Epstein Files Bill Hits Trump's Desk After He Called Them a Hoax | Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Bibb, Tom Freston | Wednesday, November 19

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Date: November 20, 2025
Episode Title: "Epstein Files Bill Hits Trump's Desk After He Called Them a Hoax | Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Bibb, Tom Freston"
Host: Jimmy Fallon
Guests: Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Bibb, Tom Freston

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Overview

This episode of The Tonight Show delivers Fallon’s signature comedic take on current events—including the topical move to release the Epstein files—and features lively interviews with Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Bibb, and media legend Tom Freston. Discussions range from blockbuster films and viral memes to MTV's origins and haunted houses, mixing pop culture, personal anecdotes, and humor throughout.

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Key Segments & Highlights

Monologue & News Jokes

[01:14 – 05:36]

• “Wicked for Good” & Macy’s Parade:
  Cynthia Erivo is set to open the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, creating much anticipation for "Wicked for Good".

  • “Even Santa was like, I have to follow that. Come on, can't I go first?” — Jimmy Fallon [01:26]

• Epstein Files Bill:
  Fallon riffs on Congress passing a bill to release the Epstein files and the now responsibility falls on President Trump.

  • “Releasing the Epstein files is very high on Trump's to-do list. It's right between play catch with Eric and eat a kale salad.” — Jimmy Fallon [01:31]
  • Mocks potential Trump redactions: “This first one says Trump's name appears on the flight logs a whopping zero times. There you go.” [02:34]

• DoorDash Data Breach:
  Jimmy jests about customer outrage over leaked info—until they get hungry and order again.

  • “Some customers vowed to never use DoorDash ever again. And then they got hungry and ordered a burger from the McDonald's 600 feet away.” [03:07]

• TJ Maxx Holiday Shopping:
  Describes shopping chaos as “like a typhoon went through the store, but this time in a good way.” [03:28]

• US Airlines Ranking:
  On Spirit Airlines ranking 115th out of 83, Fallon quips, “It’s like how you’re behind hot air balloon. Hot air balloon was in there?” [03:56]

• Funny in-flight Captain:
  Parodies a JetBlue flight where a passenger’s weed causes “clouds”—with the captain giving stoned announcements:

  • “Can the flight attendants please come up here and bring 40 bags of blue chips? … Life is like that sometimes. Take the good with the bad. Namaste.” [04:31]

• Eminem v. Swim Shady:
  Eminem's lawsuit against the brand Swim Shady, summed up: “Seems like an honest mistake.” [04:53]

• Humorous take on prehistorical first kiss:
  “The first kiss was over 17 million years ago. … Until you realize toothbrushes were invented in 1938.” [05:14]

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Jimmy’s Personal Highlights & Announcements

[05:54 – 07:45]

• Reveals his holiday song “Holiday” (with the Jonas Brothers) will feature in the new Hallmark movie “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.”
  • “Sparks fly between two lifelong Buffalo Bills fans…” [06:42]
• Expresses excitement: “What a show we have for you. She is an Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner…” [07:00]

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Guest Segment 1: Cynthia Erivo

[08:29 – 18:58]

Major Topics

• Performing with a Lost Voice:

  • “She’s still missing in action.” — Cynthia Erivo joking about her lost voice [09:02]
  • “She is sexy and mysterious.” — Jimmy Fallon [09:07]

• Book ‘Simply More’:
  Authored for anyone who've been told they're “too much.”

  • “That’s a great way of saying, like, I'm not too much. I'm simply more.” — Jimmy Fallon [09:42]
  • “Anyone who's been told that they're too much or they do too much. They're not doing too much. They're doing exactly what they're meant to be doing.” — Cynthia Erivo [09:47]

• Cynthia’s Upbringing & Personality:

  • “I was just like, chatty and bossy and inquisitive… never shy.” — Cynthia Erivo [10:05]
  • “Sometimes it got on peoples’ nerves but that's okay. I think it worked.” [10:11, 10:16]

• Wicked for Good—Meme Story:
  Cynthia recounts how she lost a hat at the London premiere, only to be reunited with it by a fan in Paris:

  • “She could have done anything with that hat. … She kept it this whole time. It was lovely.” — Cynthia Erivo [12:48]

• Grammy Nominations:
  Newly nominated for two Grammys—she found out while at the steps of the Paris Opera House.

  • “Mark Platt, the lead producer on Wicked … wanted to be the one to tell us.” [13:26]
  • “He did it with such, like, kindness and sweetness.” [13:33]

• Working with Stephen Schwartz:
  Collaboration for a new Wicked song.

  • “You’re just hoping you’re not making any mistakes and saying anything stupid.” — Cynthia Erivo [14:17]

• Wicked Songs Blind Rank Game:
  Fun ranking of songs from Wicked. Erivo places “Defying Gravity” at #1, “The Wizard and I” at #3, and “No Good Deed” at #2, noting, “This is like picking your favorite children.” [15:00]

  • Frequent laughter as Jimmy tries to nudge her toward certain choices.
  • “It's very unfair.” — Cynthia Erivo, about the game [18:10]

• Audience Surprise:
  Every audience member is gifted two IMAX tickets to see “Wicked for Good.” [18:37]

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Guest Segment 2: Leslie Bibb

[19:39 – 29:37]

Major Topics

• Birthday Stories & Sam Rockwell:

  • “Does Leslie Bibb go big on birthdays?” — Jimmy Fallon
  • “I usually go big. I love a birthday. … but this year, we did nothing. Watched Fatal Attraction.” — Leslie Bibb [19:54, 20:14]

• Glenn Close Casting Urban Legend:
  Shares the story of Glenn Close supposedly showing up in character to land her Fatal Attraction role:

  • “She showed up in character and they were like, … let’s just sign the contract.” [21:16]

• Famous Haircut (‘Bob’):
  SNL made a sketch out of Leslie’s haircut—the “Bob Army.”

