Senate Ends Shutdown Showdown | Billy Bob Thornton, Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele and Nicholas Christopher | Monday, November 10

Summary

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Episode Summary

Date: November 11, 2025
Main Guests: Billy Bob Thornton, Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, Nicholas Christopher

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Overview

This energetic episode blends sharp political satire, quirky pop culture commentary, live music challenges, and heartfelt celebrity interviews. Jimmy Fallon leads with jokes on the end of the government shutdown and viral news stories, then welcomes an eclectic mix of talent: Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton discusses music, movies, and personal stories, while Broadway stars Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, and Nicholas Christopher reflect on theatrical milestones and give playful insights into their vocal rituals and new production, Chess.

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Monologue & Topical Jokes

[01:10–06:50]

• Main Theme: The government's longest-ever shutdown has ended, inspiring a running joke about politicians reacting to buzzwords, spun into absurd puns.

• Notable Political Riff: Jimmy strings lawmaker soundalikes into increasingly surreal punchlines, e.g.

  "Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said, 'Does someone say K pop demon hunters? Anyway, I'm stoked. It's all restarting.'"
  (02:26)

• Trump & The Commanders:

  • Trump’s push to name the Washington Commanders’ new stadium after himself is lampooned:

    "It was either that or changing the team's name to the Washington Orange Skins."
    (03:35)

  • Only flight taking off:

    "Air Force One did a flyover above the stadium... that was the only plane that took off yesterday."
    (03:51)

• Pop Culture & Viral Trends:

  • Starbucks’ viral barista cup causes mayhem:

    "Employees called headquarters like, we have a large problem. Sorry, we have a venti problem."
    (04:31)

  • Viral TikTok Gen Z "do nothing" challenge:

    "Or as your grandparents call that, life."
    (06:30)

• "Hot Monster" Netflix Gag:

  • Rapid-fire satirical rap on modern Hollywood sexifying monsters (audience participation):

    "You know we're living in a different time when the scary movie villain's looking oh so fine. Frankenstein's green skin and ghostly moans got replaced with bice and high cheekbones."
    (05:15)

  • Ends in chuckles about spontaneous rapping by the audience.

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News & Improved: Photo Caption Game

[06:50–08:42]

• Jimmy and Billy Bob Thornton riff on improving dry news headlines with absurd and relatable interpretations:
  • Family leaves Target:

    "Family leaves target without spending over $300."
    (07:09)

  • Prince William:

    "Want to feel old? This is what the Rizzler looks like now."
    (07:41)

  • King Charles:

    "Old man feeds flock of Cardinals."
    (08:07)

  • Mini Golf:

    "Mini golf course introduces final hole."
    (08:36)

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Segment: Battle of the Instant Songwriters

[09:13–15:19]

• Concept: Two audience members, Mira Hausey and John Seale, get an hour to write original songs with bizarre titles, then perform them live.

• Contestant #1: Mira Hausey

  • Song: "If I Start the Wave, Would You Stand Up?"
    • Upbeat, sports/friendship anthem.
    • Lyrics sample:

      "I'm not asking for forever I don't need your true love but if I start the wave Tell me, would you, would you stand up?"
      (11:25)

    • Performance is warmly received and wins the contest.

• Contestant #2: John Seal

  • Song: "I Think My Girlfriend's Cake"
    • Quirky, topical reference to viral 'is it cake?' videos.
    • Lyrics sample:

      "She's extra squeamish around knives and some have even called her dense / Sugar and spice and all things nice / Thought she was made for me / I didn't think I'd have to eat a slice to verify the recipe."
      (13:24)

• Prize: Both contestants receive 'I Love Music' sweatshirts, Tonight Show notebooks, and $1,000 checks.

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Interview: Billy Bob Thornton

[15:36–24:35]

• On The Boxmasters (his band):

  • 20-year anniversary, opened for The Who (one of 'top three' bands ever).

    "There are only four bands... that have had a standing ovation in front of the Who. And we got one in Miami."
    (17:09)

• Early Music Roots:

  • First song written at age three ("Cat on a Rat Box").
  • Inspired by his uncle, a carpenter and part-time musician.
  • Met Elvis Presley as a child, shaken hand through a bus window:

    "Elvis didn’t get off the bus... my mom held me up to the window and Elvis shook my hand when I was three years old."
    (21:04)

• On the film Bad Santa:

  • Feels 'ownership' of the Santa image during the holidays.

