The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Episode: Jimmy's 2025 Thanksgiving Monologue | Ed Sheeran, Joe Keery, Philip Barantini
Date: December 1, 2025
Host: Jimmy Fallon
Guests: Ed Sheeran, Joe Keery, Philip Barantini
House Band: The Roots

Episode Overview

This special Thanksgiving episode is packed with humor, gratitude, and star power. Jimmy Fallon opens with his signature topical monologue, touches on 2025 holiday culture and family quirks, and welcomes superstar guests: Grammy-winning musician Ed Sheeran (talking about his new Netflix special "One Shot"), Stranger Things star Joe Keery, and acclaimed director Philip Barantini. The episode features jokes about the Macy’s Parade, Thanksgiving foibles, and a behind-the-scenes look at Sheeran’s ambitious one-take concert film.

Key Segments and Takeaways

1. Jimmy’s Thanksgiving Monologue

[00:57–04:12]

• Gratitude and Family-Jokes:

  • Jimmy expresses thanks for his family, audience, and relief about the year winding down.
  • “I’m here wearing a suit while the rest of the country isn’t wearing pants. I think it’s him.” (01:25)
  • Mocks family dynamics: “Right now, there’s two types of family members you’re dealing with. The relatives who won’t leave and the cousins who went for a walk after dinner and never came back.” (01:31)
  • Classic Thanksgiving moments: “This stuffing is delicious. And in your head, you’re like, is this stovetop or memory foam?” (01:39)

• Topical References:

  • Parodies the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, referencing Ozempic: “Thanks to Ozempic, all the balloons were 20% smaller. Doughboy has cheekbones. Who knew that?” (03:36)
  • Observes shifting trends: “This Thanksgiving, more Americans opted for marijuana over beer and wine.” (02:53)

2. Thank You Notes—Holiday Edition

[05:05–07:02]

• Jimmy’s famous Thank You Notes routine, reimagined for Thanksgiving:
  • “Thank you, cloth napkins, for letting me wipe my face with a blouse from Talbots.” (05:10)
  • “Thank you, casseroles, for proving that if you mix enough ingredients together, nobody can tell you don’t know what you’re doing.” (05:14)
  • “Thank you, can of cranberry sauce, for being the only food I have to burp like a baby.” (06:39)
  • Relatable zingers about gravy boats being “snobby coffee mugs” and canceled flights pleasing turkeys.

3. Ed Sheeran: Music, Movie Props & “One Shot”

[07:23–17:12]

• Thanksgiving in the US:

  • Ed: “I’ve done one Thanksgiving here. Yeah. In 2013. But other than that. Yeah, just one.” (08:05)
  • Both Ed and Jimmy question sweet potato marshmallows: “I question the marshmallows and the sweet potato.” (08:18)

• Music Influence:

  • Jimmy: “Ed Sheeran is inspiring more people to play the guitar than the Beatles. According to a new study…” (09:21)
  • Ed’s philosophy: “I can play four or five chords quite well… most songs have these four or five chords in. And I think… music can just be felt.” (09:52)

• Career Updates & Movie Work:

  • Ed’s recent music: new album “Play,” Time 100, songs in F1 and “Zootopia 2” (with Shakira).
  • “They gave me a part in it as well. I’m a sheep.” (11:36)

• Movie Memorabilia Collection:

  • Shows love for Robin Williams: “I have the pan costume from Hook and Rufio’s sword… I bought Hook’s hat… the original Jumanji set…” (12:10–12:32)
  • Superman, Batman (George Clooney’s era): “My favourite Batman film is everyone else’s least favourite… Batman and Robin, the George Clooney one.” (13:03)
  • Bought C3PO (from new Star Wars), Goodfellas prop, Batgirl and more.

