Jimmy Reacts to Kimmel’s Suspension After FCC Pressure | Jude Law, Tom Llamas, Jonathan Groff | Thursday, September 18

Summary

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Episode: Jimmy Reacts to Kimmel’s Suspension After FCC Pressure | Jude Law, Tom Yamas, Jonathan Groff
Date: September 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Tonight Show kicks off with Jimmy Fallon addressing the breaking news of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension from ABC following FCC pressure, sharing his take with his trademark humor and support for Kimmel. The episode then features interviews with actor Jude Law (discussing his new Netflix series "Black Rabbit"), NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Yamas (reflecting on becoming lead anchor and his family's journey), and Broadway star Jonathan Groff (celebrating his role as Bobby Darin in "Just In Time"). The show blends timely commentary, laughter, anecdotes, and a look at the perseverance behind entertainment and news.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jimmy Fallon's Monologue: Reacting to Kimmel's Suspension and News Jokes

• Jimmy addresses the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel:
  • "Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC leaving everyone thinking, WTF?" (01:05)
  • Notes confusion but shows solidarity: “I do know Jimmy Kimmel and he's a decent, funny and loving guy and I hope he comes back... A lot of people are worried that we won't keep saying what we want to say or that we'll be censored.” (01:32)
  • Makes it clear he won't change his approach: “But I'm going to cover the President's trip to the UK just like I normally would. Here we go.” (01:45)
• Satirical coverage of President Trump’s UK trip:
  • Jimmy teases Trump's appearance: “He looked incredibly handsome. His tie was exactly the right length and his face looked like a color that exists in nature.” (02:20)
  • Humor about protesters, conspiracy jokes, and the Trump administration: “Protesters managed to project images onto the sides of Windsor Castle of Trump standing next to his good friend Jeff Goldblum. Even though his administration still insists that he's not in the Goldblum file, which we all know is absolute bull. TR” (02:46)
  • Parody praise: “President Trump is making America great again by restoring our national reputation, reinvigorating our economy and rebuilding our military. I hereby nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize. And you can quote me on that.” (03:07)
  • Jokes about an emergency landing on Marine One and Melania's hat: “They were going to hang glide to safety with Melania's hat.” (04:36)
• Audience survey segment ("Pie Charts"):
  • TV watching habits, “75% said, on some randos screen two rows in front of me on a flight.” (05:13)
  • Jokes about "The Hunting Wives," true crime docs, and awkward viewing moments.

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2. Guest Interview: Jude Law (Actor, ‘Black Rabbit’)

Segment Start: [07:05]

• Discussing ‘Black Rabbit’:
  • “He stars in and executive produces the new Netflix series Black Rabbit. Jude Law is here tonight.” (06:17)
  • On working with Jason Bateman: “He plays a guy who starts a lot of fires and I put them out.” (10:08)
  • On Bateman’s dual role as co-star and director: “He makes it so seamless and easy. He runs a great set... flicks into the role and flicks out and goes and checks the model.” (10:22)
• Film Roles Predicting the Future:
  • Jimmy teases Jude about his roles in 'Contagion,' 'A.I.,' and 'The Young Pope' predicting real-life events. Jude jokes: “If there's any truth in that, I hope, I predict that you're on the air tomorrow night, the night after that.” (07:57)
• Meeting Harrison Ford at the Emmys:
  • “I met him like 30 years ago… and I reminded him of [our meeting]. He had no memory of it whatsoever.” (08:41)
  • Jimmy and Jude share stories; Jimmy recalls Ford piercing his ear in-studio. (09:14)
• Music Collaboration Details:
  • On 'Black Rabbit,' the series backstory as former rock band members: “To create the songs, you got Albert Hammond Jr. of the Strokes to help... He was like, yeah. How many songs do you want? I mean, I nearly said an album.” (10:56)
  • Jude and Jimmy connect over early 2000s NYC music scene, Jimmy’s time opening for The Strokes: “Oh, we got booed off the stage every night. It was rough… They threw bottles, nickels… At the time, I was like, I'm singing my song and just getting hit with things.” (12:19)
• On being in a Paul McCartney Music Video:
  • “All we had to do was sit and listen. And he got some amazing people in... Johnny Depp's in it. Meryl Streep's in it. Meryl Streep is really going for it. Dancing...” (13:38)
• Setting up ‘Black Rabbit’:
  • Jude explains: “I play Jake, he runs a very hot kind of night spot in lower East Manhattan. His brother Vince… can't seem to escape trouble, comes back into his life and everything starts to fall apart. It's very edgy… It's got a thriller aspect and a real propulsion… At its heart… it's about the love these guys have for each other and how far you go for that.” (14:16)
  • Jimmy highlights: “There is great twists. When you watch it, you're like, wait.” (14:54)
  • Jude adds: “…great music. New bands and bands from that era.” (14:58)