    "I kind of feel ownership... I see all these Santas in windows and stuff, and I'm like, well, hang on a second. That's my deal."
    (22:00)

  • Bad Santa 3 is a possibility, finally heard a promising pitch.

• About Landman (Paramount+ series):

  • Taylor Sheridan wrote the part for Thornton after a cameo in '1883'. Sheridan’s writing praised for voice authenticity.
  • Season two will focus on deeper family dynamics and the business's executive side, including cartel conflicts:

    "We get to dig deeper into the family relationships and the sort of executive side of the business and how you have to deal with a cartel every now and then."
    (24:14)

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Interview: Chess Broadway Cast (Aaron Tveit, Lea Michele, Nicholas Christopher)

[25:01–32:27]

• Lea Michele’s Broadway Roots:

  • Debuted at Imperial Theatre in Les Misérables as a child; now performing Chess at the same spot, 30 years later.

    "What's crazy is... behind me in that photo in 1996 is the Chess Playbill... now you're in Chess."
    (26:48)

• Aaron Tveit’s Broadway Inspiration:

  • Saw Ragtime as a student, featuring Michele; foreshadows working together.

• Cast Dynamics:

  • Christopher and Tveit recently worked together (Sweeney Todd); chemistry carries over.

• Casting Connections:

  • Jonathan Groff tipped Michele off to Tveit for the role:

    "He was like, you have to call Aaron Tveit."
    (28:21)

• About Chess:

  • Music by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, lyrics by Tim Rice.

    "Amazing pop music in the vein of ABBA with Tim's... theatrical lyrics."
    (29:15)

  • Plot centers on a 1979 world chess championship as metaphor for Cold War tensions.

• Vocal Warm-ups:

  • Playful exchange; Lea demonstrates a siren slide, Aaron shares a musical wordplay warmup, Nicholas offers a jaw-tension shaker. All cajole Jimmy into joining in:

    Lea: "All the warmups are, like, really weird. Shout out to my vocal coach, Eric Vitro. I love you." (30:24)
    Nicholas: "You gotta kinda, like, loosen it up a little bit... get the jaw tension out." (31:22)

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Notable Quotes & Favorite Moments

• Billy Bob Thornton, on playing for The Who:

  "There are only four bands... with a standing ovation in front of the Who. And we got one in Miami." (17:09)

• On Bad Santa:

  "I kind of feel ownership... when I see all these Santas in windows... that's my deal." (22:00)

• Lea Michele, on her Chess/Broadway link:

  "...behind me in that photo in 1996 is the Chess Playbill... now you're in Chess." (26:48)

• Aaron Tveit, on the show’s creators:

  "...Benny and Bjorn of ABBA fame…with Tim Rice lyrics... The Lion King. Ever heard of The Lion King?" (29:12)

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Key Timestamps

• Monologue starts: 01:10
• Rap on 'Hot' Netflix Monsters: 05:15
• News & Improved: 06:50
• Battle of the Instant Songwriters: 09:13
• Billy Bob Thornton Interview begins: 15:36
• Chess Cast Interview: 25:01

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Tone & Style

Zany, improvisational, and warmth-driven as always—Jimmy Fallon’s signature mix of topical wit, collaborative play among guests, and undercurrents of showbiz nostalgia and awe. The interactions are lively, supportive, and often irreverent, with celebrities contributing both comedic and heartfelt moments.

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Conclusion

This Tonight Show episode offers the quintessential late-night mix—topical comedy, buzzworthy pop culture, earnest musical creativity, and feel-good Broadway nostalgia. The guests’ chemistry, especially in their candid, off-the-cuff moments and playful warm-up routines, gives the audience a vibrant peek behind show business’s glitzy curtain.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6B in Rockefeller Central in the heart of New York City, it's a Tonight show starring Jimmy Tallon. Hey, hey, hey. Tonight, join Jimmy to stamps Billy, Matt Burton, Eric Tavate, Leah McDowell, and Nicholas Prince. And featuring these legendary roots. Two, two, one, one. And now, here he is. Jimmy. That's what I'm talking about. Hi. Welcome, everybody. Enjoy yourself. Welcome, everybody.

Welcome.

Welcome to the Tonight Show. This is it.

