie.” (12:42)
• "Cold Storage" Preview:
  • Neeson reads the official summary from a notecard:
    • “When a highly contagious mutating fungus escapes a sealed facility, two young employees, joined by a grizzled bioterror operative, must survive the wildest night shift ever to save humanity from extinction.” (15:09)

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4. Interview – Patrick Dempsey: From Juggling to The Dempsey Center

Timestamps: 16:21–25:09

• First Tonight Show Appearance
  • Dempsey reminisces on his first trip to NYC for a juggling competition:
    • “I did a three-minute juggling routine… kept dropping, but ended up winning and getting an agent.” (17:41)
• Career Origins:
  • Cites Harvey Fierstein and the new vaudeville movement in Maine as pivotal.
• Romantic Comedies & Career Longevity:
  • Fallon praises Dempsey’s classics, especially “Enchanted” and “Bridget Jones.”
  • Dempsey shares a Central Park story: “David Bowie walks right between us… The entire production shut down.” (21:45)
• The Dempsey Center:
  • Dempsey passionately describes his Maine-based cancer support nonprofit:
    • “We don’t treat the disease; we treat the person holistically. All of our services are absolutely free…” (22:19)
    • “You may be cured, but you’re not healed, and that’s where the work begins...” (22:48)
• On Playing Villains:
  • Fallon: “We want to fall in love with you. You’re sexiest man alive. But then Dexter, by the way, creeped me out.” (24:14)
  • Dempsey relishes the chance to play darker roles, leading into his new series “Memory of a Killer.”
• Driving Porsches for TV:
  • “It’s the station wagon because we can put bodies in the back. It’s perfect.” (24:52)

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5. Interview – Reggie Miller: Knicks Rivalry and NBC Sports

Timestamps: 25:41–31:11

• Returning to NYC:
  • Miller describes playful fan hostility:
    • “They usually run up and say, I hate you, you ruined my childhood. But I respect you.” (26:32)
• Pacers-Knicks Rivalry:
  • Fallon: “You posted this on Instagram—this is how you walk around New York when the Pacers were playing the Knicks.” (27:15)
  • Miller: “That was 25, 30 years ago. Why am I getting dragged into this?” (27:39)
• Broadcasting Full Circle:
  • On rejoining NBC Sports: “It kind of shows what my career has come full circle… good kid in a candy store.” (29:46)
• Family Stories:
  • Miller beams about his daughter’s first father-daughter dance and seeks dance advice—leading to callbacks to Patrick Dempsey’s iconic “Can’t Buy Me Love” dance scene.

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6. Stand-Up – Nick Thune

Timestamps: 31:40–36:43

• Thune delivers a dry, observational set about manhood, buying wood at Home Depot, and the perils of “dad life.”
  • “I’ve never bought wood. I’ve never walked into a store with a ton of cash and said, hey, where’s all the wood at?” (31:54)
  • “She said, ‘How long do you want it to be?’ … two or is four the length? I don’t know.” (33:48)
  • On packing his son's lunch:
    • “He says, please don’t put any nuts in my lunch… because I want to eat with my friends in the nut-free zone.” (35:17)
    • “So I packed the peanut butter sandwich in there. Right next to it, I put an EpiPen with a note that said, get ready to be a hero.” (36:17)

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7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Patrick Dempsey on Giving Back:
  • “Never forget where you come from. And I think that’s an important thing to remember now more than ever.” (23:49)
• Liam Neeson on Cold Plunging:
  • “Rolling in the snow is colder than the ice tub. I don’t understand the physics of that.” (10:07)
• Reggie Miller on His New York Legacy:
  • “I thought I was out. They pull me back in.” (28:26)
• Nick Thune on Fatherhood:
  • “I wanted to be a role model because I’m a dad. Like most dads, I do have a kid.” (34:18)

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8. Fun, Rapid-Fire Segment Highlights

• Jimmy and Reggie joke about working for NBC and upcoming “Sunday Night Basketball in America.” (29:04)
• Antics ensue as Miller considers re-enacting the “African anteater ritual” dance from Dempsey’s movie at his daughter’s dance, with encouragement from the guests and audience. (31:01)

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9. Episode Flow and Tonal Notes

• Pace & Energy:
  • High-energy, joke-heavy monologue smoothly transitions to candid, often hilarious interviews.
• Chemistry:
  • Guests riff off each other and Jimmy, feeling more like a fun hangout than a formal Q&A.
• Audience Engagement:
  • Frequent laughter, applause, and callbacks to pop culture moments make for a warm and interactive episode.
• Undercurrent:
  • Despite the playfulness, genuine moments about charity, health, and personal growth shine through.