  • “It's called the clb. … see you next Tuesday little Bob.” — Leslie Bibb [22:52]

• Discussion of Accents:
  “Leslie Bibb cannot do accents.” — Leslie Bibb [23:49]

• Kristen Wiig & Palm Royale Season 2:

  • Praises Wiig: “She’s just insane. … she's amazing.” [24:25, 25:01]
  • Star-studded cast: Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin. [24:40]

• Carol Burnett Fan Moment:
  “I want to just like get down and be like, okay.” — Leslie [25:15]

• Love for “This Old House” & Home Renovation:

  • “Is that why you're posting like, home reno?” — Jimmy Fallon
  • “Yeah, because we bought a house upstate and it's like my homage to Bob Vila … I just love like an old house.” — Leslie Bibb [25:55]
  • Shares supernatural stories, like the “do not move this painting” warning. [26:30]

• Ghosts and Etiquette:
  Jimmy and Leslie both agree on the importance of negotiating with ghosts.

  • “You're supposed to say, I come in peace. I don't want to mess. … I don't mess with them.” — Leslie Bibb [28:01]

• Palm Royale Season 2 Plot Tease:
  Leslie sets up the season: her character’s husband is missing, she remarries for agency and money, navigating 1969’s gendered financial hurdles. [28:42]

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Guest Segment 3: Tom Freston

[29:59 – 37:12]

Major Topics

• Adventurous Early Years:

  • “I started a business for eight years in Afghanistan and India back in the 70s … you learn humility.” — Tom Freston [30:54]

• MTV Origins:
  Built MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1, Nick at Night, TV Land.

  • “We had probably the worst dressed group of people going to any building in Manhattan.” — Tom Freston [33:02]
  • “It was about taking risks, pushing the envelope, doing edgy stuff. If something didn't work, do something else. And it was fun.” [33:05]

• Private Plane Anecdote with Fallon:
  Fallon recalls flying private for the first time after the 2002 VMAs:

  • “You had a guitar and a lot of CDs. … Let's pop champagne and let’s go for it.” — Jimmy Fallon [32:08]
  • "You humored me. ... It was a good flight." — Tom Freston [32:42]

• ‘I Want My MTV’ Campaign:

  • Faced cable pushback in the early days, so they recruited Bowie, Jagger, and Townshend for the now-iconic campaign.
  • “He [Bowie] wanted to ski down the mountain and do a swish. He had it all worked out.” — Tom Freston [34:40]
  • Freston tells an incredible story of sharing a sauna with Bowie and McCartney:
    • “There’s only one other person there... It's Paul McCartney. So the three of us sat there for 20 minutes...” — Tom Freston [35:38]

• Birth of Reality TV (‘The Real World’):
  MTV couldn't afford scripted soap operas, so innovation led to the first true reality show.

  • "Let’s just stick. Put them in a loft down in Soho and stick some cameras..." — Tom Freston [36:18]

• Book & Reflections:
  Freston's new memoir, “Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu,” is out now.

  • “It's just positive and also shows the struggles … and just being a good guy, what you get.” — Jimmy Fallon [36:39]
  • “Well, it's a two way street. Thank you, Julian. You're the best.” — Tom Freston [37:00]

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Releasing the Epstein files is very high on Trump's to do list. It's right between play catch with Eric and eat a kale salad.” — Jimmy Fallon [01:31]
• “Anyone who's been told that they're too much … They're not doing too much. They're doing exactly what they're meant to be doing.” — Cynthia Erivo [09:47]
• “It's very unfair.” — Cynthia Erivo, on ranking Wicked songs [18:10]
• “She could have done anything with that hat ... She kept it this whole time. It was lovely.” — Cynthia Erivo [12:52]
• “She showed up in character and they were like, … let’s just sign the contract.” — Leslie Bibb about Glenn Close [21:16]
• “I wanted it to have, like, precision … The Bob is on SNL.” — Leslie Bibb [22:32]
• “I just love like an old house. … I walked into one house and I had a weird vibe.” — Leslie Bibb [26:00]
• “You’re supposed to say, I come in peace. … I don't mess with them.” — Leslie Bibb on ghosts [28:01]
• “We had a unique company. … It was about, you know, taking risks, pushing the envelope, doing edgy stuff. … And it was fun.” — Tom Freston [33:02]
• “There’s only one other person there [in the sauna] … It's Paul McCartney.” — Tom Freston [35:38]

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Important Timestamps

• Epstein Files Bill: [01:26 – 02:37]
• Wicked For Good, Cynthia Erivo: [08:29 – 18:58]
• Leslie Bibb on Palm Royale, SNL Bob Army, Ghost Stories: [19:39 – 29:37]
• Tom Freston, MTV Origins, Bowie/McCartney Story: [29:59 – 37:12]

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Episode Tone & Style

The episode exemplifies Fallon's playful, rapid-fire comedic tone with plenty of banter. Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Bibb are warm, candid, and funny; Tom Freston is genial and rich in pop culture anecdotes. The conversations are upbeat, interspersed with laughter and memorable personal stories, appealing equally to fans of pop culture, nostalgia, and entertainment industry history.

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For Listeners

If you missed the episode, this summary covers all core discussions—from the wildest monologue jokes and memes to the heartfelt guest stories and the behind-the-scenes MTV cultural revolution. You'll get a sense of both the humor and humanity at the heart of this Tonight Show episode.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6P in Rockefeller center in the heart of New York City, it's the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. When I join Jimmy and his guest, Cynthia Erivo. Leslie Bibb, Tom freshman. Featuring Sethea as the legendary root group 22 answers. And now here he is, Jimmy Fallon. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Welcome, welcome. Thank you. Hi. Welcome. Thank you. I love you. Come on. I love you. Welcome, everybody. Thank you very much. Come on. That's fantastic. Thank you. Thank you very much. Enjoy yourself, everybody.