• Touring & Netflix Special:

  • Ed’s “Loop Tour” coming up: “The two things that make me happiest… are writing songs and playing live.” (13:40)
  • Discusses One Shot with Ed Sheeran: “It’s a show that is all done with one camera and one shot.” (14:06)
  • Inspired by movies like Boiling Point and Adolescence (by Phil Barentini): “We basically organized it to be done in New York, which is an iconic city for music, but also a stressful city to film it.” (14:54)
  • Ed’s hobby: “I’ve been whittling for a few years. It’s like a hobby of mine…” (16:31)

4. Behind the Scenes of “One Shot” with Phil Barentini

[17:35–23:06]

• Process & Challenges:

  • Phil on one-take projects: “I think with a one take… it feels immersive and it’s happening in real time so that the audience [is] going on this journey in real time.” (18:25)
  • “You’re like on the edge of your seat. You don’t enjoy it, you know, at the time. And then you watch it back and it’s like, oh, actually, it looks alright.” (19:31)

• Getting the Project:

  • Phil: “I actually thought it was a scam. Because [Ben Winston] was like, we’ve got this idea for this One Shot with Ed Sheeran.” (19:40)
  • Ed: “I’m not drawn to do music specials… I basically said to Phil, like, either you do it and we make it, or we just move on and nothing gets made.” (20:40)

• Filming in NYC:

  • Insane logistics: “It’s not just like a camera that follows me down the street. We go from a venue into a taxi… a real couple that proposes… play a gig… get on a bus… rush hour traffic… drone footage… subway… then play a gig. And it is mental.” (22:17)

5. Joe Keery: Stranger Things Finale, Family & Costume Weddings

[23:36–30:14]

• Thanksgiving Traditions:

  • Joe: “I got a big family… grew up outside of Boston… unless there’s, like, last year, Finn actually from the show came.” (24:15)
  • He invites friends without a place for Thanksgiving—“If anybody needs a place to go, come on, you can come.” (24:36)

• Viral Scoops Ahoy Wedding:

  • Joe officiated a friend’s wedding in full Steve Harrington “Scoops Ahoy” costume: “I did my hair, actually. I did a pretty good job, actually.” (25:18)
  • The event was a costume party; everyone came dressed up.

• Legacy of Steve Harrington:

  • Jimmy: “Did you have any idea it ended up being such an iconic thing?”
  • Joe: “Oh, yeah. For a good year of my life, I was in that.” (26:27)
  • Costume woes: “The shorts didn’t fit quite the same.” (27:12)

• Stranger Things, Final Season:

  • Volume 1 just released: “No spoilers… but three [episodes]… Four is pretty major.” (27:46)
  • On closure and cast: “You read the scripts and you kind of understand the journey they’re going on… I was just very excited to see certain actors kind of do their thing.” (28:10)
  • On legacy: “He kind of has a change of heart and realizes the error in his ways. And I think right now there’s kind of a lot of opportunity for that, for people to sort of choose to do the right thing… it was just a real pleasure to play for 10 years.” (29:37)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Jimmy Fallon, on Thanksgiving family:
  "Right now, there’s two types of family members you’re dealing with. The relatives who won’t leave and the cousins who went for a walk after dinner and never came back." (01:31)

• Ed Sheeran, on what makes music accessible:
  “I can play four or five chords quite well... Most songs have these four or five chords in. And I think that when I was growing up, music just seemed... it was like reading music. And it was complicated. And I think that music... it can just be felt.” (09:52)

• Phil Barentini, on one-take filmmaking:
  “I just couldn’t take my eyes off the screen… when I make something, I want it to feel immersive and I want it to feel like it’s... happening in real time so that the audience are going on this journey in real time with these people.” (18:25)

• Joe Keery, on his character’s legacy:
  “I think the thing I loved about the character and love that they gave me is that he kind of has a change of heart and realizes the error in his ways... And the show is about a group of outcasts that come together and you can be from all walks of life, but I just love that the character kind of makes that choice.” (29:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Monologue: 00:57–04:12
• Thank You Notes: 05:05–07:02
• Ed Sheeran Interview Part 1 (Thanksgiving, Career): 07:23–13:54
• Ed Sheeran Interview Part 2 (Netflix Special): 13:55–17:12
• Phil Barentini Interview (“One Shot” Director): 17:35–23:06
• Joe Keery Interview (Thanksgiving, Stranger Things, Wedding): 23:36–30:14

Tone and Highlights

The tone is light, playful, and heartfelt—Jimmy steering with self-deprecating humor, blending cultural jabs with genuine admiration for guests. Ed Sheeran is laid-back, reflective, and quick-witted; Joe Keery radiates warmth and humility; Phil Barentini comes across as passionate and a craftsman. Memorable for fans and non-listeners alike: a breezy, behind-the-scenes peek at how major entertainment gets made, with a thick helping of holiday camaraderie.