Memorable Quote:
Jude Law, on his supposed prophetic roles:

“If there's any truth in that, I hope, I predict that you're on the air tomorrow night, the night after that.” (07:57)

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3. Guest Interview: Tom Yamas (NBC Nightly News Anchor)

Segment Start: [15:33]

• On becoming lead anchor:
  • “I walked into this building 20 years ago as an intern … I've just really worked hard, man, my whole life. And it's been incredible to me, it is America's newscast. It's where people turn to every night…” (16:24)
  • On being a Time 2025 Latino Leader: “My parents came here from Cuba. My parents are Cuban refugees. … They taught me and my brother to love this country and to work hard as well. … Now I'm the anchor of Nightly News. It's crazy.” (17:14)
• Family moments and support:
  • Jimmy met Tom’s parents and family: “I have a picture of your mom and dad watching. They had a watch party. … It was crazy.” (17:38)
  • Tom recalls: “It was a bar, and it was all filled with friends and family and people who love watching Nightly News. But there was a crazy breaking story…” (17:57)
  • On parental feedback: “My dad is Mr. Blunt. I'll call him and be like, bad hair day, huh?... My mom … I could have the worst newscast of my life. My mom was like, it was perfect. Maybe your best ever.” (18:34)
• Music and Vinyl Collections:
  • Tom has a vinyl listening room: “It's a place where you come in. I have all the records on the wall. It's all analog. … There's only one rule. If you come into the record room, you gotta play a record.” (19:18)
  • Record swap with Jimmy:
    • Tom gifts Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club: “This reminds me of Jimmy Fallon, man, because you're electric, dude.” (20:40)
    • Jimmy gifts Tom the Beatles’ Revolver, referencing “Good Day Sunshine”: “I like to sometimes just kick off my day. I want to make it as positive as possible. … And so I love Good Day Sunshine.” (21:14)
  • Emotional coincidence: Tom reveals “Good Day Sunshine” was playing when his daughter was born. (21:22)

Memorable Quote:
Tom Yamas, on his family's American journey:

“My parents are Cuban refugees. … They came here, this country gave them a second chance. And now I'm the anchor of Nightly News. It's crazy. That is the American dream.” (17:14)

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4. Guest Interview: Jonathan Groff (Broadway star, ‘Just In Time’)

Segment Start: [22:43]

• Career highlights:
  • Jimmy celebrates Jonathan’s double Tony performance (“Just In Time” and “Hamilton”): “You performed twice. You performed Hamilton… and just in time. You. Crushed.” (23:05)
  • Surprise cameo: Jonathan straddling Keanu Reeves in the audience. “I had picked him to be the person that I straddled. Cause obviously, if Keanu Reeves is in the audience, you're gonna want to straddle him.” (24:22)
  • The humor continues: “We had fought together in the mo. We knew each other pretty intimately, but he'd never been between my legs.” (24:34)
  • Groff praises Keanu: “...the genius of Keanu Reeves, specifically, is the Yes-And nature... Some people would just laugh, he was like, rock and roll.” (24:49)
• On the making of ‘Just In Time’:
  • The show was eight years in development: “All of us that worked on it together put our blood, sweat and tears into it. And Bobby Darin is a super nova legend... it's such an honor to be shining a light on him again.” (25:43)
  • Inspired by a Bobby Darin music weekend: “... Ted Chapin asked me to do this weekend of Bobby Dern's music at the 92nd Street Y 8 and a half years ago.” (26:06)

Memorable Quote:
Jonathan Groff, on Broadway's long road:

“To have sold out houses after developing something for eight years means the world, all of us that worked on it together put our blood, sweat and tears into it.” (25:43)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC leaving everyone thinking, WTF?” — Jimmy Fallon (01:05)
• “If there's any truth in that, I hope, I predict that you're on the air tomorrow night, the night after that.” — Jude Law on his 'prophetic' roles (07:57)
• “My parents are Cuban refugees… Now I'm the anchor of Nightly News. It’s crazy. That is the American dream.” — Tom Yamas (17:14)
• “...the genius of Keanu Reeves, specifically, is the Yes-And nature of that. Some people would just laugh… he was like, rock and roll.” — Jonathan Groff (24:49)
• “To have sold out houses after developing something for eight years means the world…” — Jonathan Groff (25:43)
• “This reminds me of Jimmy Fallon, man, because you’re electric, dude.” — Tom Yamas gifting Sam Cooke's record (20:40)
• “We got booed off the stage every night… They threw bottles, nickels… At the time, I was like, I'm singing my song and just getting hit…” — Jimmy Fallon about opening for The Strokes (12:19)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Monologue / Kimmel Suspension Reaction: 01:05–04:36
• Audience Pie Charts & TV Humor: 05:09–06:17
• Jude Law Interview (‘Black Rabbit’): 07:05–15:11
• Tom Yamas Interview / American Dream / Vinyl: 15:33–21:54
• Jonathan Groff Interview (‘Just In Time’): 22:43–26:14

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Summary in the Spirit of the Show

Jimmy Fallon uses razor-sharp wit to tackle late-night censorship fears, rallies support for fellow host Jimmy Kimmel, and expertly pivots to clever satire about current events. Jude Law brings insight, British charm, and stories about collaborations with Bateman, the Strokes, and Paul McCartney, plus musings on his unlikely prophetic filmography. Tom Yamas shares his immigrant family’s story, the climb to anchoring a national newscast, and his passion for music and family. Jonathan Groff closes out with Broadway energy, anecdotes about Keanu Reeves and perseverance, and celebrates the success of “Just In Time.” The episode is full of warmth, laughs, genuine admiration, and a spirit of “yes–and” — even (and especially) when the going gets weird on live TV.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6B in Rockefeller center in the heart of New York City, it's a Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Tonight joins Jimmy and his guest, Jude Law, Tom Yama, Jonathan Cross, a performance from just in time and featuring the legendary roots crew 2186. And now here he is, Jimmy Fallon. Thank you very much. Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself.

Welcome, everybody. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Tonight Show. Well, guys, the big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC leaving everyone thinking, WTF?

What's going on?

This morning I woke up to 100 text messages from my dad saying, I'm sorry they cancelled your show. I go, that's not me, that's Jimmy Kimmel. But to be honest with you all, I don't know what's going on and no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel and he's a decent, funny and loving guy and I hope he comes back. Yeah, a lot of people are worried that we won't keep saying what we want to say or that we'll be censored. But I'm going to cover the President's trip to the UK just like I normally would. Here we go. Well, guys, President Trump just wrapped up his three day trip to the UK.

And he looked incredibly handsome.

As always.

His tie was exactly the right leg and his face looked like a color that exists in nature. And his hair looked better than Conrad's from the summer I turned pretty.

During the trip, protesters managed to project images onto the sides of Windsor Castle of Trump standing next to his good.

Friend Jeff Goldblum.

Even though his administration still insists that he's not in the Goldblum file, which we all know is absolute bull. TR Anyway, to sum it up, President.

Trump is making America great again by restoring our national reputation, reinvigorating our economy and rebuilding our military. I hereby nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

And you can quote me on that.

See, we can still say what we want. Yeah, guys, Trump just wrapped up his three day visit to the uk. A lot of people are talking about the hat Melania wore with King Charles and Queen Camilla. Can we see a photo of this? Camilla was like, you all can see her too, right? Meanwhile, earlier today, while visiting with the British Prime Minister, Trump emphasized the unbreakable bond between the US and Ukraine. Trump is like, the only closer bond I share is with Prince Andrew. And get this. And get this. On their way back from the uk, Trump and Melania were forced to make an emergency landing due to a hydraulic issue on Marine One. Also, the chopper blades were damaged after Trump tried tossing in the Epstein files. Chop them up.

Chop them up.