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In Short

This episode of The Tonight Show balances witty pop culture satire, heartfelt guest stories, and zany fun—anchored by quick-witted banter and authentic moments. From Liam Neeson’s blend of action-star and comedian, Patrick Dempsey’s journey from juggling to philanthropy, Reggie Miller’s legendary basketball tales, and Nick Thune’s offbeat standup, Jimmy Fallon delivers what fans love: joy, laughter, and the unexpected.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6P in Rockefeller center in the heart of New York City, it's the Tonight show, starring Jimmy Fallon. And I join Jim and his guests, Liam Neeson, Patrick Nelson, Reggie Miller, comedian Nick Boone, and the legendary Ruth Croat. 2249. And now, here he is.

Give me.

[Liam Neeson]

Come on.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's what I'm talking about. Oh, I love you.

Please enjoy yourself. Welcome, everybody. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Tonight Show.

This is over here. We made it.

Thank you for watching at home. Well, guys, the weekend's almost here, and it's gonna be a big one for movies. Yeah, yeah. You got the Melania documentary, and you have the new Rachel McAdams film, Send Help, which. Yeah. Which, fun fact, was actually the original title of the Melania mov. That's right. Tonight was the official premiere of the Melania documentary at the Kennedy Center. Right now, Trump is encouraging everyone to see it in an IMAX so his hands look regular size. But critics are saying the film isn't great. I'm not saying it's bad, but after the movie, Trump took his name off the Kennedy Center. Some celebrities went to the premiere tonight, including Dr. Phil, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and the Chrisley family. It was the first red carpet where the paparazzi took selfies. Well, people are talking about this. The second major winter storm in a week is headed for the East Coast. It is a weather. It is a weather phenomenon experts are calling January. Last week, it was winter storm fern, and now it's bomb cyclone. Right? Now, winter storm fern is like, how come you get to be a bomb cyclone? I gotta be winter storm fern. Well, some sports news. This is going viral. A Super bowl promo image from September featured famous players facing the trophy. Right. And if you zoom in, the two players closest to the trophy just happen to be Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and New England Patriots quarterback Drake May. Now, some fans are saying this is proof of a conspiracy and that this super bowl matchup was all scripted in advance is obviously ridiculous. So I'm not going to dignify it with a response, but I do want to talk about a different part of the picture. Now, if you look closely, you'll see that under the Golden Gate Bridge, that's the sea. And on the other side, that's a hill. It's a sea. That's at a hill. Sea at hill. Sea at hill. Stay with me, because I'm just getting started. In the foreground, you see burro, right? Burro without the W is burro, which is another word for donkey. What sound does a donkey make? Oh, that's right. Hee haw. Now take that Hee haw and add the C and the X from up on that hill. What do you get? C Haw X, C at hill. Seahawk. Seattle Seahawks.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Wait, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, wait.

[Reggie Miller]

I just realized something.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, you did? What's that?

[Reggie Miller]

Okay, so if you look closely right at the original picture.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

You'll see the numbers 4, 21, 13, and 2. So if you align those numbers with the corresponding letters of the Alphabet, the results describe this entire conspiracy theory.

[Jimmy Fallon]

D, U, M, B. Dumb.

[Patrick Dempsey]

You're dumb.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my gosh. I really am.

Thank you, Quest. You cracked the code.

And finally, this week was the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City reunion. And it got pretty heated. There was a lot of drama between Lisa and Heather. And now, if you missed it, don't worry, because I'm going to reenact that scene with actual lines from the show. And here to help me do it is the one and only Liam Neeson.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you, Jimmy. Tonight, I'll be playing the role of Lisa, a business owner who is being accused by Heather of leaking gossip.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And I'll be playing Heather, a med spa owner who is accusing Lisa of leaking gossip. Sit here and get ready to go.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

I felt very alone, and I wanted to go home. It's like what you guys do is wrong. I was, like, crying.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What you do is wrong, too. You leaked gossip.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

No, I didn't. And I'm falsely accused by you all the time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, you weren't falsely accused.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

I was falsely accused.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I accused you of what I felt was true, and I still believe it's true.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

What you feel. I and the truth are two very different things.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well, I think it's true, And I still love you, and I still want to be your friend, which is astonishing.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Well, I don't know if I want to be your friend. If you think it's true.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I do think it's true. I think it's true that you leaked.

Gossip and I gave you the receipts. But if you're going to go there.

