David Letterman Crashes Jimmy's Monologue | Jim Gaffigan, Betty Gilpin, Mary Ellen Matthews | Monday, February 10

Summary

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Episode Summary

Episode: David Letterman Crashes Jimmy's Monologue | Jim Gaffigan, Betty Gilpin, Mary Ellen Matthews
Release Date: February 11, 2025

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1. Opening Monologue and Super Bowl Commentary

Jimmy Fallon kicks off the episode with his signature humor, addressing the aftermath of Super Bowl 59. He jests about the record 22 million Americans who called in sick to work the day after the game, introducing the concept of an "excuse generator" for these absences. At [02:00], Fallon remarks:

"For all of the Eagles fans, it was the best night ever. And for everyone else, it was the longest three hours ever."

Fallon continues to mock the game's outcome, noting the Philadelphia Eagles' dominant performance:

"In football terms, you could tell the game was over when the Eagles dumped Gatorade on their coach halfway through the second quarter."
— Jimmy Fallon [02:00]

He also pokes fun at the commercialization of the Super Bowl, referencing various brands featured in the commercials and even playfully dismissing them as part of "the food pyramid," a nod to former President Trump's remarks.

2. Surprise Appearance by David Letterman

In an unexpected twist, former talk show host David Letterman makes a surprise appearance, crashing Fallon's monologue. At [01:36], Letterman introduces members of the band:

"It'S Aaron and Jeremy and Tom and Anton... And Felicia and Will Lee."
— David Letterman [01:36]

The interaction quickly turns playful as Fallon engages Letterman in a humorous segment dubbed the "Handshake Challenge." At [07:22], Fallon explains the challenge:

"This one's called the Handshake Challenge, and what you do is just stand there, and when I come up to you, we shake hands."
— Jimmy Fallon [07:22]

The segment culminates in light-hearted banter involving a tortilla, showcasing the friendly rivalry between the two television legends. Letterman humorously threatens legal action after being "slapped" with the tortilla:

"We'll see in court."
— David Letterman [09:26]

3. Guest Segment: Jim Gaffigan

Jim Gaffigan, the eight-time Grammy-nominated comedian, is the first guest of the night. Introduced at [16:06], Gaffigan discusses his latest stand-up special, "The Skinny," available on Hulu. He shares insights about touring with comedy icon Jerry Seinfeld, highlighting their contrasting routines:

"Jerry's somebody, you know, it's fun touring because everyone has their own rituals."
— Jim Gaffigan [21:09]

Gaffigan also delves into his newfound passion for bourbon, proudly promoting his brand, Father Time:

"I've gotten so into bourbon, and bourbon is a uniquely American spirit."
— Jim Gaffigan [22:36]

The comedian reflects on balancing his family life with his career, humorously admitting:

"You want to spend too much time on your phone in a different state. But my kids love it. They have a blast."
— Jim Gaffigan [20:31]

4. Guest Segment: Betty Gilpin

Betty Gilpin, an Emmy-nominated actress known for her role in Netflix's "American Primeval," joins the show to discuss her Broadway debut in "O Mary." At [25:06], Gilpin shares her enthusiasm:

"This is a dream come true."
— Betty Gilpin [27:27]

She recounts the challenges of filming outdoors for over nine months and the unique experience of performing in an 1857 dress:

"It's like if you get into a dryer and then someone stuffs a camping tent into the dryer, it presses on and you're trying to get it."
— Betty Gilpin [26:00]

Gilpin also reflects on her career trajectory, appreciating the freedom to embrace more complex roles in her 30s:

"Throughout my 20s, trying to play like the pixie dream girl... now in my 30s, I'm allowed to be as deranged as I've been inside all these years."
— Betty Gilpin [26:31]

5. Guest Segment: Mary Ellen Matthews

Mary Ellen Matthews, the esteemed photographer from "Saturday Night Live," discusses her new book, "The Art of the SNL Portrait," set to release on March 4th. Introduced at [31:05], Matthews emphasizes the creative joy of her role:

"I get to work with so many amazing people and I get to be creative every week."
— Mary Ellen Matthews [31:21]

Fallon and Matthews reminisce about a past photo shoot where they portrayed rock legends having tea. Matthews describes the playful chaos of the session:

"He's taking a sip, and he doesn't like it. He's throwing it back. Throw it, throw it. That's it. Good, good, good."
— Mary Ellen Matthews [35:07]

The segment provides viewers with a behind-the-scenes glimpse of SNL's creative process, highlighting Matthews' innovative approach to photography.