Thankfully, they were never in any serious danger. If anything happened, they were going to hang glide to safety with Melania's hat in the garage. Hold on, honey. Well, guys, fall is here and there's so many big shows out right now. The summer I turned pretty, the morning show, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. So we polled our audience to see what people are watching. Let's take a look at the results. That's right, it's time for tonight's show, pie charts. Here we go.

Pie charts.

[Roots Crew Member]

Pie charts.

[Jimmy Fallon]

First up, when asked, where do you watch the most TV? 15% said Netflix. 10% said Peacock. 75% said, on some randos screen two rows in front of me on a flight. Next up, when asked, have you watched the hunting wives? 50% said, I'm scarred because my parents walked in on me watching it. 50% said, I'm scarred because I walked in on my parents watching it. Here's another one. When asked, do you like true crime documentaries? 80% said, yes. 20% said, my wife takes notes when we watch them and I'm beginning to get concerned. And finally, when asked, did you watch are youe? My first? The dating show about virgins. 30% said, I tried, but it only lasted about two minutes. 70% said, LOL. Interesting response. Oh, my gosh, we have a great show. He stars in an executive produces the new Netflix series Black Rabbit. And he's so good in it. Jude Law is here tonight.

Jude Law, speaking of crushing it, he's.

The anchor of NBC Nightly News.

Tom Yamas is joining us. And we've got talk from one of.

The most talented, one of my favorites.

Jonathan Groff is here tonight. And stick around. We'll be right back with Jude Law, everybody. Our first guest is an Oscar and Tony Nova.

He stars in an executive producer, his new series Black Rabbit, which is streaming now on Netflix.

Please welcome Jude Law. Jude Law, they love you.

We love you. Welcome back, bud.

[Jude Law]

Always good to be here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're one of my favorite actors. I want to. I can't wait to talk about Black Rabbit. But I want to talk about this very interesting thing that's going around the Internet. People are talking about your, your choices of film roles. Okay. And how they predict the future. Okay, let me talk to you about this. How the movie Contagion perfectly predicted the 2020 coronavirus crisis. That was you. Jude Law, movie AI artificial intelligence made a dark prediction that's now coming true. And Then how Jude Law's the young pope predicted the first American Pope. What's going on with you, dude? What's happening?

[Jude Law]

I tell you what, if I. If there's any truth in that, I hope, I predict that you're on the air tomorrow night, the night after that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And all the other good people that.

Present these TV shows, I hope, from your mountain. Thank you. Speaking of seeing into the future, I know that you're a big Star wars fan. Yeah. And I saw that in the Emmys. You were there with the great Jason Bateman, who you love. He was just on the show. You guys play brothers on the show. But you sat at the Emmys. Here's the seating chart. You sat next to Harrison Ford himself. That's it.

[Jude Law]

I mean, they must have. They did a slight re. Jig. Cause in fact, when I got there, he was sat here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, really?

[Jude Law]

So either he obviously said no, not next to him.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No.

[Jude Law]

But my. I met him like 30 years ago. Here I was doing a play, and he very sweetly came back and wished me well and gave me great encouragement. And I reminded him of. He had no memory of it whatsoever.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, sure. He's cancel forward.

Yeah.

[Jude Law]

But he's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Did you geek out? Did you.

[Jude Law]

Of course. 10 year old me and me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It just kicked out. You're like, I love you as Hudson.

[Jude Law]

But also, you know, obviously everyone in the room wanted to come meet him. So there was. There was a line.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But he's got a great sense of humor too.

[Jude Law]

Great sense of humor about himself. Like he laughs about himself.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. He came on the show once, he pierced my ear.

[Jude Law]

Oh.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Because he has a.

[Jude Law]

He has a. He has an earring.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He has an earring. And I go, what's it like? I've never had one. He goes, I'll do it. And he pierced. Wait a minute. Using what, a pin and an ice cube.

Ow.

I think. But it was like. But it was like a nice. Like a doctor's pin or something. And then he put like a feather. Dangly feather ear.

[Jude Law]

Did he heat it and you didn't keep it?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I didn't keep it. I was nervous. I don't know. Cause I don't. I was nervous that you should have.

[Jude Law]

Kept it and hung a little sign saying Harrison Ford.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know, I know, I know. I let it close up. I let it close up. I know it's silly, but I was like, I had no fear.