I'm going to go there.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

I was sharing my feelings, but now it's about your Felix. I'm done. I'm not gonna take accountability for effing. I don't do. No, that's the end of the story. I'm not going to be saying I did something I did not do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, but you did it.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Oh, my gosh.

[Liam Neeson]

I just.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

I'm done. I'm done. I'm.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Liam Neeson, everyone. We have a great Show. Liam Neeson is here. Patrick Dempsey is joining us. NBA legend Reggie Miller is here. We got great stand up for Nick Thune. Stick around. We're talking to Liam. When we come back, Our first guest.

Stars in the new film Cold Storage, which opens in theaters February 13th. Please welcome Liam Neeson.

Feel the love.

Liam Neeson, welcome back to the show. I always love having you on. Thank you for letting me too.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I want to say congrats to you because since the last time you've been on, the Naked Gun came out and it made over $100 million at the box office, you crushed it. You crushed it. Became number one movie on Prime Video. How did it feel to do that? It was a real comedy.

[Liam Neeson]

Well, I'm glad, you know, I gave people a few giggles, you know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Liam Neeson]

It was a genre. I'm not.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You were fantastic. Oh, my gosh. It crushed. Is there any talks of a sequel?

[Liam Neeson]

No.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, there you go. There you go.

[Liam Neeson]

Maybe it didn't make enough money.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. I think there should be a sequel. You were so good. I mean, so deadpan.

[Liam Neeson]

Good cast.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. But you were perfect. I was reading somewhere that you're into cold plungers now. And I want to ask you, are you okay? And why would you do that? This is where you get in the bathtub with ice.

[Liam Neeson]

We have a barrel, a barrel full of ice cold water. And. Yeah, my son's got me into a few.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's a new thing.

[Liam Neeson]

Wim Hof. Have you heard of this guy?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Liam Neeson]

Wait, I've done it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Did you do the Wim Hof? You did that?

[Liam Neeson]

Kind of. Yeah. The breathing and all that stuff.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I did that once just to free. Cause one lesson came for free.

[Liam Neeson]

Sure.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I did it in my office and I passed out from breathing. Yeah, I knocked myself out.

[Liam Neeson]

You can do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah. I woke up, I had a beard full grown. Now I've been to sleep. I ripped Van Winkle for. But I was going like. And I go, this can't be good.

[Liam Neeson]

But it's like a natural high, you know? Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I did feel.

[Liam Neeson]

And it's air. It's oxygen, you know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So you what, you go and you breathe in?

[Liam Neeson]

Well, I have a hot tub. And I'd say hot tub. So you look at the heat up first. Get into the ice barrel for two minutes maybe. Wow. Get out into the hot tub. No, it's like I'm surrounded by, you know, 20 inches of snow. So. And strangely enough, rolling in the snow is colder than the ice tub. I don't understand the physics of that, but it's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You get out of the hot tub, you roll in the snow.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's how you look as good as Liam Neeson.

[Reggie Miller]

Come on.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's what I'm talking about.

That's how I'm going to do it.

[Liam Neeson]

Do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Jimmy, I also wanted to ask you.

[Liam Neeson]

Because it's very, very, very good for your immune system and it's very good for your brain.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Your brain, Right. Yeah, I read that as well. I know another thing good for your brain is gardening. Because I got into it. Right? Yeah. We have one person in agrees. I got into it this past summer. I had some decent success with the tomato plant. Good. And really good. Good. It took probably, maybe, probably cost me like $200. I got one tomato, I got one tomato, the whole thing.

[Liam Neeson]

Did you eat it?

[Reggie Miller]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I brought on the show. I made a big deal about it. I made a salsa out of was this big. It cost me $200 and so much man time. And I was crying and thinking about it and worrying about it and making sure I had a sun and everything.

[Liam Neeson]

Beautiful. Right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I loved it. Is that what you do? You make vegetables?

[Liam Neeson]

You know, I have a walled garden. We grew a lot of vegetables. I don't touch them. I do nothing. I mean, I eat them. But in season, I'll plant daffodils before the frost comes. I like doing that because these things will grow and they'll. Especially Carlson daffodils. They'll last for 40, 50 years, you know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is that right?

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well, that's kind of fun.

[Liam Neeson]

Maybe that's kind of pleasing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'll start doing that.

[Liam Neeson]

Just digging, put them in, cover them up again and forget about them, you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Know, you don't have to prune them or anything. No, I love pruning, doing all this stuff. Yeah, I love it. I absolutely love it. I can't stop pruning.

[Liam Neeson]

Good for you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

When you were doing your blockbuster film Taken, you were on our show and I remember you told the story. And I don't know if we told it for time, but I remember someone told you that they didn't want you to do the film. Do you remember the story?