6. Behind-the-Scenes Photo Shoot

Towards the end of the episode, Fallon and Matthews collaborate on a live photo shoot segment. At [33:36], Matthews outlines the scenario:

"I made up a scenario that we have some rock legends having tea together."
— Mary Ellen Matthews [33:36]

Fallon humorously embodies various rock personas, bringing levity to the shoot. The process showcases the show's commitment to blending entertainment with creative artistry, culminating in a unique visual presentation that airs during the break.

7. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Highlights

Fallon wraps up the episode by thanking his guests and hinting at upcoming events, including his upcoming hosting gig for a major concert celebrating the radio station's 50th anniversary. He also promotes the next night's lineup featuring Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley from the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.

At [37:49], Fallon signs off with his trademark enthusiasm:

"Thanks for listening to the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon."
— Jimmy Fallon [37:49]

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Notable Quotes

• Jimmy Fallon [02:00]: "For all of the Eagles fans, it was the best night ever. And for everyone else, it was the longest three hours ever."

• David Letterman [08:35]: "Paul, what are you doing here? You know, it's a funny story how you've ever taken too much Ambien and you wake up somewhere with no clue how the hell you got there."

• Jim Gaffigan [22:45]: "I've gotten so into bourbon, and bourbon is a uniquely American spirit."

• Betty Gilpin [26:31]: "Throughout my 20s, trying to play like the pixie dream girl... now in my 30s, I'm allowed to be as deranged as I've been inside all these years."

• Mary Ellen Matthews [31:21]: "I get to work with so many amazing people and I get to be creative every week."

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Key Discussions and Insights

• Humor in Daily Life: Fallon’s jokes about the Super Bowl and the "excuse generator" highlight the role of humor in navigating everyday situations and societal events.

• Intergenerational Dialogue: The surprising appearance of David Letterman bridges generations of late-night talk show hosts, offering fans a nostalgic yet fresh interaction.

• Balancing Career and Family: Jim Gaffigan’s anecdotes shed light on the challenges comedians face in balancing rigorous touring schedules with family life, emphasizing the importance of downtime and personal interests like bourbon appreciation.

• Pursuit of Dreams: Betty Gilpin’s journey to her Broadway debut underscores the perseverance required in the acting profession, celebrating the fulfillment of long-held aspirations.

• Creative Process in Entertainment: Mary Ellen Matthews provides an insider’s view of the creative endeavors behind "Saturday Night Live," highlighting the blend of artistry and collaboration essential to producing engaging content.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon masterfully combines humor, surprise, and heartfelt conversations. From David Letterman’s unexpected monologue interruption to in-depth discussions with guests like Jim Gaffigan, Betty Gilpin, and Mary Ellen Matthews, Fallon delivers an engaging and multifaceted viewing experience. The episode not only entertains but also offers valuable insights into the lives and careers of prominent figures in the entertainment industry, making it a standout installment for both regular listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6B in Rockefeller center in the heart of New York City, it's a Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. Tonight, join Jimmy and his guest, Jim Gasigan, Betty Gilbert, Mary Ellen Matthews for. Featuring Paul Schaefer and the world's most dangerous man, Quest Love, Come Home. And now, here he is. Gimme. That's fantastic. That is fantastic. Wow. Love that. Fantastic. Thank you. Enjoy us up, everybody. Welcome, everyone. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Tonight Show. That's right. Well, guys, it's the day after the super bowl, and I saw that this year a record 22 million people called in sick to work. That being said, I want to introduce Paul Schaefer and the world's most dangerous band, the Roots. Here.

[David Letterman]

It'S Aaron and Jeremy and Tom and Anton.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[David Letterman]

And Felicia.

[Jim Gaffigan]

And Will.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And Felicia and Will Lee.

[David Letterman]

Everyone here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Everyone's here. I'm so psyched. I'm honored to have you. Thank you very much. They'll be here all week. Hey, try the veal. Try the veal. I'll be here all week. Try the veal. Hey, I want to say congrats to the Philadelphia Eagles on winning Super Bowl 59. That's a big deal. For all of the Eagles fans, it was the best night ever. And for everyone else, it was the longest three hours ever. That game was so boring. After halftime, the super bowl party I was at switched over to the new season of severance. That was good. The Eagles scored. The Eagles scored 24 points in just the first half. 24. 24. Or in football terms, one full Bill Belichick girlfriend. In football terms, you could tell the game was over when the Eagles dumped Gatorade on their coach halfway through the second quarter. It's like you still got a lot of game left. Why would they do that?