Well, guys, here's some big news. After 40 days, senators finally agreed on a deal to end the longest government shutdown in history. Yeah. And besides, every airport turning into a real life squid game, no harm done. That'll be fine. Yep. After the longest shutdown in history, the government is close to reopening. Check out what some lawmakers had to say about it. First up, speaker of the House Mike Johnson said, it's time to reopen the government. All of this fighting is getting old, man. Congressman John Larson said, did someone say old man? Sorry, I thought you were talking about me. Anyway, it's time to reopen, even though the details are a little fuzzy. And Congressman John Rutherford said, Did someone say a little fuzzy? Sorry, I thought you were talking about me. Anyway, to every person getting the sun, I'd like to thank each. Then Senator Roger Marshall said, did someone say accidentally drank bleach? Anyway, seems like the end is looming. Who knew? Then Senator Ruben Gallego said, did somebody say human Labubu? Anyway, our military needs to get paid. They're our tip top freedom lovers. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said, Does someone say K pop demon hunters? Anyway, I'm stoked. It's all restarting. And Congressman Roger Williams said, did someone say stone Paul McCartney? Anyway, we gotta be frank this time. Go, team. And Senator John Fetterman said, does somebody say Frankenstein with a goatee? Anyway, it's a scary view, but let's not be choosy. And Congressman Pat Harrigan said, this embassy is staring at you from across the Jacuzzi.

Oh, my go.

Oh, yeah. Anyway, it's also. It's also stirring and new and awesome, like a movie. Then Congressman Mike Ruley said, did someone say, also staring at you from across a Jacuzzi? Anyway, there hasn't been this much turmoil since back in 67. And finally, the youngest member of Congress, Maxwell Frost, said, did someone say six?

There you go, Derek.

If you're having trouble hearing, if they can't hear.

Thank you. That was a rat.

It's not me. That's some good writing. Some more political news. According to a report, Trump is pushing the Washington Commanders to name their new stadium after him. It was either that or changing the team's name to the Washington Orange Skins. You'll know Trump got his way with the new stadium when the retractable roof looks like this. Meanwhile, last night, Trump attended the Washington Commanders home game against the Detroit Lions. And before the game, Air Force One did a flyover above the stadium. Yeah, it was historic because that was the only plane that took off yesterday. Switching gears, Starbucks new viral barista cup sold out immediately, and now people are reselling it online for hundreds of dollars. Yeah, apparently cups are causing long lines and fights. Employees called headquarters like, we have a large problem. Sorry, we have a venti problem. Thank you.

Wow, some entertainment this weekend.

Frankenstein was released on Netflix. That movie's great, but get this. Some people are saying that the monster played by Jacob Elordi is too hot.

You said it, Jimmy.

Wait, sorry, ma'. Am. You actually noticed this?

Oh, yeah, and I'd love to come.

Down and rap about it. Well, I mean, you start, Jimmy. You know we're living in a different.

Time when the scary movie villains looking oh so fine Frankenstein's green skin and ghostly moans Got replaced with bice and.

High cheekbones Nosferatu, man, even he can get it.

Dude lives with rats but looks like.

Tom Selleck the two in together made one heart throb Aunt Gladys got me.

Crazy with that shake and go ball she's got a winning smile Silver fox with a song.

What about long legs?

Those legs were long Face feet weight snatched Michael B. Jordan back to back.

I'm so confused.

What's Hollywood after? Just wait till you see what they did to Casper. Spooky season's over, but there's still time. You can Netflix and chill with Frankenstein. I didn't know who that was.

People were just rapping.

Wow. People could just come down and rap. People were just rapping out of the.

Audience and they kept their own microphone. I know what's going on.

Crazy. Anyone else want to rap? No, no, no, no, no.

Guys, I read that Carnival passengers are suing the cruise line over an alleged bedbug infestation on. On their ship. Carnival's like bedbugs. Trust us, you got off easy. Hey, listen to this. Gen Z is posting tiktoks of a new challenge where they do nothing but sit in silence for as long as they can. Or as your grandparents call that, life. And finally, guys, do you ever see a photo in the news and think, well, that headline could be better? Well, you're gonna take care of that right now. It's Time for news and improved here.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

We.

[Jimmy Fallon]

For example, check out this first photo here. The original headline was mamdani wins. That headline could definitely be improved because if you only looked at the photo, the headline could have been family leaves target without spending over $300.

We did it.