[Liam Neeson]

Oh, you know what it was? It was my driver. Yes. And we. We. We were shooting for the first Tekken movie. Now, we did it nearly 19 years ago, believe it or not, but we. We did a week, a week and a half in Los Angeles. And I had a driver, very quiet gentleman, great driver. But we were at a stoplight. We would finish the day shooting. Coming back to the hotel we were at a stoplight and he said. Mr. Neeson, can I ask you a question? Yeah, sure. He said, I was reading your script. This is the Tagum. He says by page 43, you had killed 26 human beings.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What do you say?

[Liam Neeson]

It's just a movie.

[Reggie Miller]

Okay.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I didn't read.

[Liam Neeson]

And he was a veteran.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Oh, that was hilarious. But I remember.

[Liam Neeson]

But it's the way he said, 26 bad guys, 26 human beings.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You gotta watch the movie, get to the end. You'll be rooting for me, trust me. Yeah, yeah. Let's talk about your new movie, Cold Storage. Yes. You got to work with our pal Joe Keery from Stranger Things. Steve Harrington. He's great. And he's very funny in the film as well.

[Liam Neeson]

Very funny. You know something? He is the modern day Cary Grant, I think.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You think so?

[Liam Neeson]

He can combine drama with comedy. He's a handsome guy. He's got great chemistry with Georgina Campbell, who's the other actress in her show, you know? Yeah. In the film.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's amazing. He can turn it on and be funny. Yeah. Have you seen Stranger Things?

[Liam Neeson]

I probably the only lie.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Lie to me.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Okay.

[Liam Neeson]

I haven't seen five. I was gonna say Tegan five. I haven't seen episode five.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, yeah.

[Liam Neeson]

Y.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Episode five. Yes. Or season five, for that matter. Yeah, yeah, they've been doing it.

[Liam Neeson]

They were doing it for 10 years. He told me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Absolutely. Wow. It was wild. Do you watch tv? Do you binge shows?

[Liam Neeson]

Sometimes I do. I watched, like, Nordic noir. Crime series that are from Sweden or Finland or Norway. Yeah.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Oh, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is there one Covid thing, like the Ginger man or something or. No.

[Liam Neeson]

You know what? You know what I do, Jimmy? Seriously, you're asking me and I can't give you a title. I finish one, maybe there's five episodes, and I go straight onto another one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Nordic Noir.

[Liam Neeson]

Nordic Noir, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow. I didn't think you were gonna say that. I thought you were gonna go Real Housewives. But Cold Storage is sci fi horror with a little bit of comedy in there.

[Liam Neeson]

Jimmy, if I may.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Every time you do this every time. No, hold on a second. This is every time you've been on the show, I talk about your project and I'm excited. And then you read. Pull out a piece of paper and you read what the movie is about.

[Liam Neeson]

Because you're going to say to me, tell me in the audience about it, and I'll go.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Well.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So this helps.

[Liam Neeson]

Can I do it?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Do you want any music or anything or. No.

[Liam Neeson]

Inspire me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, inspire Sci Fi horror. Oh, Sci Fi horror.

[Liam Neeson]

When a highly contagious mutating fungus escapes a sealed facility, two young employees, joined by a grizzled bioterror operative, must survive the wildest night shift ever to save humanity from extinction.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. Liam Neeson, everybody. Cold Storage opens in theaters February 13th. Patrick Dempsey joins us after the break.

Stick around everybody. Our next guest is an Emmy nominated actor who stars in an executive produced the new show Memory of a Killer. You can see it Mondays at 9pm on Fox and the next day on Hulu. Please welcome Patrick Dempsey.

Patrick Dempsey. Hello everybody. Wow.

[Liam Neeson]

I'm. Ow.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh yeah. So great to be here.

I'm so happy you're here. And I can't believe this is your first appearance on the Tonight Show.

[Patrick Dempsey]

It is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you.

[Reggie Miller]

So lucky.

[Patrick Dempsey]

I'm very lucky to be here. I'm grateful to be here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm a big fan. Well, technically this isn't your first appearance on our show and I'm going to show you why. This is a clip of one of our thank you Note segments in 2023. OK. Thank you today for being Friday the 13th, which means only one thing.

It's Patrick Dempsey's birthday.

[Patrick Dempsey]

I got so many calls after that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You did get calls?

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yeah. Oh yeah.

[Liam Neeson]

Have a nice second.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

You're on.