[David Letterman]

I don't know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. The game was a total blowout. The final score was Eagles 40, Chiefs and the referees 22. Of course, everyone's talking about how amazing the Eagles played last night, but we shouldn't forget that the Chiefs also had a great season. I mean, they. Then they had some big moments last night, too. Let's watch all of them right now. Here are the Chiefs Super Bowl 59 Highlights.

[David Letterman]

What is your call?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tails.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Tails is the call.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tails is the call. It is.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Tails.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There you go. That's a good something to be proud of. Something to be proud of. Meanwhile, Tom Brady called his first super bowl as a broadcaster. Yeah, it's amazing what they're doing with AI these days. Well, this year there were lots of great commercials from brands like Pringles, Doritos, Totino's, Haagen Dazs and Little Caesars. Or as Trump calls them, the food pyramid. Three a day, three servings a day. As I mentioned today, 22 million Americans called in. And I guess those people who called in sick use a special excuse generator to get out of it. For example. I'll show you how it works. For example, when your boss asks, why didn't you come in today? It tells you to say, I tried, but a chicken wing gave me bird flu. It's an excuse generator. Like when your boss asks, well, then, are you working remotely? You just say, my Internet is broken from my wife rewatching glen Powell's commercial 500 times. It works. And finally, when your boss asks, will you be in tomorrow? You just say, sorry, but I have to flee to Mexico to hide from DraftKings. What a helpful machine. David Letterman. My God, David Letterman. What are you doing here?

[David Letterman]

Is this the 23rd hour of the Today Show?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no.

[Jim Gaffigan]

This.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is. This is the Tonight Show.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Jimmy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. My.

[David Letterman]

Paul, what are you doing here? You know, it's a funny story how you've ever taken too much Ambien and you wake up somewhere with no clue how the hell you got there. Wow, you've been reading my diary. Listen, Jimmy, by the way, congratulations. This is fantastic. I'm telling you, this is perhaps the greatest rehearsal I've ever been part of.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, this is the real. Whoa.

[David Letterman]

It's a. Paul and I, right? Paul used to do a show. Sure did. Pretty much exactly like this.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes.

[David Letterman]

Yeah. Wait, we didn't do the Chuck E. Cheese crap, but we thought there was something different. It's very similar.

[Jimmy Fallon]

David, since. Since you're here, would you like to tell some jokes?

[David Letterman]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, Come on.

[David Letterman]

Hi, how are you? What's your name?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Roman.

[David Letterman]

Roman. First night?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Letterman]

Okay. Oh, the. Okay. Okay. Let me see. Come back. I'm good, thanks.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right. Well, that's interesting.

[David Letterman]

Thank you for being a man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Dave, what are you doing now that you're retired?

[David Letterman]

Oh, like I need to tell you. TikTok made an enormous deal with the Chinese government.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, how about we make a viral video right now?

[David Letterman]

Oh, my God. I'm dreaming. Yes. Let's do this.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Let's do this. Paul, could you help us out?

[David Letterman]

Oh, this would be great. A viral video.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, this will be a viral video.

[David Letterman]

It's exciting.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Vertically.

[David Letterman]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What? Vertically. This is good. All right.

[David Letterman]

What do I do?

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right, this one's called the Handshake Challenge, and what you do is Just stand there, and when I come up to you, we shake hands.

[David Letterman]

Okay, great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'll do that.

[David Letterman]

All right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That'S good. That's great. Thank you so much. That's going to be fantastic. You nailed it.

[David Letterman]

That was lame. You know what I was. What I was thinking when I came over here? What I would really like to do is hit you in the face with a tortilla.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. People don't. No.

[David Letterman]

Wait a minute.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I don't.

[David Letterman]

I'm not promoting violence. It's just a tik Tok thing. And typically, I travel with tortillas. Not tonight. I left them in the. Anybody? Do we have anybody here with a. Anybody have a tortilla? Do we have a. Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You want me right in the beer?

[David Letterman]

I'll get one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You want to.

[David Letterman]

Okay, that one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That one. He's right. Hey, not bad.

[David Letterman]

Thank you very much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Good. You want to slap me with the tortilla?

[David Letterman]

Is that how that goes?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Letterman]

Okay. Are you ready?

[Jimmy Fallon]

But. Yeah, I'm excited.

[David Letterman]

Anton, you ready?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you. That's it. We did it. Thank you. Keep slapping me. You only do it one.

[David Letterman]

No, let's do this.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right, that's.

[David Letterman]

Anybody else? No, no, Come here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no, no. I don't want to come with 13.

[David Letterman]

Come here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come here. Stop. Now, between those pa.

[David Letterman]

Here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, here.

[David Letterman]

Let's try one more, Jimmy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

One. Yeah, yeah, one more.