[Jude Law]

Cause I'm like, it's not his Han Solo.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He can do whatever he wants.

[Jude Law]

Yeah. You thought he was gonna get his Blaster out.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, exactly. He's a legend. Let's talk about Black Ra. This is your new series. Congrats. You and your TV brother Jason Bateman are in it. How do you explain the dynamics between you two?

[Jude Law]

Wow. The dynamics.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There's a lot of love.

[Jude Law]

It's very toxic. In short, he plays a guy who starts a lot of fires and I put them out.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's kind of it. And he also directs the first two episodes. How is it like acting with someone who's also directing?

[Jude Law]

First time I'd ever experienced that. And he makes it so seamless and easy. You know, he runs a great set. Everyone was very happy, knew what they were doing there. And then he just, you know, flicks into the role and flicks out and goes and checks the model. He makes it so easy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How is he so good? Is he from Ozark?

[Jude Law]

I guess. And it was Ozark we saw. We loved the tone of Ozark. That's why we wanted him to come direct this. And, yeah, he's just a master at it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know, in the series, the brothers used to be in a pretty successful rock band called the Black Rabbit.

[Jude Law]

That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And to create the actual songs. I'm a geek when it comes to music. To create the songs. You got Albert, Albert Hammond Jr. Of the Strokes to help you write some songs. That's a legend.

[Jude Law]

We wrote a list.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He's a legend.

[Jude Law]

He was top of the list.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And he said, yeah, yeah.

[Jude Law]

It was extraordinary. And he was so generous, like. He was like, yeah. How many songs do you want? I mean, I nearly said an album.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm like, yeah, why not? Give me. Why not? Have you ever. Did you ever see the Strokes in concert? Yeah. Yeah. Because that was the time.

[Jude Law]

And in London.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, really?

[Jude Law]

Yeah, because it was huge in the uk, and we just thought it would be such a great kind of backstory that these guys nearly kind of hit the big time in that era.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Jude Law]

You know. You know that great book, Meet Me in the Bathroom? They made a documentary of it. Fantastic. I'm in that. I mean. Are you?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I opened for the Strokes. I was in a.

[Jude Law]

What?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, I was in a band. Well, not really, but it was me doing comedy. Comedy. And then they asked me to open for them for. So we had a tour bus and everything, and I didn't.

[Jude Law]

That's amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was me and Mark Ronson. I actually brought a photo just to see.

[Jude Law]

That's amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How cool we were. This is me, Justin Stanley, Mark Ronson. And we wore white. Fantastic.

[Jude Law]

That is Fantastic.

[Jimmy Fallon]

White, juicy couture jumpsuits. What were you pulled? Just the Jimmy Fallon experience, I think.

[Jude Law]

Yes, mate.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And, yeah, I rocked. I rocked it. Look at there. I went for it. Yeah. And I think that was me playing.

[Jude Law]

That was my favorite.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is me playing this Land Is yous Land. I played like a punk rock version of that. Oh, we got booed off the stage every night. It was rough. One time we got booed off so bad, we were leaving and we were going off stage, and I was like. My face was beet red. Just embarrassed. And we were walking off, and Mark goes, dude, it's not that bad. He goes, dude, this is funny. Just turn around. I go, what? I'm just so sorry. He goes, just turn around and look. And I looked and there was someone sweeping all the garbage that people threw at us. They threw bottles, they threw nickels. I mean, I laugh at it now. At the time, I was like, I'm singing my song and just getting hit. Hit with things as I was singing. No one wanted to see it.

[Jude Law]

Why did the Strokes asked you? Because they just.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They thought, everything's gonna get better. Anything's gonna be better than me. Yeah, I'm a great warmup. No, they just were fans of the show, of SNL and stuff. They're like, hey, I know you have a comedy album. Come open for us. They were the nicest guys, and we had the greatest time ever. And I'll. They never asked me to do for them again.

[Jude Law]

Right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's so cool. Oh, yeah. You're the greatest. Yeah. But, dude, I also. I got jealous of you because you were in Paul McCartney's music video.

[Jude Law]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Queenie Eye.

[Jude Law]

That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Who's one of my idols? I love Paul McCartney.

[Jude Law]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But what happens when you get that phone call? Paul McArtney.