His next headline was marco Rubio travels to Japan. The headline could have been, boy realizing all his friends stopped playing hide and seek three hours ago. Up next, this headline says, president Trump participates in signing ceremony. Headline could have been international water bottle conference a success. His next headline was dodgers celebrate. The headline could have been man wins World series of sass.

Sass.

Next headline was german chancellor visits Dresden. Headline could have been, guy taking way too long to say something nice about a gift he just opened. It's. It's nice. Next headline was prince William attends climate summit. Headline could have been want to feel old? This is what the Rizzler looks like now. Next headline was Lakers defeat Spurs. Headline could have been, game halted as Sydney Sweeney appears on Jumbotron. Next headline was king Charles meets at the Vatican. Headline could have been, old man feeds flock of Cardinals.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Pretty good.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And finally, this headline was new display lands in Paris. Headline could have been mini golf course introduces final hole.

That's all the time we have for news and improve. We have a great show. The star of the hit series Landman, Billy Bob Thornton is here tonight. Plus Aaron Tveit, Liam Michelle, and Nicholas Christopher from the Broadway cast of Chess are here to talk. Stick around. We'll be right back with battle of the instant songwriter.

[The Roots (Questlove)]

Let's go second and none official talent for me to be champion.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Welcome back, everybody.

Here at the tonight show, we love songs and we especially love songs written by our audience members. In under an hour, it's time for battle of the instant songwriters. Here we go. Welcome to battle of the instant songwriters. Before the show, we went through our audience and picked out two people who said that they were musicians. We gave them each a made up song title and gave them an hour to write an original song based on that title. Here's a shot of them practicing a minute ago. There you go. Let's see what they came up with and meet them right now.

Come on over, guys. Welcome. Hi.

How you doing? Hey, bud.

Welcome to the show.

Thanks for being here. Contestant number one, what is your name and where are you from?

[Mira Hausey]

My name is Mira Hausey and I'm from Michigan.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, Come on, love Michigan.

Thanks, Mira. Mira, what was the title that you were given?

[Mira Hausey]

If I start the wave, would you stand up?

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's a Beautiful title.

[Mira Hausey]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What instrument will we be playing?

[Mira Hausey]

Piano.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Piano. I love this. All right, go and head over to the stage there and get ready and we'll get in the zone. This is fantastic. Excited about this?

Wow.

I start the wave, Would you stand up? That's fantastic. All right, ladies and gentlemen, here to perform the world premiere of the soon to be classic, if I start the wave, Would you stand up? It's Meera Housie.

[Mira Hausey]

Hey, whatcha doin'? Are you busy right now? I got two tickets if you might be down I wanna hit this third leg of my parlay Watching the lions.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Play.

[Mira Hausey]

And we could drink a six pack Or I could stare at yours Whatever happens, kick back, watch me yell at the store it really doesn't matter if I like you that much Just promise you'll go crazy when my favorite teams up I'm not asking for forever I don't need your true love but if I start the waves Tell me, would you, would you stand up? Would you stand up? Stand up.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on. Fantastic. Mira. Great job. Give it up for Mira once again. That was incredible.

Well done. Well done.

Fantastic.

Let's meet contestant number two. What's your name and where you from? My name's John Seal. I'm from Macon, Georgia.

Hey, welcome.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

From Georgia.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We love Georgia. Tell everyone what your song title is. I Think My Girlfriend's Cake. It's a big question. A lot of people, my people are asking that currently. It's very topical. I Think My Girlfriend's Cake. And what instrument will you be playing? I'll be playing guitar. All right, go for it, buddy. Get in the zone and we'll be ready for your song.

Wow.

I think My girlfriend's cake wow. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the world premiere of I Think My Girlfriend's Cake by John Seale.

[John Seale]

I never thought that I'd be fooled but now I'm not so sure I think my situation might be bleaker than carrot cake shaped like a sneaker I think I made a big mistake I think my girlfriend might be cake oh, when it comes time for dessert she always takes offense she's extra squeamish around knives and some have even called her dance sugar and spice and all things nice Thought she was made for me I didn't think I'd have to eat a slice to verify the recipe.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I.

[John Seale]

Think I made a big mistake I think my girlfriend might decay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well done. Well done. Come on over, bud. That was great. Fantastic job. Both of these. Well done.

That was fantastic. Thank you. All right, now it's time to see who wins. So we're gonna let our great audience decide the winner. That's right. Yes. Was it contestant number one?