Enjoy your. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Tonight Show.

You here. You made it.

Guys. From the upcoming blockbuster Wicked for Good.

Cynthia Erivo is my guest tonight.

Wicked for Good is going to be so big. Broadway just announced a new show, Wicked for Good. The movie, the musical.

Yeah.

It's just fantastic. It was just announced that Cynthia will open this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Even Santa was like, I have to follow that. Come on, can't I go first? Yeah, everyone's excited about Wicked. And let's be honest, it's not easy to put off a successful second act. Case in point, you know, it's. Well, guys, Congress just passed a bill to release the Epstein files, and now, and now it's up to President Trump to decide when or if that happens. Releasing the Epstein files is very high on Trump's to do list. It's right between play catch with Eric and eat a kale salad. But this is nice. In honor of Wicked, Trump went from calling it a hoax to a witch hunt. That's nice. Meanwhile, I read people are concerned that if Trump does release the Epstein files that he will have them redacted to make himself look good. But I'm not so sure. I mean, they actually just put out a few files. Let's take a look at what they say. This first one says Trump's name appears on the flight logs a whopping zero times. There you go.

Well, that's.

Yeah, let's check out this next one. This says Trump made Thousand island dressing with Prince. And finally, this file says Obama did it. So they rejected a few things. I think it's worth it just to release. You guys hear about this? Doordash said that their customers personal information was stolen in a data breach. The hackers will face criminal charges along with vague DoorDash charges. $10. Some customers vowed to never use doordash ever again. And then they got hungry and ordered a burger from the McDonald's 600ft away. Some more business news. The CEO of TJ Maxx and Marshalls holiday season Is off to a strong start. Yeah, they said it looks like a typhoon went through the store, but this time in a good way. I love going to TJ Maxx. Who doesn't love the shop while customers bare knuckle box each other? Well, get this. A new ranking of the top global airlines was just released, and not a single US carrier made the top 10. Luckily, no one flying on a US airline will hear this news because their seat screens don't work and the wi fi costs $30. But this is true. Spirit Air ranked 115th, which is really nuts cause there's only 83 airlines total. So it's like how you're behind hot air balloon. Hot air balloon was in there?

[Tom Freston]

Yeah. Drones.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, everything. Speaking of flying, a recent JetBlue flight had to make an emergency landing after a passenger smoked weed in the bathroom and the crew inhaled. Was pretty wild. Just listen to some of the captain's announcements throughout the flight.

[Flight Captain (voice recording)]

Can the flight attendants please come up here and bring 40 bags of blue chips? Is it just me, or does that cloud look like a duck? Hello, this is your speaking captain. Wait, I mean, captain speaking. That's crazy. We're expecting some turbulence, but, hey, that's okay. Life is like that sometimes. Take the good with the bad. Namaste.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, it's an interesting flight. Hey, I saw that. Eminem is suing the beachwear brand Swim Shady for trademark infringement. Yeah. In response, a spokesman for the company said. We're really sorry for calling our swimwear company Swim Shady. Please accept our sincere apology. Seems like an honest mistake. And finally, this is wild. According to a new study, the first kiss was over 17 million years ago. Yeah. It happened during a game of Spin the Rock. It's pretty cool. Until you realize toothbrushes were invented in 1938.

We have a great show. Give it up for the Roots. Everybody clap your hands.

[The Roots (band members)]

Your hands.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're clapping?

[The Roots (band members)]

If I have to. You feel it? Better answer back. See me willing, big boy. Burgundy Cadillac.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cold ramen indesigner. What you think of my life. Thank you very much. Welcome to the show, everybody.

This is kind of exciting news for me. I had this holiday album come out last year. Holiday seasoning. This is.

Thank you very much. Oh.

[Tom Freston]

Nice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But I was looking at it, and last year, it got me thinking. I always wanted to. There's like, 25 original songs, and I wanted everyone to put it in a movie or a TV show or something. I always. That's one of my dreams. And specifically a Hallmark movie.

Right?

That's the way that's my fave. I start watching them as soon as I can. I watched one last week. Yeah, well, my Christmas wish came true.

What?

Because my song Holiday with the Jonas Brothers is going to be in a new Hallmark movie called Holiday Touchdown.

A Bill's Love Story.

It premieres this Saturday, November 22nd at 8pm on the Hallmark Channel. Let me tell you what it's about. Sparks fly between two lifelong Buffalo Bills fans as they try to discover the identity of a mysterious Christmas time gift giver. Ooh.

[Tom Freston]

Santa.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's gotta be Santa, right? Santa. I mean, you know, must be Santa. It's gotta be Santa. Yeah, must be Santa. Or Josh Allen. It's one of the two. Either way, I'm so excited about this. Thank you, Hallmark. Thank you everybody for putting the vibes out there. How cool. What a show we have for you. She is an Emmy, Tony and Grammy winner who returns as Elphaba in the new film Wicked for Good, which is in theaters and IMAX this Friday. Cynthia Erivo is here tonight. Unbelievable. She's unbelievable. You can see her in season two of the Apple TV series Palm Royale.

Leslie Bibb is joining us.

And he is a media legend who co founded and became CEO of MTV and changed pop culture as we know it. His new memoir, Adventures From MTV to Timbuktu is out now.

Tom Froston is here tonight.

He's the best. I love Tom Freston. Unplugged.

Big show. Stick around. We'll be right back with Cynthia Erivo.