[Patrick Dempsey]

You're famous. Yeah, right. We talked about you on the show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, right. Well, it's a coincidence because this past January 13th, you actually celebrated your 60th birthday.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yes, I turned 60.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you. Uh huh.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Uh huh.

[Patrick Dempsey]

It's good to be 60.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Happy, happy, happy birthday. You spent a lot of time in New York City over the years.

[Liam Neeson]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But is it true your first time here, it was a juggling competition or something?

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yes, I came in town to do. It was at the Roosevelt Hotel. It was a talent competition and I did a three minute juggling routine.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

[Patrick Dempsey]

And I kept dropping, I kept dropping because I was so nervous. But I would come up with these one liners that were really funny and by the end of it, I ended up winning and getting an agent.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No way.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Davina Wells signed me and my first audition was for a show called Torch Song Trilogy. And Harvey Fierstein, I have to thank him for my career because had it not been for him and I hadn't done that show, I would not be here today.

[Reggie Miller]

Come on.

[Nick Thune]

Hard to go.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And it was a small town.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dempsey]

It was a dream come true.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was a legend.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How did you get into juggling?

[Patrick Dempsey]

I came through it accidentally. I wanted. I love ski racing and of course We've got the Olympics here on NBC coming up. So we've got great skiers.

[Reggie Miller]

Amazing.

[Patrick Dempsey]

We got Michaela, we got Lindsey Vaughn, and Jesse Diggins is great. So we've got a really good, stacked team going into the Olympics. So I wanted to be a slum skier. So Inmar Stenmark was my hero as a kid growing up. And I was watching ABC up close and personal. You know, they used to do those specials.

[Liam Neeson]

Yes, of course.

[Patrick Dempsey]

And Inmar Stenmark in the Dryland training, which is what they would do in the summer, he was riding a unicycle. So I was like, ah, this is how I'm going to make it to the Olympics. So I didn't have a lot of money, so I had to sell seeds door to door in a little town in Maine. And I made enough money, and this is going to date me. I ordered it through a Sears and Roebuck catalog.

[Liam Neeson]

I remember.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love those catalogs.

[Patrick Dempsey]

And I got the unicycle. I started riding, and unbelievably, I was in a shop class. Paul McKinney was our shop teacher. The power had gone out, and he started juggling to entertain us. So I started picking that up and then riding the unicycle. And for whatever reason, there was a. The new vaudevillian movement was starting in Maine. Buckfield leather and lather, Randy Judkins and Judd the Jester and Fred Garbo and all these guys brought me in and I started performing with them. And that's how I ended up in New York. I was like, oh, I got the bug.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Isn't that wild? Everyone's ride, man. It's so different.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dempsey]

I was like, I actually applied for Ringling Brothers and tried to get in. I was too young. And they have questions on their form. Like, how do you feel about people in small places? Like, you know, the clown car.

[Liam Neeson]

Right.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Can you get along with people in the clown car? Which is an important thing to ask yourself.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, you gotta fit.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Like, are you gonna be okay with other clowns in the clown car? And I didn't get in because I was too young. And this happened. So here I am today.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Well, it all worked out.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well, the whole world loves you from Grey's Anatomy.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Thank you. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I think it gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger.

[Patrick Dempsey]

It's incredible. I think they're on their 29th season or something crazy like that. But I did 11 seasons. I think 237 episodes, something like that. But it's incredible. The best thing that's come out of this show, though, is I meet so many young people that have gone into the medical profession, which is needed right now more than ever. Certainly our nurses and everything like that. And that's the thing I'm proud of. And we had an incredible cast of characters and everything.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do you remember any of the jargon that you'd have to learn?

[Patrick Dempsey]

None whatsoever. I can't remember things because it's like cramming for a test, Right. You get this terminology and you're like, what am I talking about here? I have no idea. But I know. Mri. I can do that one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Ok, that's great.

[Patrick Dempsey]

You know, CAT scan.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay. This is all good.

[Patrick Dempsey]

The most important stats.

[Liam Neeson]

Wow.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dempsey]

So that's it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

I also. We love you. From some classic rom coms. You're unbelievable. You're great in a romantic comedy.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love you.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Bridget Jones. I gotta say, Enchanted is one of my favorites.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Amy Adams.

Fantastic.

Amy Adams.

Yeah.

[Patrick Dempsey]

She's. She's brilliant. She's absolutely brilliant in the movie.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And this was shot in New York, right?