Or was it contestant number two? Wait. A gift to contestant number one. Mira, you're the winner. Congratulations.

You'll be going home with an I Love Music sweatshirts.

Let's go.

Yeah. And you'll also be getting a Tonight show notebook for writing more songs and a check for $1,000.

Keep writing. Thank you for doing this. Thank you for being here. Thank you. I love you. I got a hug. That's amazing.

But no one goes home empty handed. Our other contestant will also get a I Love Music sweatshirt. You will also get a Tonight show notebook with $1,000. Congratulations, buddy.

You're awesome. Both of you guys are fantastic.

Thank you so much for doing this.

That's it for Battle of Vincent. Songwriters, stick around. We'll be right back with Billy Bob Thornton. Come on back. It was great.

[The Roots (Questlove)]

Thank you, Roots.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our first guest is an Oscar and Golden Globe winner starring in the series Landman. Season two premieres this Sunday on Paramount.

Please welcome Billy Bob Thornton. That's right. We love you. Come on, Billy Bob. Welcome back to the show.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

What's going on, Jimmy?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's always good right there to see it. I want to get into Landman. Congrats. I love season one. I want to talk about that, but I want to talk about your band, the Boxmasters.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah. Can I get something out of the way first? Of course. Cal Poly. Go Mustangs. My daughter Bella goes there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There you go.

You got to do that.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I got to do that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You got to do that.

Smart man. I was going to talk about your band. Yeah, that.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Because.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How long you been in this band?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

The Boxmasters have been together for 20 years.

[Jimmy Fallon]

20 years.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

20 years. We just finished a tour a few weeks ago.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, that's what we want to talk to you about. You open up for the who.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

We did open for the who. Yes, we did.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on. That's awesome. It's.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

It's amazing because, I mean, we've opened for a lot of people over the years, like ZZ Top and Steve Miller and Elvis Costello and George Thurgood.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

And that's awesome.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

But the who are one of the top three bands of all time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

All time.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

So it's pretty daunting.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah, pretty.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And do people enjoy you seeing a band warm up for the whole.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

You know what? They said that there are only four bands. Their manager Bill told us. He said four bands that have had a standing ovation in Front of the who. And we got one in Miami.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No way. That's entire.

That's gotta feel good.

That's so fun.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

It was awesome.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How big are arenas? What are you talking about?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

They're arenas. Yeah, yeah, you know, 25.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is it different playing those arenas than.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Playing like, you know, people always say this, like, I mean. Cause we played a lot of those big, you know, shows and festivals and all that kind of stuff. And people think that those are the ones that scare the hell out of you, but really those. Because the audience you only see like you know, 10 or 12 rows back.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, exactly.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Those are actually easier as far as I'm concerned. It's when you're playing a coffee shop, doing your new tunes for like 170.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Checking their watch and you go, hey, I can see you, man, come on.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Those are the hard ones.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, that's the.

Right.

But before acting though, you were always into music. Music was your thing.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I grew up in the music business, went to LA to play music. Accidentally became an actor somehow. I can't even explain it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm happy you made that decision. I am happy. Yeah, I love it.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

It turned out awesome, but yeah, it was. And I. And you know, still touring. Been touring since I was 16 and still do that. And we've become an underground sensation.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. When did you write your first song? Do you remember that?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I absolutely remember it. My uncle was a country musician. His name was Don Faulkner and he, I mean, you know, local guy. He was a carpenter and played on the weekends and stuff.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is this in Arkansas?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

In Arkansas, yes. And he was. He played a Telecaster left hand. He was a left handed guy but he played a right handed guitar. Like Hendrix, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, Hendrix.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

And he got me a little guitar. Might have had a picture of Roy Rogers on it or something, I don't remember.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How old are you?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I was three. And I was this fat little three year old and with quite a weird head of hair. And I wrote my first song at three. And you know, remember those things that when you go to the circus and they have that round deal that goes out like this, the elephants put their foot on and do their tricks?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I had a little toy one made out of tan with circus pictures around it. I stood on that and I jumped up and down and banged on that little guitar, not knowing what I was doing. And I wrote a song and it was. It's probably not good to sound tv, but I'll do it anyway. I wrote a song that had one line.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

But it was repeated over and over kind of like hanky panky.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

It was called Cat on a Rat Box.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We can't say that. Yeah, yeah. Cat your first three years old.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Three years old. Cat on a rat box. I don't know what that means. I don't know what a rat box is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What is a rat box?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I don't know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