[The Roots (band members)]

Yuma, I make you laugh. Go take a bath. You don't know. Got half of my structure.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our first guest is an Emmy, Tony.

And Grammy winning artist who's back in her Oscar nominated role as Elphaba in the new film Wicked for Good which is in theaters and IMAX this Friday. Please welcome Cynthia Eriva.

They love you. They love you. We love you.

Welcome back. Congrats on everything. How was your voice? I know you lost your voice.

[Cynthia Erivo]

She's still missing in action.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay, good. Ok.

[Cynthia Erivo]

But she's there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I kind of like it.

[Cynthia Erivo]

She's kind of sexy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She is sexy and mysterious. Yeah, I like it. I want to talk about your book. You have so much to talk about. You just flew back after you did the Wicked premiere here, went to London because you're on the COVID of British GQ Men of the Year.

Not too shabby.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Not too shabby.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Not too shabby at all. But then you came back for us, which I appreciate always. And you have a new book out called Simply More.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And this is for A book for anyone who's been told they're too much.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love that title.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. That's a great way of saying, like, I'm not too much. I'm simply more.

[Cynthia Erivo]

You're simply more.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Anyone who feels a little bit different. Anyone who's been told that they're too much or they do too much. They're not doing too much. They're doing exactly what they're meant to be doing. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. And did you. I love this. This is a great message. Great for anybody out there.

Yeah.

And were you that kid growing up? Were you like, I'm just different?

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yeah. I was just, like, chatty and bossy and inquisitive and was never shy and.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And everything.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yeah. Sometimes it got on people's nerves, but that's okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

Doesn't matter. Yeah. Look at what you. Look at what you've done.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I think it worked.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I think it really worked out. It was great. You're phenomenal in this film, in Wicked for good. You are phenomenal. Thank you again. You were great in the first Wicked, but this one, I go, oh, my gosh. You just crush it. People were crying in the theater. People were cheering, standing up, clapping for you. It kind of ties it all up in a bow of what's going on with the story. And some good twists.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Good twist.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really good twist at the end. It's just so good. You've actually been everywhere around the world doing the premieres. I don't know how you do it, but good for you.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is exactly what. Yeah, this is. Yes. You should be like, cynthia, come on. Yeah. Go around the world and do all this. You became a meme last week.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I know, I know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Congratulations. You thought, you've done it all. You've made it now. You've really made it in your career. You're a meme. This is the meme.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Perfect.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And there you go.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I love it so much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That is. You gotta be proud.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I'm so proud of it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That is the meme.

I'm really proud of it.

Let's explain what happened and why we ended up with this great meme.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Can I take you right back to the beginning?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, please.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Okay, so a year ago in London, when we did the premiere, I was wearing this beautiful hat with this dress. I put it down in the theatre when we were watching the film and I left it behind and. And then couldn't find it. We went searched for it. We just couldn't find it anywhere. And we just let it be. We've lost it. Devastated. Never mind. Cut to a year later, we're in Paris and I'm going to this event and I walk out and I see there's some really lovely fans, and I think I'm going to sign everyone's books or whatever they need. And I get to the end of the line and one girl goes, that hat that you wore in London? I said, yes. She goes, well, I have it. What, that?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, that.

You.

I'm seeing the meme live. It's actually phenomenal.

You have the hat.

[Cynthia Erivo]

You have the hat. So I said. I said to her, can I have it back? She said, I don't have it with me right now. It's in my house. I said, well, when can we get it back? She said, can I get tickets to the premiere? Listen, fine, yes, of course. Have them. And she brought it back. And I was reunited with my hat.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's a great story.

Lovely.

Isn't it great to have just good fans out there that just. It was so honest and cool.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Like, I thought that was just really kind. Because she could have done anything with that hat. It could have been sold.

[Jimmy Fallon]

EBay. Hello. Yeah, exactly.

[Cynthia Erivo]

They exist. And she kept it this whole time. So it was lovely.

[Tom Freston]

Good.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love that story and I love that you're reunited with that hat. I want to congratulate you because last week you were nominated for two Grammys.

Yeah. Two gram. Come on, bud.

How great is that?

So great.

Where were you when you found out?

[Cynthia Erivo]

On the steps of the Paris Opera House, taking pictures for the. I know. Everything is so dramatic.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Isn't that great, how life sometimes works out?

I know.

You're on the steps of the parish.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Steps of the Par Opera House. Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And who tells you?

[Cynthia Erivo]

Mark Platt, the lead producer on Wicked.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Love Mark Platt.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I love him so much. He's so wonderful. And he's taken such great care of everybody and this film and this legacy. And he wanted to be the one to tell us. And he did it with such, like, kindness and sweetness. He was so excited.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You had no clue?

[Cynthia Erivo]

I had no clue.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of course.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I didn't even know we could be nominated for that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I didn't know we could be eligible.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, because we keep going.

[Cynthia Erivo]

It was amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you even worked with Stephen Schwartz on a new song.

[Cynthia Erivo]

New song?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, for this. For Wicked, For Good. And it's phenomenal.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

When you go into the room with him and work on a song and write a song, do you have an idea in your head? Does he have an idea?

[Cynthia Erivo]

So he had made this Song. And then as the film progressed, as we made this film, we realized things needed to be shifted and changed. And I remember that we had a call, and I was on my floor in my house at, like, I don't know what time o', clock, and he's on Zoom, and we're, like, over the phone going back and forth about lyrics and different things. And it was just such a privilege to be, like, in the, like, space of Stephen Schwartz working on something. You're just hoping you're not making any mistakes and saying anything stupid.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

I have a feeling he has his same side of the story where it's like. And I'm sitting with Cynthia Erivo when we're talking. I just try not to say anything stupid.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Never.