[Jude Law]

You say, yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Jude Law]

You say, what time? Can I bring anything to you? Biscuits.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, whatever. Exactly.

[Jude Law]

It's a kind of cool video. It's every. All we had to do was sit and listen. And he got some amazing people in. I remember when you see it, Johnny Depp's in it. Meryl Streep's in it. Meryl Streep is really going for it. Dancing. And then I. I think I didn't quite get the idea. And then I'm basically just going.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, you're playing it really cool. Everyone else is going for, like.

[Jude Law]

I didn't realize they were going to kind of Intercutters. I was just really.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, you nailed it, because you are. Come on, you're cool. I just can't help it.

[Jude Law]

I should have let rip a bit.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How do we set up what's going on with Black Rabbit? These two brothers get themselves into a lot of trouble.

[Jude Law]

All sorts of mischief.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Jude Law]

As we would say in England. No. So these two brothers, I play Jake, he runs a very hot kind of night spot in lower East Manhattan. His brother Vince, who's a charismatic, chaotic fire starter, as I said, can't seem to escape trouble, comes back into his life and everything starts to fall apart. And it's, it's very edgy.

[Tom Yamas]

It's.

[Jude Law]

It's got a kind of thriller aspect and a real propulsion and it's got a mystery twist and really at its heart, honestly, I think it's about these, the. The love of the. These, these boys have for each other, these guys have for each other and how far you go for that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But it's good. And there is great twists. When you watch it, you're like, wait.

[Jude Law]

Great twist and great music. And because off the back of that kind of the idea that they're in a band, we've got some really good needle drops in it. New bands and bands from that era.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, God, it's great.

Jude Law, everybody. Black Rabbit is streaming now on Netflix. We'll be right back with more tonight show. Stick around.

[Roots Crew Member]

Calling Captain Rock. Started at the bottom. Now I'm only at the top giving party people something that's funny to listen to. These other mcs can't sw.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our next.

Guest is an Emmy award winning journalist who is the lead anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, which airs every weeknight at 6:30pm Please welcome Tom Yamek.

Welcome to the show.

Congratulations on everything. Thank you. We've known each other, we've ran into each other in the hallway many a time.

[Tom Yamas]

Many a time here on six.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Tom Yamas]

And you always pump me up. And you're like my personal hype, man. You're always like, you're killing it. You're crushing it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And then when I got the gig.

[Tom Yamas]

You'Re like, I told you, you crushed it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I did.

I knew it. I was always. I was rooting for you, bud. Yeah. We gotta talk about NBC Nightly News. You've become the lead anchor. Yeah. This is a big job. Thank you.

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah, it's wild. I walked into this building 20 years ago as an intern. Actually, more than that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Like 25 years ago as an intern.

[Tom Yamas]

As an intern. Not even getting paid, but I was just so happy to be here, walking into 30 Rock. And I've just really worked hard, man, my whole life. And it's been incredible to me, it is America's newscast. It's where people turn to every night at 6:30 Eastern all across the country, millions of viewers, and it's a huge responsibility. It's been so thrilling. We thought we were gonna have sort of a slow news summer, and that didn't happen. It's been breaking news after breaking news after breaking news. So it really hasn't even set in.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yet because it was so busy. You go from coming so long ago, and now this week, Time magazine included you on their list of 2025 Latino leaders.

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah, that was pretty cool. That was a huge honor. Huge honor.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What are you talking about? It's amazing.

Yeah.

Time magazine.

[Tom Yamas]

It was cool. I mean, listen, my parents came here from Cuba. My parents are Cuban refugees. They came to this country. They worked so hard. They love this country. They taught me and my brother to love this country and to work hard as well. And we do. And it's so great to live in this nation and then to know where they came from. They came here, this country, gave them a second chance. And now I'm the anchor of Nightly News. It's crazy. That is the American dream.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It is the American dream. I have a photo. I met your mom and dad. I met your mom and dad and your family, by the way, and your beautiful daughter backstage. But mom and Dad. I have a picture of your mom and dad watching. They had a watch party. Yeah. It was crazy.

[Tom Yamas]

This was crazy. So this is Duffy's Tavern. Okay. This is in Miami.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Shout out to Duffy's Tavern in Miami. Duffy's Tavern.