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yeah, we shot it in Central Park. Great story in Central Park. Like, anytime I walk by the fountain, I always go, how do you know I'm gonna jump in it? But we're in the middle of this shot and we're getting ready in between takes. And lo and behold, David Bowie walks right between. Amy's here, I'm here. David Bowie walks right between us. He's wearing denim and you're like, oh, my God, That's David Bowie. The entire production shut down. He was like, floated through the park.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

[Patrick Dempsey]

It was like a great New York moment.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He's like, yeah, I loved you in camp by me.

[Reggie Miller]

Love.

[Patrick Dempsey]

No, he didn't say that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He just walked straight by me.

[Liam Neeson]

Didn't.

[Nick Thune]

He just walked.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, he didn't say that. Oh, my God.

[Patrick Dempsey]

But we were like, oh, my God. David Bowie.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He's the coolest.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yeah, he was the coolest. Absolutely coolest.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I also want to say, by the way, quickly, just to mention, but the Dempsey Center.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That you started. This is in Maine. Congratulations on what you've done with that and how that's grown and what you keep giving back.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yes.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, it must feel good, but I mean, can you explain what the Dempsey center does?

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yes. It was inspired by my mother's battle with cancer. She had 12 reoccurrences of ovarian cancer over the years. And what we do at the Dempsey center is we treat people who have been impacted by cancer. We don't treat the disease. We treat the person holistically. All of our services are absolutely free, so we do acupuncture, reiki, some counseling, nutrition. We work on prevention through survivorship because people go through their treatment. I'm sure there are a number of cancer survivors here. People going through treatment is that you come out of your treatment, but then you may be cured, but you're not healed, and that's where the work begins to, you know, rebuild your life. And all of our services are free, so. Yeah, well, you go back, I go back.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's amazing.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Amazing work.

[Patrick Dempsey]

And it should. I think this should be. It should be standard care with cancer patients, the support that they need along the way.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Patrick Dempsey]

So that's something I push very.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love that. I love reading about it. And every time I see it, I go, I love that dude. I love that he does that. And you go back.

[Patrick Dempsey]

I go back, yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you do, like, events there.

[Patrick Dempsey]

We have what's called the Dempsey Challenge. We want to get people active, so there's a bike ride, there's a walk, and there's a run. We do it in the fall, and that's sort of the primary way we raise money to make it possible, and we have incredible support from the community. Maine is really special. I mean, they leave you alone, but if there's an emergency, they're right there in a heartbeat.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Could you get back to your hometown, too?

[Patrick Dempsey]

There's nothing better. And I remember as a kid laying in bed going, if I ever make it, I need to do something good when I come back. And if I come back, if I.

[Reggie Miller]

Get out of here.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Patrick Dempsey]

And I was at the theater at Monmouth, and an actor told me, a much older actor, he goes, you know, never forget where you come from. And I think that's an important thing to remember now more than ever.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I agree with you. Let's talk about your new show. You play Hitman.

[Reggie Miller]

I do, I.

[Patrick Dempsey]

So much fun.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Crazy double life. I like when you play, like, kind of weird, like, villain. Scary people.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yeah. Because, you know, all the comedies and everything. It's funny.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We know you as the most friendly. I trust you. Romantic comedies. We want to fall in love with you. You're sexiest man alive. Yes. That's our race. Race cars. Everyone wants to be you. But then Dexter, by the way, creeped me out.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Oh, did it really? Yeah, it was fun. That was fun to do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It scared me.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Good.

[Patrick Dempsey]

It was great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I loved it.

[Patrick Dempsey]

I had the best time on that because you don't, you know, as an actor, you don't normally get those opportunities.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Stretch those muscles.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yeah. So it was fun to have the opportunity and they brought me on board for that and then that led to being able to do this project.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Memory of a Killer. Memory of a Killer, Yeah. And by the way, you do actually some real driving. What were you driving in this show that I remember?

[Patrick Dempsey]

This is a Porsche too. This is a Porsche. It's the EV car, which is the Gran Turismo. It's the station wagon because we can put bodies in the back. It's perfect.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So it goes. That's why you did it. That's how we have to be. Always thinking.

Gotta think ahead.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Is a killer.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You gotta think ahead.

[Patrick Dempsey]

What are you gonna do with the bod?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Patrick Dempsey, everybody. You can catch a new episode of Memory of a Killer every Monday at 9pm on Fox and the next day on Hulu.

Congratulations on the show.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're the best. Please come back.

Reggie Miller joins us after the break. Stick around.

[Heather (Real Housewives of Salt Lake City)]

Thank you.

[Liam Neeson]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our last guest is a five time.

NBA all star, a gold medalist and a member of the Basketball hall of Fame. Now he's a game analyst for the NBA on NBC. Please welcome Reggie Miller.