And where did you happen to even hear that?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Well, because my, my dad, you know, when you're a kid, you hear your parents say stuff and, and so when you, when you start cursing, you don't even know what it means yet, you know, but my dad would, you know, drop a hammer and go, you know, you know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

But.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, look at you now. Yeah, yeah. There. Now you're the star. You don't need to get on that stage or. I'm on stage now. Yeah.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Owe it all to my dad's cursing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You tell me, you tell me backstage that you met Elvis Presley once. Do you mind telling the audience this?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah, this is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's unbelievable.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

It's a weird story. So this is in Arkansas. I lived in a little town called Alpine, 110 people in the valley. We had one store. It was the store, the post office and had a gas pump. And when Elvis went to the army, and you can do the math and you'll find out exactly how old I am. But anyway, once again, around three years old, the bus that Elvis was going on from up north, Arkansas down to Louisiana, where he was going to go into the army. Fort Polk, I guess it was.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Anyway, they stopped at that little gas station and let the guys stretch their legs and get a Coke or whatever they were going to do. And this was in the old days when the buses like each window rolled down. Right. Well, Elvis didn't get off the bus. Now. I don't remember this. My mom told me all of it and she held me up to the window and Elvis shook my hand when I was three years old. Yeah. So it's pretty cool.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He was like, hey, man, I heard that song, man. It's a little dirty, but.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah, exactly. He did cover it later.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, of course he did.

Yeah. I have to ask you because the holiday seasons are. It's coming upon us now it's almost Thanksgiving and I gotta ask about Bad Santa because it's so good. You're so good in that movie. That's fantastic. Has it changed the holidays for you?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Do people a little bit. I kind of feel ownership when I see like we're passing by FAO Schwarz or one of the places today, we're, you know, driving down the street here, and I see all these Santas in windows and stuff, and I kind of feel ownership. And when I see them, I'm like, well, hang on a second. That's my deal.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're wearing my outfit. Santa. Yeah. Is there any possibility of bad Santa 3? Would you do it again?

[Billy Bob Thornton]

There's been talk of it, and my manager said there'd been probably 50 pitches, and they were all horrible. And finally, just a couple of weeks ago, he heard one that he really likes. So there is a possibility of a bad time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's what I'm talking about. Oh, I'd love to see that. I love anything you're in. You were great in Landman. Congratulations on Landman. Oh, my gosh. This was like the first. It was the biggest show. Biggest show to ever premiere on Paramount. Plus, congratulations on that.

Thank you.

It was fantastic. Everyone was great in that. I love Jon Hamm, you know, but you're great in this. This Taylor Sheridan, who's. I don't know him, but I'm assuming he's brilliant.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

He is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He is.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

He writes great stories and great dialogue.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I didn't know I knew him. Years ago, Lauren told me to watch Hell or High Water.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You ever seen that movie? Is a great, really good movie. And I was like, oh, my gosh. And so I was like, that's where I knew him from. But this guy just keeps coming up with ideas.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

He does.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He wrote this part for you.

Wow.

Did you just know him or.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Well, I'd done a cameo in 1883. He called me and he said, I wrote this cameo, and I really want you to do it. And all you got to do is come down to Fort Worth over the weekend, because I was working on something else. Come to Fort Worth over the weekend, come in a saloon, shoot everybody in there, and leave. And I said, okay, I'll do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So anyway, I can do that one, man. Come on. It's easy. That's all in today's work.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Wouldn't be the first time. So I went down and did that. And when they had the premiere in Las Vegas, he said, I want to write a show around you. And he explained the show and what the character was. I was really intrigued when I got the. He said, I want to write it in your voice, because I think I have it. And when I read the first script, I said, you know, I'll be dog if you didn't. Didn't have the voice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow, that's amazing. Anything to Say about season two or no spoilers.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Well, I can say this much. I mean, the first season, we had to explain the oil business and then introduce all the characters and all that kind of thing. This year, since the audience knows the characters, we get to dig deeper into the family relationships and the sort of executive side of the business and how you have to deal with a cartel every now and then.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on. That's how you do it.

Billy Bob Thornton, everybody. Season two of Ladman premieres this Sunday on Paramount. We're talking to the cast of Broadway's Chess when we come back.

[Aaron Tveit]

Stick around.