[Tom Yamas]

This is wild. So this was so crazy because. Yeah, this is my parents right here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's fantastic.

[Tom Yamas]

And that was beautiful. That was beautiful. But before that, it was a crazy scene. Cause it was a bar, and it was all filled with friends and family and people who love watching Nightly News. But there was a crazy breaking story. So, like, I came up and the bar just erupted in cheers. But it was, like, a crazy story. So my brother was like. It was kind of weird, but it was awesome.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, we're clapping, but it's a terrible story, what you're reporting on. But he's doing a great job, isn't he? Exactly. Yeah.

That's Tom. That's Tom, man.

Do your parents ever call after the show and give you notes? Oh, yeah.

[Tom Yamas]

They're like my own personal Nielsen family. So, like, my dad is Mr. Blunt. I'll call him and be like, bad hair day, huh? I'm like, dad.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm like, dad. I Love you, dad.

[Tom Yamas]

Did anything come across you? And then my mom. I could do anything on the air.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There they are. They're very proud parents. Yeah, they're amazing. Proud mom and dad right there. But then my mom.

[Tom Yamas]

I could do anything. Like, I could have the worst newscast of my life. My mom was like, it was perfect. Maybe your best ever. Maybe your best ever.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Always your biggest fan. We love you, Mom. I know you're into music, and you. You have a vinyl room. Where. A vinyl listening room in your house. This is you working in there. What made you want to do the vinyl listening room?

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah, that was me actually preparing for the election. It's, you know, to me. I love music, Jimmy. I know you do, too. And when we were looking for a house, we moved from the city to the suburbs with our kids. I was secretly looking for a house that had, like, an extra room that I could sort of, like, take over quietly. I didn't tell my wife this. So we'd see houses, and she'd be like, this house is perfect. I'd be like, ugh, it's not perfect. And I would make up something because I wanted an extra room. So I got this room. I thought about this for years. And so as soon as we got in, there was the first thing I focused on. She's like, what about the kitchen? Or the. I was like, the record room. And she's like, what's a record room? I'm like, just wait. And so, yeah, it's a place where you come in. I have all the records on the wall. It's all analog. I have an amplifier from 1979 Yamaha built in Japan. It was refurbished. I have an incredible sound system. And then there's only one rule. If you come into the record room, you gotta play a record. And so people come in, it's like they just pick a record off the wall. And it's like we sit down and we listen. It's amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well, I knew that you were into that, and I thought it'd be kind of fun if we gifted each other a record, because I listened to records as well. You want to give me yours? Okay.

[Tom Yamas]

Okay. So this year, I spent this year collecting just live recordings. This is like big 2025 was live recordings. So this, to me, is maybe one of the best live recordings ever. I'm going to put it here for your audience. We'll give it to you, Jimmy. This is Sam Cooke, and this is live at the Harlem Square Club.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Ok.

[Tom Yamas]

This is an incredible record, Jimmy, for a lot of reasons. One recorded in 1960s, in actually, Miami. The Harlem Square Club was in Miami. What's awesome about this record is that you hear Sam Cooke, as amazing as he is, he's electric, even more electric. And you hear the crowd and to me, that's fun. This reminds me of Jimmy Fallon, man, because you're electric, dude. And this is you. This is amazing, dude.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on, bud. That's the best.

Thank you. I got you.

All right.

I'm excited. I got you the Beatles. Revolver.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Because.

I like to sometimes just kick off my day. I want to make it as positive as possible. And I know news is tough out there. And so I love Good Day Sunshine.

[Tom Yamas]

Oh, dude, this is crazy. We played that song when my daughter was born. It was a song playing. This is crazy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Are you serious?

100%.

That's crazy.

No way.

[Tom Yamas]

Yeah, 100%.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You didn't plan this out.

That was crazy. Good Day Sunshine on side two. And I wrote on the front for you there. I put Keep crushing it.

[Tom Yamas]

Oh, I love that, dude. Wait, I thought it was autographed.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was autographed from me though, not the Beatles. Also, Jimmy, thank you, man. This is amazing, buddy. Keep pressing. You're doing a great job. I'm rooting for you, bud. You're great.

Tom Yamas, NBC Nightly News airs every weeknight at 6:30 on NBC. More Tonight show after the break. Stick around. Is that right.