[David Letterman]

There you go. No, hit him. No, no, no.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hit me. Thank you. Thank you. Call them, the people. Here, let me get one to you. All right, ready?

[Jim Gaffigan]

All right.

[David Letterman]

I. I think I. I think you cracked a crown, by the way.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I did not. I didn't know. I did not.

[David Letterman]

We'll see in court.

[Jimmy Fallon]

David Letterman, everyone. He's didn't hurt him. I didn't really hurt him. He's fine. I'll see you in court.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Hey.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Turn his mic off. Turn his mic off. He's fine. Trust me. There's a tortilla on the teleprompter. Sorry, I just gotta. This is what happens when Letterman comes. This tortilla on the teleprompter. You can't read the joke. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. All right, let's hear some more jokes. Of course. President Trump attended last night's game, making him the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl. It was a strange night. Trump got cheered, Taylor Swift got booed, and the Chief stunk. It was like the super bowl was played on Earth 2. Are we in the Upside Down? What the heck is going on? Yeah. Trump left before the while. The Chiefs left halfway through the first. That's right. That's right. I said it. I said it and I meant it. And finally, in an effort to cut costs, Trump has told the US treasury to stop minting pennies. Yeah. Trump is getting rid of the penny. He said this town isn't big enough for two copper colored. Trump was like, for years people have said I'd make no sense. Now it's official. We have a great show. Give it up for Paul Schaefer and the world North Danger Bang. Oh, my goodness. Thank you very much. Welcome to the show, everybody. I want to thank David Letterman for stopping by. Thank you, David Letterman.

[David Letterman]

He finds me. I don't know how he does it. He finds me wherever I am.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Is that what he does?

[David Letterman]

I don't know how he does it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, he always. Wherever you go.

[David Letterman]

I don't know how he knew I was here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And of course, the one and only the, the Mr. Entertainment himself, Paul Schaefer, right there. The best and the world's most dangerous band. Sounding good. Thank you for being. You're helping us out all week because the Roots are going to help out Sirent live for their big 50th anniversary thing, which I'm sure I'll see you at that.

[David Letterman]

Well, you're hosting, you're hosting a thing on Friday, are you not? At Radio City?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, I'm going to host this big event Friday that is all music and it's a giant concert at Radio City and it's crazy. The lineup is nuts. I don't even know if it's all been released.

[David Letterman]

Who are some of the people you got? Lady Gaga, incredible on the Super Bowl.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Miley Cyrus will be there.

[David Letterman]

Great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Arcade Fire will be there.

[David Letterman]

They are interesting group.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Jack White might be doing a special song. I'm excited.

[David Letterman]

And then Sunday, the big live special on Sunday night on NBC. You'll be there on that?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of course. Yeah. And then Sunday night they're doing a special on. On, on NBC. Yeah, yeah. And they'll be there for that. And that's again, that's another crazy crowd. That's 50 years.

[David Letterman]

How do you get 50 years of material and pay tribute to 50 years of casts?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's all crazy. Well, we're going to talk to Mary Ellen Matthews tonight as one of the guests. But she's the photographer at Saran Live and amazing. All those photos that you see, she does all those. She does all that.

[David Letterman]

That's cool.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But when you were there, was it Paul, when you were there, was it Edie Baskin?

[David Letterman]

Edie Baskin, of course. The one and only. Took the pictures, had her own style. And this lady has her own style, too.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Mary Ellen Matthews is a genius. The one thing I remember about Edie Baskin is, do you know this? In all the photos she would take of headshots of the cast of Gilda and Belushi, even you, she always used a flash behind her when she took the. So if you look in any of the headshots in their eyeballs, you see the silhouette of Edie Baskin.

[David Letterman]

That little sneak. That little sneak.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Letterman]

Little sneak. She did that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. That's cool. We have a great week of shows, by the way. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be here this week. Renee Zellweger will be joining us. Tomorrow night though, we have a big, big, big show from the super bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley will be here. The champions. Yes. The Tonight show, where the champions go. Yeah. This is going to be exciting, guys. We have a great show tonight. He's a hilarious comedian whose new stand up special, the Skinny is streaming now on Hulu. Jim Gaffigan is here tonight. Funny dude. You can see her in the hit Netflix series American Primeval. She's also making her Broadway debut in the play, oh, Mary Betty Gilpin is joining us tonight. She's a longtime photographer at Saturday Night Live. Her new book, the art of the SNL portrait is out March 4th. Mary Ellen Matthews is here. Come on back. More Tonight Show. Come on back and tune in. Our first guest is an eight time Grammy nominated comedian whose new stand up special the Skinny is streaming now on Hulu. Please welcome Jim Gaffigan. That's what I'm talking about.