Reggie. Reggie.

Welcome to the show.

Reggie Miller.

I gotta ask you because I wanna coming to New York, fans can be, can be tough. I mean, we want the Knicks to win and you're too good. We didn't like. And then.

[Reggie Miller]

Yeah, no, last time I checked, yeah, we did kinda win.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh my God.

[Reggie Miller]

But no, I love coming back to New York. Yeah. The fans and the people in New York are great.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

But you do. Yes, they are. You do run into your occasional. It's really the hard hats, you know, the people working, the everyday people. When I'm walking down the street, it depends on what time of year it is. If it's not basketball season, they usually run up and say, I hate you, you ruined my childhood. But I respect you. If it's basketball season, especially around the playoff times and the Pacers and the Knicks are going at it like they have been the last two years. Oh yeah, it's a little NC13.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's a little.

[Liam Neeson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You don't know, it gets a little heated. Yeah. But here's what I love about you. You posted this on Instagram. This is how you walk around New York when the Pacers were playing the Knicks.

[Reggie Miller]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. This is you outside of Radio City.

[Liam Neeson]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You gotta understand.

[Liam Neeson]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's so funny. The Boston Hat. I go, I love you, dude. Cause that's the only man.

[Reggie Miller]

Because there was nowhere I could go because all eyes were on the. Look, it was the Pacers, the Knicks. But I was just calling games. I wasn't playing in the games.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I had. Doesn't matter. You're Reggie Miller.

[Reggie Miller]

That was 25, 30 years ago. Why am I getting dragged into this? Right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Because Halliburton. Halliburton did your move. He did the choke move.

I didn't tell him to do that. I know, but you're responsible for starting it.

[Reggie Miller]

Look, I'm calling the game. It's an unbelievable game. You were watching it. You were there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I was there.

[Reggie Miller]

And then when the shot went up, it went like 30ft in the air and went in. Everyone went crazy. Well, it wasn't. Everyone went crazy. The place went silent. The bathrooms were gone. And then he did this. I'm like, oh, this is going to open up a can of worms. And then Ben Stiller and Timothy, they're all looking at me like. I was like, I didn't tell him to do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm over here working.

[Reggie Miller]

No.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, exactly.

[Reggie Miller]

So I get dressed. It's like the Godfather. I thought I was out. They pull me back in.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Pull me back in.

Yes. How's everything, by the way, on NBC? We're now on the same.

[Reggie Miller]

We're on the same team.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. We go to the same locker room. I don't know what we do together. Right, Right. We hang out. Go to the commissary together.

[Reggie Miller]

Let's do it.

[Liam Neeson]

Right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

I don't know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'd love to hang out with.

[Reggie Miller]

Excited. Because look, we have a legendary February. Not only got the Olympics coming up.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yep.

[Reggie Miller]

Right. But starting this Sunday, Sunday night basketball in America debuts.

[Nick Thune]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Prime time.

[Liam Neeson]

Oh, it's a big deal.

[Reggie Miller]

First game out the gate. It doesn't get any better. Lakers. Luka LeBron versus your beloved New York Knicks.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on. Prime time on Sunday.

That's going to be a good.

[Reggie Miller]

Great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's going to be east versus West.

Ooh, it's epic.

It's epic.

[Reggie Miller]

And then we got the All Star game.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Reggie Miller]

On NBC in February.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And Caitlin Clark.

[Reggie Miller]

Caitlin Clark will be a special contributor starting this Sunday on Basketball Night in America.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's massive.

[Reggie Miller]

Think about. Yes. Michael Jordan.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Jordan.

[Reggie Miller]

We've got everyone.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Dude, you're crushing. And you get to hear.

[Reggie Miller]

Like, some of my best moments. Obviously, we're in the 90s. We're on NBC. And then I was with that other network for 18, 19 years. So it kind of shows what? My career has come full circle now that I'm back in this chair talking to you on NBC. Good kid in a candy store.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We love you.

Thank you.

You're great. And I gotta say, you know, you do it all for the kids. You have a great family. They're great, dad. Thank you. They're gorgeous kids. Oh, my goodness. You told me that you're taking your daughter to a. With father daughter dance.

[Reggie Miller]

Yeah, Lennox, the middle one, she's nine years old. She has. It's our first father daughter dance. Right. And I cannot miss it on this Saturday.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Better show up.

[Reggie Miller]

You're a girl, dad.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Absolutely.