It's a phenomenal song.

[Tom Freston]

And everyone.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're gonna freak out.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I love it so much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And the duet with Ariana, too, is just. People were just going nuts. I always thought it'd be kind of funny if I showed you the songs that you sing in Wicked and maybe you blind rank them.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

On what song? Which one do you love to sing most?

[Cynthia Erivo]

Okay. This is like picking your favorite children.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But here's the thing. You don't know what order I'm gonna say and. Or what children I'm naming. Okay, so this is a blind rank. You're just gonna have to go, like, it's probably in the top. Yeah.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I'm not gonna lie and say I'm not gonna cheat.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're going to. Don't say until after you cheat.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I mean, I'm honest, if nothing else.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know you're honest, but. No, this is it. No switches.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Fine.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No changes. Ready?

[Cynthia Erivo]

Fine. Ready.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The wizard and I. Ooh, top six.

[Cynthia Erivo]

My brain says put it at number three, but she's a really beautiful song. She's one of my favorites to sing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She's a great one. Three is where it belongs.

[Cynthia Erivo]

To threes. I'm gonna put a three. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay. Defying gravity. Cynthia, think about this. Don't mess this up.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I'm a bit at one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Everything's been great up to this point.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I know why I'm gonna place her at number one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

I think you're happy.

[Cynthia Erivo]

She's that vibe, you know?

[Tom Freston]

Because.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Because kind of.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I mean, you know, she wrote it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She did it.

She did it.

[Cynthia Erivo]

She did everything.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You did it.

[Cynthia Erivo]

You do it. I can't do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know you can't do it.

Yeah.

Thank God he didn't do it like me.

[Cynthia Erivo]

You did it fantastically just now.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you. Yes.

What is this feeling?

Ooh.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I'm gonna put her at number five.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay.

[Tom Freston]

Okay.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Cause she's fun to sing. She's fun.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She's fun to sing. Yes. We still have three others. Ooh, wait, this is. Let me just. I'm looking ahead. Okay. No good deed.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I'm putting number two.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really? Yeah.

You love that one?

[Cynthia Erivo]

I love that one. I do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No good deed number. I know.

This is.

Oh, I see the ones coming up.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I know what he's gonna do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I see the ones coming up.

I see the ones coming up.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I know what he's gonna do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Here we go.

No, you don't know yet. No, no, no.

Don't let him know. Oh, no.

As long as you're mine.

Don't do it.

[Tom Freston]

Don't do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is a fantastic song. No, you can't.

No, do not. No. Don't you dare. Don't you.

Unbelievable. You are in big. You are in big, big trouble.

You're in big trouble.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Cynthia, wait.

[Jimmy Fallon]

For good.

[Cynthia Erivo]

It's hard.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It has to go here, it has to go there. This is the list. But are we happy?

[Cynthia Erivo]

No, I'm not.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wait.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I think that's good. I think we'll move this down here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Okay.

[Cynthia Erivo]

And we'll make this. We'll put this here, because I think that makes sense. You know what I mean?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Cynthia Erivo]

I think these are the top three.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is it. This is how the game works.

That's right.

Here we go. This feels right. Judges, what do we think? Thank you for playing that.

I know that was a hard game.

For you to play.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Oh, my God. It's very unfair.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Very unfair. The film is so big and epic. It is gorgeous. John M. Chu, great job directing this.

[Cynthia Erivo]

He's the best.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I think you should see it on imax. You should if you should, because it's just so much for your brain and your eyes to look at and see and love. And actually, thanks to our friends at imax, everyone in our audience tonight is getting two tickets to see Wicked in our knives.

That's what I got. And Cindy Arrhevo. That's what you do. That's how you do it. That's how you do it. That's how it goes. That's how you do it. That's how you do it. That's right. That's what you say. Cynthia Erivo, the one and only Wicked for Good is in theaters at IMAX this Friday. Leslie Bibb joins us after the break.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Stick around if you're.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Everybody, come on back. Our next guest is A very talented.

Actress starring in season two of the series Palm Royale. New episodes air Wednesdays on Apple tv. Tv. Please welcome Leslie Bib. I love you.

Welcome back to the Tonight Show.

Thank you so much for having.

[Leslie Bibb]

Let me drink some water.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Ooh, yeah. You get a little parch from that.

[Leslie Bibb]

A little hydration.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I want to say happy belated birthday.

Yes.

Yes. Happy birthday.

You just celebrated a birthday. I did.

Does Leslie Bibb go big on birthdays?

[Leslie Bibb]

I usually go big. I love a birthday. I feel like we're alive. Celebrate.

[Tom Freston]

Yes.

[Leslie Bibb]

You could be six feet under. But this year has been kind of crazy. And I said to. And Sammy's is on the November 5th.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, so you're close.

[Leslie Bibb]

Yeah, we're little Scorpio babies.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The great Sam Rockwell.

[Leslie Bibb]

The great Sam Rockwell.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Leslie Bibb]

And so I said, let's not. Let's just be chill. So we went to dinner. We, like. I don't know, we did nothing. But then we came home and he's like, let's watch a movie. And we watched Fatal Attraction. I was like, perfect birthday movie.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Fatal Attraction.

[Leslie Bibb]

Have you seen it recently?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's one of my favorites, but I haven't seen it. Seen it recently.

[Leslie Bibb]

Glenn Close is so incredible.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She's brilliant.

[Leslie Bibb]

She's brilliant in this movie. And like, Sam, we just kept being like, did she do that?

[Tom Freston]

Was this. This.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, she's phenomenal.