[Jim Gaffigan]

So exciting.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Welcome back, bud. You look fantastic.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Thank you so much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you so much for coming on.

[Jim Gaffigan]

I mean, how exciting. Paul, Late show band.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Dave.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Jim Gaffigan]

You know, and then me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I thought you were saying then me. No, it's not so. No, it is the one and only.

[Jim Gaffigan]

By the way, congratulations. I think we should congratulate Jimmy. 50 years as the Tonight show host.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No such unbelievable. 10 years.

[Jim Gaffigan]

50 years. I remember being a kid and watching you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, you don't.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Being like, oh my God, I'm gonna do that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, you never did that. Did you enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday?

[Jim Gaffigan]

I did. I mean, how many commercials was Tom Brady in?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's unbelievable.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Do you think one brand would. Maybe someone else has thought of using Tom Brady. Yes, it was. It was amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Same people were in everything. But I thought you'd be excited about it. Cause I Know you played a little for the.

[Jim Gaffigan]

I did. Well, you know, I barely to that stud.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on. Are you kidding me? Great photo.

[Jim Gaffigan]

This is my brother. We both played. I mean, I played for, like. I mean, some of it is I played Division 3 for a year, and, you know, because of the Internet, it looks like I was a total jock, but I really.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That counts.

[Jim Gaffigan]

That helped me get.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You got dressed up. Makes it count, Jim.

[Jim Gaffigan]

It does count, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It totally counts.

[Jim Gaffigan]

I look like, you know, look at me. I had hair. It was nice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No. And also, I want to congratulate you on Saturday Night Live. By the way, you were unbelievable.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Oh, thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

As Tim Walls. Thank you. Here you are. As Tim Walls. Maya Rudolph. As Kamala Harris. That was.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What was it? What was it like? I didn't want to bother you while you were doing it, but were you excited? Were you?

[Jim Gaffigan]

Oh, my gosh. It was so amazing. It's like you're to, like, graduate school at Harvard, you know, participating on SNL, and then they pull in all these MVPs, and so I was just. I was kind of blown away, but it was amazing. And it was so fun to play Governor Walls, because, I mean, I grew up in the Midwest, so I just did an impression of my brother Mitch. So perfect. He's a sweet guy who is sentimental and a sincere guy. So I just did that. And when I went in for makeup, they were like, you're good. You know, wow. It was perfect.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That never happens. Yeah. The last time we hung out together, hopefully you remember this. I will never forget this. We met the Pope.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yes, the Pope. Unbelievable. The Pope invited comedians to the Vatican. To the Vatican throughout the world. I don't. You know, this is real. You know, that shows you where the Catholic Church.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Here's you shaking hands.

[Jim Gaffigan]

No, it was amazing. And it was.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is me. It was.

[Jim Gaffigan]

It was. What you have to understand is there was this room filled with comedians throughout the world. It's almost like all the people that couldn't behave in church or synagogue or a mosque had to see the principal.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Jim Gaffigan]

And it was so amazing. It was like six in the morning. And the Pope did say, you know, that humor's really important, which was beautiful. And I think. I don't know about you, but, like, I'm kind of like, yeah, that's really nice to hear, but I just do it because I like attention, you know? But it was pretty special, right? And as a Catholic kid. You grew up Catholic, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, of course.

[Jim Gaffigan]

It's a huge thing. And you do feel like As a Catholic or even a lapsed Catholic, you're jumping the line because there are such sincere Catholics that know what's going on. Like, to this day, I'm in church, and I've been going for, I don't know, 58 years, and I'm like, oh, now we stand up. I still don't know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I still know the rules. I don't know the rules. I guess we're all kneeling. I guess.

[Jim Gaffigan]

All right, we're doing this now. We're doing this now, you know, so. But it's amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was always great. It was great to see you. And I kept looking over at you, and I'm like, let's just read it.

[Jim Gaffigan]

No, there's something wrong. Yes, there's some mistake.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There's something wrong. That's great. And how's the family doing?

[Jim Gaffigan]

Good, good, good. You know, I'm still recovering from Christmas break. You know, I travel with my wife and I, we travel with our kids, and it's always kind of a disaster. You know what I mean?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Jim Gaffigan]

I don't know what the thinking is. It's kind of like, hey, you know, we bicker and argue. Why don't we take this on the road?

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know?