[The Roots (Questlove)]

The rap special sound roll long enough enough to be considered a gown. Door brim. Yes, sir.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[The Roots (Questlove)]

Now, let's. Let's go.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our next guests are the stars of.

The big new Broadway revival of the musical Chess, which is now playing at the Imperial Theater. Please welcome Aaron Tveit, Lea Michelle, and Nicholas Christopher.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.

Hi, Leah. How's your mom doing, by the way?

[Lea Michele]

My mom is great. Our parents know each other.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Give her my vest.

I will.

[Lea Michele]

She's obsessed with you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love her.

[Lea Michele]

And your dad.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, and my dad, too. Aaron, Nick, this is your debut on the Tonight show, so welcome to the show.

Yeah. Thank you very much. Thank you. This is so exciting.

[Nicholas Christopher]

Like, it was shows like this that were my window to the Broadway world growing up. So it's surreal to be here right now.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We're so lucky to get Broadway actors and musicians to come on our show. So thank you so much for doing this and everyone out there watching. Go see this play. It's pretty awesome. I want to talk about this play, but also talk about the theater. This is the Imperial Theater, and this is where young Lea Michele made her debut.

[Lea Michele]

Yes. 30 years ago. No, don't tell anybody.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is it 30?

I won't say anything.

30 years ago. 30 years in Les Mis.

[Lea Michele]

Yeah, it was my Broadway debut.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Look, this is little baby. Come on.

[Lea Michele]

I know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But then look at Ben. Here you are, the same theater, the Imperial. And here you took a photo in the exact same spot.

[Lea Michele]

Wait. But look, what's crazy is behind me in that photo in 1996 is the chess Playbill.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Whoa.

[Lea Michele]

And I had no idea. And then someone showed me this picture. I didn't remember where in the theater it was taken. And Nick and I went to the theater a few weeks ago for a little bit, and I turned, and I was like, oh, my gosh, there is the spot that I took this picture 30 years ago. So Nick took this picture of me. And now you're in the look at that playbill behind me. I mean, that's what it is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're in chess.

[Lea Michele]

I'm in chess.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's a statement.

It's all meant to be.

It's all meant to be. I know. Wow.

[Lea Michele]

That's kind of crazy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Aaron, you said one of your first Broadway shows that you saw was Ragtime.

[Aaron Tveit]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was in the 90s, and Leah was in that show.

[Aaron Tveit]

Yes. I was really fortunate because I grew up just, like, upstate, you know, and I got to see Broadway shows with school groups, which was an amazing thing. And one of the early shows that I saw that made a big impression was Ragtime. And it was during the first year when the original cast was there, so I saw Leah in Ragtime.

[Lea Michele]

You remembered my entire performance.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, I remembered.

[Aaron Tveit]

When you walked on stage, I was like, this is the. We're gonna do chess together in 35 years.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Nick, before you started working on the show, you and Aaron were just together in Sweeney tonight.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So does it feel like you have a shorthand when you're doing Chess?

[Nicholas Christopher]

Yeah, I mean, we got to deepen our relationship definitely through this process. And during Sweeney, I was the first kill, so I was on stage for about, like, 25 minutes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my God. It still counts. Yeah, it still counts.

[Nicholas Christopher]

And I like to think that I get my revenge on him and Chess.

[Aaron Tveit]

You definitely get me back this time.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Around, so that's good.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah. Lee, I heard that one of your best friends and one of our favorites, Jonathan Groff, had something to do with the casting.

[Lea Michele]

I know. I can't go any. I can't do anything without talking about him.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, me neither. Yeah, we bring. We bring Jonathan, and we're obsessed with Jonathan.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

We really are.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, he's the best. Hi, Jonathan.

[Lea Michele]

No. Well, yeah. When this whole project was sort of coming together, I knew that Nick was, you know, hopefully going to be on board, which I was so excited about. And we were looking for someone to play this character, Freddie, which Aaron now plays. And if you know this show, you know, it's some of the hardest singing. It's so hard and very complicated and has this crazy range, but his role in particular. And I called Jonathan, and I was like, if we can't find the right, most perfect person to play this part, then we literally can't do this show. He was like, you have to call Aaron Tveit. And so I got his number from his wife, called him, and here we are now.

[Aaron Tveit]

And now I'm sending Jonathan 10% of my weekly Songs.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no, don't give him.