[Leslie Bibb]

Levels, levels and levels. And you could be like. And then he told me this story, and I'm dying to know if this is true, that they didn't want to cast her because they thought, like, she wasn't sexy enough. And she said to Glenn, if this is not true, forgive me, but no, I love it. Sammy. Sam told me the story that supposedly she said to her agent, get me a meeting with the director. And I think maybe Michael Douglas, who's in it, and had set the meeting in a restaurant, and then she showed up in character, and they were like.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She'S going, that's ok. Yeah, let's just sign the contract.

[Leslie Bibb]

Yeah, I want that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She hit a homer.

[Leslie Bibb]

I know you hear stories of, like, actresses walking in and getting the part like that. I want to be like that. I'm not. I'm like, please hire me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my God. You were. Please, please.

Your acting is phenomenal. You got all these accolades for White Lotus. You crashed it.

Crashed it. Next level.

Thank you for saying next level. You were fantastic.

[Leslie Bibb]

You're so nice to me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, what are you talking about? But also, I have to say that you officially own the Bob, right? Now, your haircut.

[Leslie Bibb]

I know this bob.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's become its own thing now.

[Leslie Bibb]

They did it on essence. It was crazy. It was. That's the greatest birthday gift ever.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You were in Center Night Live. Had a thing to.

[Leslie Bibb]

I mean, I wasn't.

[Jimmy Fallon]

My.

Your Bob was.

[Leslie Bibb]

My boblet was.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's called Bob Army. And everyone had Bob cuts. And Bowen. Yang says we only answer to Leslie Bib.

[Leslie Bibb]

I was dead.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And got a giant applause.

Dead.

[Leslie Bibb]

I was dead. That was really like.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And how fun is to have a famous haircut.

I know.

[Leslie Bibb]

It's such a strange thing. Chris McMillan cuts my hair.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, he's brilliant.

[Leslie Bibb]

And he's, like, a very fancy person. He's a lovely, great, great human being.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So he's fun dude. I love him.

[Leslie Bibb]

So fun, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yep. We know him.

[Leslie Bibb]

Right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

And wild.

[Leslie Bibb]

And we cut it for the show. We just felt like it was right for the character. She's a little strung a little tight, and I wanted it to have, like, precision. And she's a perfectionist. And he gave this great cut. And now it's. The Bob is on snl.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, now the Bob is on snl.

[Leslie Bibb]

And they have this crazy name. They call it. It's called the cl. It's called. It's a bad word. It's the see you next Tuesday, little Bob.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That is not what they call it.

[Leslie Bibb]

They call it the clb. And it actually started am Lou woods, who was on White Lotus.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And she was like, she's classic as well.

[Leslie Bibb]

My bestie, her best friend Ashay, said, oh, I love Leslie and her little Bob. And said this about the see you next Tuesday. Yeah, the see you next Tuesday, little Bob. And that because for Kate, my character. And so she told me, and I happened to be going to see Chris to get a trim, and I didn't realize he was filming me and making, like, a TikTok video. And then that went everywhere. And then I was like, oh, it's called this. And I'm, like, saying it. And then it sort of. It had legs.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my gosh. But did they have an accent when they said it? Like Amylou would?

[Leslie Bibb]

No. And that's me never getting hired with a British accent.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, you can totally do.

[Leslie Bibb]

Leslie Bibb cannot do accents.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

She should be in the new Beatles movie.

[Leslie Bibb]

You ready for this? This is a full circle moment.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Leslie Bibb]

Glenn Close was on the red carpet for that All's fair show, and she said, oh, I'm giving see you next Tuesday. I guess the word's being reclaimed.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really?

Yes. Wow.

[Leslie Bibb]

These are fun facts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

These Are fun facts, you guys. And you never know how many fun.

Facts you're gonna get.

Yep, we got a bunch tonight.

We got a bunch.

Thanks to Leslie Bib. The best. I wanna talk about speaking of the best, Kristin Wiig, who I love so much. Palm Royale, Season 2.

[Leslie Bibb]

But how about that dance number she did?

[Jimmy Fallon]

She's just insane.

She's ins.

[Leslie Bibb]

I mean, Kristin is like an incredible human being, as you know. Like that. And I bow at that all time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love her. But the whole cast is nuts.

[Leslie Bibb]

Nuts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, Carol Burnett.

[Leslie Bibb]

Allison Janney.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Allison Janney.

[Leslie Bibb]

Laura Dern.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Laura Dern. These are homers.

[Leslie Bibb]

And like Ricky Martin. So there's this like opening sequence in the beginning and Kristen does this sort of drug induced dance and Ricky sings and it's just.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I think it's brilliant.

[Leslie Bibb]

Brilliant. And Kristen can like sing and she's. She's amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All these guys are so talented. But Carol Burnett.

[Leslie Bibb]

Carol Burnett. I had a scene with her and every time I'm in front of her, I want to just like get down and be like, okay.

[Cynthia Erivo]

Yes.

[Leslie Bibb]

Because I don't know, I watch her. I watched Carol Burnett when I was a kid. I watched Bob Vila and Carol Burnett. Those were the shows.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wait, this whole house?

Yeah.

Bob Vila is my dude.

Really?

I love this old house.

[Leslie Bibb]

Didn't it make you feel safe?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. Yeah, still does.

[Leslie Bibb]

It does, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you can watch one of my favorite shows, pbs. It's the greatest. This old house.

[Leslie Bibb]

This old house. And like Carol Burnett. Those were. I spent a lot of time alone as a child.

[Tom Freston]

No.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And I was like, I like, ask this old house. I know, that's like the sister or brother show did. This old house is Ask this old house. They get even nerdier.

Really?

[Leslie Bibb]

I don't know about that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, it's absolutely brilliant.

[Leslie Bibb]

Well, I guess. Guess what I'm googling when I get to.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, of course you're gonna love it.

Yeah.

I love that you love Bob. Is that why you're posting like home reno?