[Jim Gaffigan]

How would you like to not listen to me in a hotel room? You know, maybe you should spend too much time on your phone in a different state. But my kids love it. They have a blast. They're on vacation. I'm not sure what they're on vacation from. Can you really be on vacation from 8th grade? I don't know. You know, it's like my son goes from barely doing homework to doing absolutely nothing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, it's a vacation. Yeah, it's hard. But you're a busy man. You're on tour now. You're going back out. You have a solo tour, but also, you're going back out with Jerry Seinfeld.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Jerry Seinfeld. I'm trying to help Jerry.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Jerry, he needs.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Poor guy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He needs ticket sales.

[Jim Gaffigan]

And it's so fun touring with Jerry. Cause obviously, he is kind of like a comedy Aristotle. And by the way, you had Letterman here, which is. It's just these legends. It's unbelievable. Yeah, And Jerry is. Jerry's somebody, you know, it's fun touring because everyone has their own rituals. And Jerry, every morning on tour, you have breakfast, and then you go see a movie, and then you go to lunch, and then you go for a walk. And that's more than I do in, like, a week.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. A lot of work.

[Jim Gaffigan]

He does all this, and it's so fascinating, just hanging out and, you know, as a comedian, just like when you go on do shows with Nate, some of it, it's fun doing the shows, but it's fun hanging out with other.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Comedians and just talking. Yeah, yeah. And just. Yeah. Going to see a movie, too. I remember going to see the daytime movies. Cause comedians have nothing to do during the day.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yes. And when you're coming up and you know you're just a bunch of losers, you just hang around each other. And so when you get some success, they bring you, you know, your success brings you away from your friends. So it's always so special when you can hang out.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And your tour, your solo tour, everything is wonderful.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

As the name of the tour, are you excited to go back out?

[Jim Gaffigan]

I'm so excited. I'm doing some shows in Kentucky and Tennessee for the sole purpose of acquiring bourbon in Tennessee.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Will, by the way, your bourbon is unbelievable.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Oh, thank you so much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You brought some last time you were on the show. And it's not a joke. It's not like just some celebrity name. Jim Gaffigan's Father Time. What is it?

[Jim Gaffigan]

Father Time. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Father Time. It's fantastic, buddy.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Thank you. Thank you very much. I love. I've gotten so into bourbon, and bourbon is a uniquely American spirit. I mean, and when I say spirit, I don't mean like rah, rah spirit or ooh, spirit. I mean glug, glug, spirit.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay.

[Jim Gaffigan]

But after you glug, glug, you might be rah rah or woo. So it all kind of worked together. But, you know, it's so fun doing these shows. And since I've gotten into it, you know, Kentucky and Tennessee and North Carolina, Texas, it's just there's amazing distilleries out there, and people have to go and buy your local bourbon. You gotta check it out. There's some great stuff out there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And support the bourbons out there. Yeah, why not? Let's talk about your very funny special. It's called the Skinny. In part, it's because you talking special, you lost a lot of weight.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Well, you know, I mean, I think it's such an interesting thing to say. I lost it because I, you know, I'm on an appetite suppressant, so I didn't have anything to do with it. I shouldn't get any credit. It's a little bit like when, like, we compliment supermodels for being beautiful. It's like they were just born that way. Right. And so I love the fact that I've Lost weight. But it's, you know, essentially this drug has made me eat like a human, you know, whereas before I would eat like a dog, you know, really, you know, like, if you give a dog, if you leave the dog food out, the dog will eat the entire bag of food. And that's. That's like meat, you know?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Well, it's doing a great job. Jim Gaffigan, everybody. The Skinny is streaming now on Hulu. More Tonight show after the break. Stick around. Our next guest is an Emmy nominated actress who you can see in the hit Netflix series American Primeval. She's also making her Broadway debut in O Mary, which is now playing at the Lyceum Theater. Please welcome Betty Gilpin. Welcome back to the show.

[Betty Gilpin]

Thanks for having me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Since you were here, you welcome your second daughter. Congratulations. Oh, my gosh.

[Betty Gilpin]

Thank you so much.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's amazing. So now you have.

[Betty Gilpin]

She's 10 months.

[Jimmy Fallon]

10 months.

[Betty Gilpin]

10 months, yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Gosh. Congratulations.

[Betty Gilpin]

And I thought they were both gonna be boys and they're both girls.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They're both girls. Yeah. Do they have any acting bug? Have you seen in the.

[Betty Gilpin]

I mean, I feel like all 4 year olds are Oscar winning actors.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah. This morning I put the spoon on the wrong side of the honey nut Cheerios and the monologue that came into my face was like.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was award winning.