[Roots Crew Member]

Off the top of the dome? What you want to do? Want to go home and tell your mama I'm taking your son?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Acknowledge the way that I kick.

Our next guest is a Grammy and Tony winning performer. He stars as Bobby Darin in the Broadway musical Just in Time, which is playing now at the Circle in the Square Theater. Everyone, please welcome Jonathan Groff.

Come on. I can't get enough. I can't get enough. Jonathan Groff.

Come on. It's so good to see you.

[Jonathan Groff]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Circle. Having the square. Just in time. That's what I'm talking about. Look at you. You're here. I told you this already, but I'll tell you again. You were phenomenal at the Tony Awards. Oh, thank you. You're phenomenal wherever you are. But you performed twice. You performed Hamilton.

[Jude Law]

You did.

[Jonathan Groff]

Oh, my gosh.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you did. Oh, my God. Yes. The one.

Oh, the king. The king right there. Come on. No one better. The greatest.

And then just in time and you. Crushed.

[Jonathan Groff]

Was one of the best nights of my life to be able to do just in time and Hamilton in one night. It was freaking Amazing. The two.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Did you hear that Leslie Odom Jr. Is back here.

[Jonathan Groff]

He's in it now.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know he's in it now. He's one of my faves.

[Jonathan Groff]

10 years later. It's incredible.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Aaron Burr, would you ever go back to Hamilton? Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Let's go. What are they doing tonight?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no, no.

I'm doing this tonight.

[Jonathan Groff]

Maybe when I'm done doing that, I would go back in.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Sure you would.

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

Put the cape back on.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

I know. You're doing just in time. Circling the square. This is through January or when you performed at the Tonys. You get into it and you stood up on the chairs. Yes. And look at how fun this was. And all these are.

[Jude Law]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

In front of the crowd and all the audience and just happened to be in front of you is Keanu Reeves.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And he just happened to be in between your legs at one point. Yeah. And he just did what Keanu Reeves had to do. I mean, that's.

He was having a good time.

Did he know this is. Did he know this was gonna happen?

[Jonathan Groff]

No, he did not know it was gonna happen. I had picked him to be the person that I straddled. Cause obviously, if Keanu Reeves is in the audience, you're gonna want to straddle him.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Who doesn't want to straddle? Yes.

[Jonathan Groff]

And we had done Matrix 4 together, so I knew him. We had fought together in the mo. We knew each other pretty intimately, but he'd never been between my legs.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How does one react to that when you do this in your show?

[Jonathan Groff]

Well, this is like the genius of Keanu Reeves, specifically, is the. Yes. And nature of that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's like some people would just laugh. He was like, rock and roll.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Let's go. He was into it. Yes. I feel like that really describes.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, he was. Yes. Anding it hard.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. I love him. You've been doing the show for six months. Show's been sold out every night. Congratulations, man. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And the cast album was. Man, you got a great band, by the way. The band that's here tonight playing are just phenomenal.

[Jonathan Groff]

It's the same band that we do the show eight times a week with.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We're Broadway magic here tonight.

[Jonathan Groff]

Amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The cast album is out now. You worked on the show for eight years?

[Jonathan Groff]

Yeah, we've been developing for eight years.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

That's crazy.

[Jonathan Groff]

That's wild.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I don't know if people understand that when you go to see a Broadway show, like, how much time goes into making this whole process and making the show. Eight years.

[Jonathan Groff]

Yes. And it's like such a blessing too. Like you said, to have sold out houses after developing something for eight years means the world, all of us that worked on it together put our blood, sweat and tears into it. And Bobby Darin is a super nova legend of the entertainment industry and it is such a an honor to be shining a light on him again.

[Jimmy Fallon]

When did you first hear about Bobby Darin?

[Jonathan Groff]

They asked me to do my friend Ted Chapin asked me to do this weekend of Bobby Dern's music at the 92nd Street Y8 and a half years ago.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Jonathan Croft Just Design is playing now at the Circle in the Square Theater. Stick around everybody trying to get a.

[Roots Crew Member]

River so slip so lift me up Since I was a punisher was designed.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Be to my thanks to Jude Law, Tom Yamas, Jonathan Groff once again and the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thank you, Roots. Good night, everybody. Thank yeah.

Thanks for listening to the Tonight show starring Jenny 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.