[Leslie Bibb]

Yeah, because we bought a house upstate and it's like my homage to like Bob Vila because I just love him. And I also just love like an old house. An old house. And it's like this house is from 1755 and it was like so cool. And it doesn't like a witch didn't get cooked in it or anything like that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I didn't say that.

[Tom Freston]

No, no.

[Leslie Bibb]

It doesn't have like scary. I mean, I'm sure there's ghosts, but I feel like they're like really nice ghosts. If they're there, like, every house has ghosts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I would think.

But.

[Leslie Bibb]

But yeah. I mean, I walked into one house and I had a weird vibe.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Not nice ghost.

[Leslie Bibb]

Not nice vibes and not nice ghost. And then I heard a story that it sold that weekend. And then when they went to, like, move out stuff, the real estate agent was like, oh, they forgot this painting in the attic. And they moved the painting. And on the back it said, do not move this painting. The ghosts will get angry.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Bye.

What are you talking about? Can you imagine who would write that on the back of.

I don't know what.

We didn't touch the painting.

[Leslie Bibb]

I know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm like.

[Leslie Bibb]

But I think he probably moved it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of course he moved it.

[Leslie Bibb]

And the house sold like, three weeks later. It went back on the market.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The ghost is getting angry. It went back in the market. Yes, the ghost was angry. Ghost got touched a painting.

[Leslie Bibb]

Don't touch the painting. Now I want to see what the painting was like.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I went to a hotel room once, and there was a painting of these weird twins looking at me. And I didn't move it. I didn't touch the painting. Just because.

[Leslie Bibb]

Did you sleep well?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I talked to them. I said to them, say, hey, I want no problems. I go, I come in peace. I just want to sleep. And then I'll get out of here. But I'm not going to move you. And they look creepy. They were identical twins wearing same outfits and everything.

[Leslie Bibb]

My God, you were, like, in the Shining Hotel.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They were staring. They were looking at my bed. They watched me.

[Leslie Bibb]

Where was this?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'll tell you exactly where it was. Not on camera, but, man, it's.

Oh, my God. But I will tell you.

Right? Been there, man. Probably been there. And it was. Yeah. And I didn't touch it. I didn't say anything. I said, good day, take care. Good day, good day, and take care. And they did not bother me. They were totally fine.

[Leslie Bibb]

Did you say that you're supposed to do that you're supposed to talk to.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Ghosts and negotiate with the ghosts?

[Leslie Bibb]

Yes, you are. Like, you're supposed to say, I come and pee. I don't want to mess. Like, that's what I say. I don't mess with them.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I don't never. I don't mess with.

[Leslie Bibb]

I don't mess with ghosts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm not afraid. No ghosts.

Yeah.

Thank you. How can we set up Bustin does not make me feel all right. Can we set up season two? What it is and who your character is. Who your character is. We're talking about ghosts.

All right. Hom Royale.

[Leslie Bibb]

I just got the kook.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Sorry. Yeah, good, good.

I love getting a little kook.

[Leslie Bibb]

Palm Royale. What am I doing?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh.

[Leslie Bibb]

My husband has. My husband has passed or. He has not passed away. My husband has been. She has a very complicated life. This year I'm married, but my husband has been taken by the feds and I don't know where he is. So I just declared him missing. And I guess in 1969, if you did that, you could marry somebody else. So somebody else, this elderly gentleman is marrying me and he is bequeathing me all his money. And in 1969, women couldn't have bank accounts without, like, men signing off for them. So she is getting all this money and finding her own sense of agency.

[Jimmy Fallon]

If you want. Yes.

Good.

[Leslie Bibb]

So I am with Carol Burnett getting her approval on my wedding gown. But I'm. I. Yeah, that's it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on now.

Leslie Bibb, everybody. You're phenomenal. New episodes of Palm Royale season 2 air Wednesdays on Apple TV. More tonight. Joy after the break. Stick around, everybody.

[The Roots (band members)]

Tell me what. Tell me. So I tell you to go.

[Tom Freston]

In.

[The Roots (band members)]

Front of an audience that's never been pleased.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our next guest is a legendary media figure. He's a co founder of MTV who rose through the ranks becoming CEO of MTV Network and later, all of Viacom. His new memoir, Adventures From MTV to Timbuktu, is available now. Please welcome Tom Fresto.

All right.

Hey, bud.

[Tom Freston]

That's a good song. Thanks for.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, that's a good song. You remember that song?

[Tom Freston]

Play it frequently.

[Jimmy Fallon]

To have you here and in the chair and talking to you because I. I get a chance to. I'm lucky enough to know you for many years, but these are fantastic stories. I mean, there's the craziest stuff that you had a whole life before MTV that I didn't know about. But you're a very adventurous traveler.

[Tom Freston]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Did that help you when you were creating MTV?

[Tom Freston]

Well, I had spent like 10 years, you know, either traveling a couple years traveling. And I started a business for eight years in Afghanistan and India back in the 70s when it was. It was a wild place. I mean, India was then like 60% of people were below the poverty line. Afghanistan was calm. It wasn't like it has been with all this warring actions going on. But it was fascinating. So I picked up, you know, living like, low to the ground, a hardscrabble kind of existence. You know, you learn a lot of things. You know, you learn humility. How. You know, particularly in India, humility tolerance of risk or wanting to take risks and appreciation of odd things and odd people. And all of those. All of those things worked really well for me. That and other things. When we set up MTV Network, which I ran for 17 years, which was Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, VH1.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Nick at Night, TV Land, you took me on my. On my first ever private plane.

[Tom Freston]

That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do you remember that?