[Reggie Miller]

You've been down this road before. Yes. How do I approach things? Especially, like, I'm worried about the dancing part because, like, do I go in and, like, be cool or. I've been thinking of. There's a dance I want to do, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

There's a dance you want.

[Reggie Miller]

There's a dance I want to do with her. Patrick Dempsey was on here. He was in one of my favorite movies in the 80s. It's called can Buy me Love.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Absolutely.

Yes.

[Liam Neeson]

Right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's one of the best.

[Reggie Miller]

One of my favorite movies. And there's a dance scene in there. It's the African.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I remember that.

[Reggie Miller]

The African anteater.

[Patrick Dempsey]

Yes, of course.

[Reggie Miller]

And I want to do that dance.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No.

Is that too much for a father daughter dance?

Don't you. Yes, I think it's.

[Reggie Miller]

I think you. Can you walk. Help me, like, with the steps and stuff.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Please, please, please. We can't do this without Patrick Dempsey.

Wait, no.

Maggie Miller is officially ready. Magic dance, everybody. Patrick's weekend. I'm telling you, basketball right here on NBC. Portion actress break.

Our next guest can be seen at the City Winery in New York this Sunday. Please welcome the very funny Nick Thune.

[Nick Thune]

Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for being here. I know it means a lot to you, and. I'm a man. Sometimes I just gotta say it out loud to believe it, you know, I'm 46, but I haven't done a lot of man things. Like, I've never bought wood. I've never walked into a store with a ton of cash and said, hey, where's all the wood at? So I thought I could change that. I went to Home Depot and I asked if they could help me buy wood. And a woman said she could help.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Me.

[Nick Thune]

As she was walking me to the wood aisle. We walked around the corner and she said, this is the wood aisle. And I said, isn't that funny? The Aisle is also made of wood. She didn't laugh. I don't know if she couldn't hear me or what, what the situation was, but we got down to the middle of the aisle. She said, what kind of wood do you want? And I'll tell you what, I didn't say morning. I could have. It was locked and loaded. I wanted to say it, but you don't like the aisle joke. You don't get the morning wood joke. You don't like me at my worst, you don't get me at my best. It's called boundaries. I'm a monster. I hadn't really thought of what kind of wood I wanted. I mean, I don't know a lot of kind of wood. I know sticks. That's the free stuff. But. So I said the thing that came to mind. I said, I'll take a two by four. And she said, well, how long do you want it to be? I was like, all right.

[Liam Neeson]

You want.

[Nick Thune]

To play that game? All right, two or is four the length? I don't know. And she said, no, the length is actually a third number. The two by four part is just the girth of it. And it's like, she would have loved the morning wood, Joe, But she still doesn't get it. I said, I don't know how long I want it to be. And she said, well, what are you using it for? And it's like, do you want me to buy wood? I can't tell. It seems like you're trying to talk me out of buying wood. I said, I don't. It's for my house. And she said, well, what for your house? It's like, I. I'm gonna add on. And she said, well, what are you adding on? It's like a two by four. We're gonna put it in the back, see if we like it. And then she laughed, and I thought, you know what? It's time to give her the morning wood joke. And although I'll never be allowed in that Home Depot again, they said that I was allowed in other locations. I think about, you know, wanting to be a role model because I'm a dad. Like most dads, I do have a kid. And my son. I'll never forget when I was young, I thought, I can't wait till I get older and I get to wake up earlier than I do now and make somebody else's lunch that I don't even know if he's eating. But I do it because that's what dads do. And as I'm making his lunch one morning. I'm halfway into a peanut butter sandwich and he comes busting into the kitchen and he says, please don't put any nuts in my lunch. I'm holding a knife with peanut butter on it. I said, why? And he said, because I want to eat with my friends in the nut free zone. And it's just like, who are you hanging out with? Like, when you leave this house, who are you hanging out with? So anyway, I packed his lunch. I put the peanut butter sandwich in there. Right next to it, I put an EpiPen with a note that said, get ready to be a hero.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That is how you do it. That is exactly how you do it. Nick Thune.

Oh, my gosh.

See Nick at the City Winery in New York this Sunday. We'll be right back, everybody.

[Reggie Miller]

Come on.

[Jimmy Fallon]

My thanks to Liam Neeson, Patrick Dempsey, Reggie Miller, Nick Thune, once again, always amazing.

Thank you, buddy.

And the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thank you for watching. Stay tuned for late night with Seth Meyers.

Good night, everybody.

[Nick Thune]

Thank.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thanks for listening to the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon.

[Reggie Miller]

Don't forget to subscribe to get the.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Latest episodes weekday mornings wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. Weeknights on NBC and streaming on Peacock.