[Betty Gilpin]

Oscar. Winning.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, it was Oscar winning. Yeah. Before we talk about Omari, I want to congratulate you on American Primeval. This has been one of Netflix.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Netflix's top shows since it was released. Congrats on that.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And the show is set in the 1800s in the West.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you've filmed this for over four months, right? Completely outdoors.

[Betty Gilpin]

Over nine months. Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Betty Gilpin]

It was insane. And I've done like an oldie timey show before and I've done action before, but this was my first oldie timey action and running in an 1857 dress. It's like if you get into a dryer and then someone stuffs a camping tent into the dryer, it presses on and you're trying to get it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's what it feels like.

[Betty Gilpin]

That's what it feels like to run.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow, that's a great description, by the way.

[Betty Gilpin]

It's awful.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But. But, yeah. Yeah. Congrats.

[Betty Gilpin]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. It must be kind of fun. There's like a different thing going back to acting.

[Betty Gilpin]

Just playing completely. Yes. Yeah. Throughout my 20s, trying to play like the pixie dream girl who, you know, it's all about minimalism and I was always playing to a mezzanine that didn't exist. So I feel like now in my 30s, I'm allowed to be as deranged as I've been inside all these years.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. Speaking of deranged, that's a great segue to talk about. Oh, Mary, here we go. Congrats on this. You just took over the role of Mary Todd Lincoln on Broadway. I want to read. Yeah, I want to read something.

[Betty Gilpin]

Come see.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I want to read something that you wrote in your bio here, but I'll read it. It says, Betty's father made his Broadway debut in this very Theater in 1978 as an understudy. He went on one time. Betty is currently in the wings dry heaving, as her father hath done before her.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Typing this part through sobs. This is Betty's Broadway debut.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hey, congratulations. Thank you. Thanks. Something you dreamed about since you were a kid?

[Betty Gilpin]

Completely. Yes. Yeah. And a dream I think I had just let go of. I did mostly theater for, like, the first decade out of college, and then I haven't in a long time. So this is. Yeah, it came totally out of the blue and. And it is an absolute dream come true.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, not only are you starring in a Broadway show, but it's one of the most successful shows out there.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How's the response been?

[Betty Gilpin]

I mean, it's such a joyful. I mean, you've seen the show. It's the most joyful, ridiculous experience. You gotta come see. And my recommendation is to not read anything about it and just go in blind. Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's kind of what I do.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes, me too.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's a good recommendation.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes. But how well received the play is makes me realize that the plays I did before that, I was like, oh, I've done a lot of bad plays before this. Like, I did this play over a decade ago, and it was in the same building that Natasha Lyonne was doing a really successful play in. And ours was really not successful, like, half empty theaters. And every day I would, like, shuffle into the theater and Natasha would be outside with a cigarette, and she'd be.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Like, gilpin, how we doing?

[Betty Gilpin]

I'd be like, bad, Lyon, really bad. And the end of the play, my character was downstage center, and the spotlight would get smaller and smaller on my face, and I would dramatically inhale. And then it would be a blackout. And one night, the spotlight got smaller and smaller and a woman in the front row went, this is terrible.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Like, blackout, then blackout.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yes.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Perfect. Good timing on that lady.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yeah. I was like, you need to be up here, ma'am. You're a star.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is terrible. Blackout. Yeah.

[Betty Gilpin]

And then the last night, the sound booth guy who had seen every single performance in our long, long run, we ran way longer than we should have. He was backstage and he was telling me, giving me all these compliments that I needed to hear so badly. And, you know, just listing these specific things about my character that I thought had gone totally under the radar. And then he was like, and my favorite, her heartbreaking walk. And I was like, that was my walk.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Oh, no.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my God.

[Betty Gilpin]

Oh, my God.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Heartbreaking. I have a heartbreaking walk.

[Betty Gilpin]

I think about it all the time. Like, here's my heartbreaking walk.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You don't have a heartbreaking walk.

[Betty Gilpin]

No, I do. It's all right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know, I enjoyed your walk out. It actually made me happy. Yeah. A very joyful walk. You're stepping into some big shoes here. Cause Cola Scola was fantastic as Mary Talent.

[Betty Gilpin]

Yes, yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And I was like, who can do this? And I go, when they cast you, I go, this genius casting.

[Betty Gilpin]

Oh, that's so nice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of course you can do this.

[Betty Gilpin]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Congratulations on that. Thank you.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Thanks.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Break a leg. And thanks for coming by here. Thanks. Betty Gilpin, everybody. For tickets to go see O Mary on Broadway, go to omarryplay.com More Tonight show after the break. Stick around, everybody. It's what I'm talking about. Our next guest is the longtime photographer at Saturday Night Live. Her new book, the art of the SNL portrait is available on March 4th. You can pre order it now. Everyone, please welcome Mary Ellen Matthew. Welcome to the show.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Thank you for having me, pal.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm so excited to talk to you because we've been talking. I mean, we've been friends forever, but I love you so much. And I'm like, you have to come on when this book comes out because you've done some of the most amazing pictures. I mean, what do you think about when you look at all your work here?