Don't give him any. But the songs are beautiful and brilliant. Can you tell everyone who wrote these songs?

[Aaron Tveit]

Yeah, it's Benny and Bjorn of ABBA fame. Benny Anderson and Bjorn and. Yeah, so it's ABBA music with Tim Rice. Lyrics, Tim, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, a little thing called the Lion King.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my. Yeah, yeah. Ever heard of the Lion King?

[Aaron Tveit]

It's an amazing combination of, you know, amazing pop music in the vein of ABBA with Tim's, you know, theatrical lyrics.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Tim Rice, Benny and Bjorn from abba. Come on.

I'm freaking out.

And Tess and chess.

Yeah, yeah.

How do we set up what the show is about?

[Lea Michele]

Yeah, that's where I let Aaron take over.

[Aaron Tveit]

So, basically, chess is a story that revolves around a world championship chess match in 1979, and it's looking at lots of geopolitical climate between Russia and the United States in the Cold War, and. Yep, sounds super fun, but. No, what it does is it takes this chess match between these two grandmasters who are going for the World Championship, and hopefully it's holding a bit of a lens up to our society and we get to look at kind of things that are happening in our world today, but told with this amazing music.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do you have any vocal warmups that you do or.

[Lea Michele]

Well, first of all, I mean, you did your play, which was amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you.

[Lea Michele]

Is a musical next?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, Maybe I'll do a musical next. If I could do a musical for seven days, I'm in.

[Lea Michele]

So then we'll do our warmup. And then will you do it, too?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, yes.

[Lea Michele]

So you'll, like, pass the test?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

Yes. Thank you.

[Lea Michele]

So all the warmups are, like, really weird. Shout out to my vocal coach, Eric Vitro. I love you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I love Eric Vitro.

[Lea Michele]

He's great, right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Lea Michele]

Okay, see, then you know what you're gonna do. So my number one warmup that I do all the time before I go on is I do a little, like. What is it, like a siren or a slide?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Sort of.

[Lea Michele]

So it goes. Hey, should I turn the mic?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, turn it off.

[Lea Michele]

Come on, let's hear it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'll work on it.

[Nicholas Christopher]

A little crunchy in there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, a little crunchy up.

[Aaron Tveit]

So mine's a little bit of wordplay, as it goes, but it's a little bit of singing, too. So it goes.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

Think, think, think, think, think, think Merrily.

[Aaron Tveit]

Merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream.

[Lea Michele]

You got that?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Think, think, think, think, think, think Merrily.

Merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.

That's it. Wow. It's almost like Simon playing Simon.

That is helpful.

That's good.

I will take that for you. All right.

[Nicholas Christopher]

You're looking a little stiff while you're doing that.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay.

[Nicholas Christopher]

You gotta kinda, like, loosen it up a little bit, right? So you wanna get the jaw tension now. So clasp your hands like this and just shake your hands as fast as you can. It's easy.

[Lea Michele]

Come on, Jamie, you got this.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know, with this Internet these days.

I don't want to do this. Let go. Let go. This is what it takes to be on Broadway. Jimmy, do you want to be on Broadway?

Yes, I want to be on Broadway.

Yes.

Yes.

I just need a musical. Yes.

[Lea Michele]

This is what we do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do it one more time. Come on.

[Nicholas Christopher]

Let's all do it together.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Two, three.

[Billy Bob Thornton]

I got it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Here we go. We're famous. We're famous now and today. Lea Michele, Nicholas Christopher Chess is playing at the Imperial Theater. Stick around. How cool is that? Chess?

[The Roots (Questlove)]

It's the elephant in the room created by a collision of the sun and the moon. My sonogram's the image of a gun in the womb. It's soon to be looper than hero hanger. Mess with the woof banger. I spanked her. You get shanked and tanked and I'm you. I am, I am boots.

[Jimmy Fallon]

My name is Billy Bob Gordon. Aaron Tveit, Liam Michelle, Nicholas Christopher and the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ladies and gentlemen. Good night, everybody. As I go, huh? Get into it.

[The Roots (Questlove)]

And you say New York City just let no run the best.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's right. Tonight. God is so hard working Mr. Dynamite. Work, work, work, work, work, work, work. Yeah, baby.

[The Roots (Questlove)]

We going up.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, going up. Y work. Let's get it M thanks for listening.

To the Tonight show starring Jenny Fallon.

Fallon.

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