[Tom Freston]

I remember that you had done. Just done. I think 2002. You just done the Video Music Awards host hosting for us.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Tom Freston]

You were heading to LA for the summer and we were heading. It was like we were all on a summer trip. And we had a plane at the time, corporate plane. That was living.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So, I mean, MTV was all the cool kids. I mean, that was where everyone wanted to hang out with anyone from mtv. We have people that work on our crew from mtv.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah, they're everywhere.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, the coolest. And I go, a private plane. Are you sure, Tommy? Like, come on. It was you and Judy McGrath. And I was like, what do we do on a private plane?

[Tom Freston]

You had a guitar and a lot of CDs. We were Skynyrd and Neil Young.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. I was playing music. I thought it was like a party time. It was, let's pop champagne and let's go for it. I'm like, private plane, let's go. And you're like, I guess so. Jimmy, you were very nice to me. You humored me.

[Tom Freston]

It was a good flight.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I didn't want it to end. But what do you remember about the fun? I feel like those days aren't really around where they have corporate jets going around. MTV was a blast. Like, I loved going into, like, rehearse, and everyone loved each other. And everyone was making jokes and laughing. It was like a party.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah. We had a unique company. I mean, we had probably the worst dressed group of people going to any building in Manhattan. Yeah, no one worst dressed than us. But it was about, you know, taking risks, pushing the envelope, doing edgy stuff. If something didn't work, do something else. And it was fun.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Some kids had mtv and I was so jealous because I did not have mtv, but I wanted my mtv, which. Which must have changed everything for the channel. Someone saying, I want my mtv.

[Tom Freston]

Well, you know, when we started, cable was mostly just out in the Midwest. New York, L.A. didn't have any cable. And we were only in a few cable systems. And cable operators didn't want to add MTV because it cost 10 cents a home. They didn't want to pay that. They thought it was like, you know, they were kind of Elvis fans. They thought we were like a tool of the devil or whatnot, so they wouldn't add us. But we knew because I would go out into these markets that the kids, the music fans, the people who love music, were crazy about us. We decided, because we sort of needed a Hail Mary pass, we were going to run out of money. The only way we were going to get more cable system was to go over their heads right to the fan. So we ripped off the I Want My Maple campaign, which was an oatmeal cereal in the 60s.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I remember that.

[Tom Freston]

So we had to get. We decided we'd do that. And we needed three big rock stars, said Mick Jagger, Pete Townsend and David Bowie. We needed to get them holding our logo, sort of validating us saying, I want my mtv. Call your cable company and want my mtv. So it really worked. I pulled the David Bowie card.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How did you get Bowie to do it?

[Tom Freston]

Well, I asked his manager, and she said, well, he's skiing in Staad, Switzerland.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay.

[Tom Freston]

I said, all right, we're heading there. You know, I took a 35 millimeter crew. He'd do it, but he wanted to ski down the mountain and then do a swish. He had it all worked out. He was in his let's dance phase. He really looked great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. So Bowie did it.

[Tom Freston]

Bowie did it. He came down the mountain, he did it. And it was a memorable day for me because at the end of the day, he said, well, what are you doing later, Tom? You know, I'm living, like, in a youth hostel with the crew. Yeah. I said nothing. He says, why don't you come to the Palace Hotel and we'll take a sauna together?

[Jimmy Fallon]

You and David Bowie?

Yeah. I figured.

[Tom Freston]

You got to be kidding me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I'm in.

[Tom Freston]

Let's do it. I'm in. So I went back and told everyone else. I said, you losers, I'll see you later.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, of course I'm gonna hang with Bowie, man.

[Tom Freston]

So we go to the spa, you know, this is like the Grandam Hotel in Stadt. And I meet him, you know, got towels on. We go into the sauna, and there's only one other person there. And he's up in this, like, little shelf up in the top. And I sort of Squint. It's Paul McCartney.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What are you talking about?

Yeah.

[Tom Freston]

So the three of us sat there for, like, I don't know, 20 minutes or so. I'm throwing water on the right box and there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Only you. Could this happen?

[Tom Freston]

They're Asking me questions like, what is mtv? Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No one even knows what it is in the game.

[Tom Freston]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, but what you've done for music and pop culture, I mean, the first reality show was mtv, the.

The Real World.

[Tom Freston]

Fox had just started the Fox network and they were doing Beverly Hills 90210. And I was, we should, you know, young people like to see and let's do a soap opera ourselves. But I looked at the budget and said, you know, we have to have writers.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah. We have to pay people. Yes, you have to pay people.

[Tom Freston]

We couldn't afford it. So they went back. Doug Herzog went back to Buno Murray. They were these two producers and they said, well, you know, let's just stick. Put them in a loft down in Soho and stick some cameras in the wall and let's watch them live their lives. And then we'll do. We'll post it together into episodes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tom Freston]

And that was sort of the birth of reality tv.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

And, you know, amazing. I can't tell you. Everybody wanted a great book with great stories in here. And it's just positive and also shows the struggles and what you actually go through and just being a good guy, what you get. I mean, you really are a good guy. And I just wanted to say this on camera. You always supported me and thank you so much for everything.

[Tom Freston]

Well, it's a two way street. Thank you, Julian. You're the best. Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tom Freston, everybody. His new memoir, Unplugged is available right now. Now, we'll be right back with more tonight, everybody. Come on back.

[The Roots (band members)]

A force for force this world is decepted Beats are perfected the hood is infested with more destruction Subsurface unseen I grab a plan to buy the purse screen.

[Jimmy Fallon]

My thanks to Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Bibb, Tom Preston and the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Good night, everybody. Thank you. Round of applause. Get involved get, get, get involved. Get into it, Get into it.

Thanks for listening to the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. Don't forget to subscribe to get the latest episodes weekday mornings, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. Weeknights on NBC and streaming on Peacock.