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

I mean, first of all, it's the best job in the world. I get to work with so many amazing people and I get to be creative every week and, you know, work with everyone. Our family, our SNL family, Lauren and everyone.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But you're so talented. I mean, you're so good. I remember all the bits we've done together. We've done so many photos together. You're always very positive. You're always thinking about the next idea.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

I'm trying.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, you're not even trying. You always are. And then you always scrunch your hair up.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Do it all.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You always scrunch your hair up before you go. All right, Jimmy. Yes, Jimmy. Yes, Jimmy. Jimmy. Yeah. It's just. You're the.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

In my hand. It's. They talk to each other. I don't have them doing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But how do you come up with all these ideas? Like, do you.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Well, I love doing it, and it's such a challenge for each week to do it again and do it better or do it different. And I'm just constantly collecting ideas.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Always.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Never.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Not when you're watching the Super Bowl. You're like, oh, wait, that inspired me to do that.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Subway posters are really good. You know, you get some great ideas there. Really?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I want to talk about this one. Come on. These two guys. But also, we've done stuff outside of the studio as well for snl. I don't know if you remember this one. I was dressed as the Easter Bunny. We went around and it.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Weirdly, it wasn't an Easter show. Weirdly. You just wanted to be an Easter Bunny.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I just wanted to be an Easter Bunny. That's just a night out for me.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're like, dude, you want to get in the cabin? You want to just take some shots? I go, let's go, let's go, let's go. That gorilla style.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

But it was so fun. We went to a Laundromat. We went to pizza, we went to Niagara, and we got to a bar. Yep. You don't remember?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No. Yeah. No, I don't remember that. Yeah, yeah, of course.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We went to Niagara. Yeah.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Joe Strummer paint the mural there. Yep. But it was so fun to run and gun and run around with you, and that was a really good time. Let's do it again.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We thought it'd be fun. Anything with you, but we thought it'd be kind of fun to show everyone kind of behind the scenes of what a photo shoot looks like. And you agreed to do 100% with me right now. 100%.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

So excited.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right, let's open up the curtain. Before we set up, what is the setup? What is the idea of what we're doing? Our photo shoot?

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

I made up a scenario that we have some rock legends having tea together.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Rock legends having tea together.

[Jim Gaffigan]

Yes.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

And you're gonna play all the parts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really? Yeah. Let's go, Mary Ellen. All right. Whoa. This is actually a dream. This is a dream come true, isn't it? It? Oh, no. So I'm feeling beetle.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Yes. You're nailing it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All right. So I'm here. Thank you, Jen. All right. Very nice.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

There we go. There you go. There you go. That's it. That's it.

[David Letterman]

Yep.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

And maybe. Maybe the other rock legend's going to pour it into you. So you're asking for some more?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

You're asking over. Cross across the table.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hey, what do you think? You have another couple?

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Hold it out. Hold it out. One, two, three. There you go. Look at me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Seventy more. See?

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Good. Great.

[Jim Gaffigan]

All right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So I have a feeling I know who this is.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

It's our favorite.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Letterman]

All right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

There you go. There you go.

[David Letterman]

All right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So where is he at?

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Over here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He's over here.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

He's over there.

[Betty Gilpin]

Maybe he's.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Here you go. That's it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's it.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Yes, we got that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So that's Mick and Pa. Uh.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

Oh, who's this?

[Jimmy Fallon]

This guy can't wear any other hat besides this hat. Right.

[Mary Ellen Matthews]

And he's gonna have his axe, too, of course. And you think that slash maybe puts his leg up on the chair? There you go. That's it. Yep. And is he taking a sip? And he's taking a sip, and he doesn't like it. He's throwing it back. Throw it, throw it. That's it. Good, good, good.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Rock and roll. All right, come on, now. Get over here. Mary Ellen Matthews, right there. We're gonna see what this photo looks like when we go on a commercial break. Martha. Everybody, the Art of Asada portrait is out March 4th. We'll be right back. Stick around, everybody. Come on. My thanks to Jim Gaffigan, Betty Gilpin, Mary Ellen Matthews, David Letterman, and Paul Schaefer in the world's most dangerous band.

[David Letterman]

Sa.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thanks for listening to the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon.

[David Letterman]

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.