Trump Jeopardizes U.S. Alliances | Kevin Bacon, Amanda Peet, Louis McCartney, Preacher Lawson | Tuesday, April 1

Summary

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – April 1, 2025

Release Date: April 2, 2025

Hosts and Guests:

• Host: Jimmy Fallon (NBC Universal)
• Guests: Kevin Bacon, Amanda Peet, Louis McCartney, Preacher Lawson
• Special Mention: Legendary Ruth Kurt

---

Monologue: April Fool’s Day and Political Satire

Timestamp: 00:05 - 04:18

Jimmy Fallon kicked off the episode from Studio 6P at Rockefeller Center, highlighting the night’s theme centered around April Fool's Day. He humorously addressed the day’s significance, emphasizing the blend of real and spoof news that April Fool’s often brings.

Fallon delved into current political news, particularly focusing on President Trump's announcement of sweeping new tariffs dubbed "Liberation Day." He contrasted this with the stock market’s cynical take, referring to it as "Inebriation Day."

Notable Quotes:

• Kevin Bacon's one-word response: “2118.” [00:26]
• Fallon on Trump’s tariffs: “Trump's calling tomorrow Liberation Day while every stockbroker is calling it Inebriation Day.” [02:10]

Fallon humorously portrayed the negative impact of these tariffs on various businesses:

• Sony: "Tariffs are going to hurt our business. Trump's plan will mean that TVs, headphones, and cameras will cost more for consumers." [01:30]
• Honda: "The tariffs will make cars more expensive and our business will suffer." [01:35]
• Radio Shack: "The tariffs are why we have fallen on hard times suddenly." [01:45]

He continued with a satirical take on Trump's executive order to halt price gouging on concert tickets, juxtaposing it with a simultaneous recall of egg beaters contaminated with cleaning solution—a nod to classic April Fool's pranks.

Transitioning into business news, Fallon joked about the retirement of the CEO overseeing Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell, playfully linking it to the flying of flags at half-mast at the White House.

In sports, Fallon referenced the New York Yankees' record-tying 15 home runs in three days, introducing the topic of controversial new "Torpedo bats" allegedly giving players an unfair advantage.

---

Kevin Bacon on "The Bondsman"

Timestamp: 04:18 - 07:02

Kevin Bacon, a Golden Globe winner, joined Jimmy Fallon to discuss his new series, "The Bondsman," premiering on Prime Video. Bacon shared insights into his character—a bail bondsman who, after being murdered, returns to life to work for the devil, hunting demons.

Notable Quotes:

• Bacon on the show's premise: "I play a guy who is working as a bail bondsman, but I'm an ex-musician. I haven’t picked up the guitar in like 15 years... I realize that I’ve gone to hell and back." [14:35]
• Fallon praising Bacon: "Kevin Bacon is here tonight and he always brings it. He's the best." [05:00]

Bacon recounted nostalgic moments from past sketches with Fallon and Preacher Lawson, reminiscing about their collaborative history since 2015. Their camaraderie and long-standing partnership were evident, highlighting memorable sketches like "Blowing in the Wind with Kira Sedgwick" and tributes to legends like John Belushi.

---

Amanda Peet on "You, Friends and Neighbors"

Timestamp: 16:07 - 22:19

Amanda Peet appeared to discuss her new series, "You, Friends and Neighbors," set to premiere on Apple TV on April 11th. The conversation veered into personal anecdotes, particularly focusing on April Fool’s Day pranks and her enduring marriage.

Notable Quotes:

• Peet on her April Fool’s prank: "The best prank was being set up on a blind date with my husband by this lovely writer named Peter Blake." [16:58]
• Fallon congratulating Peet: "Congratulations on the award. This is your first movie in almost 10 years." [21:05]

Peet shared a heartwarming story about how her husband, David, was set up on a blind date through a prank email on April Fool’s Day, which ultimately led to a 20-year marriage and three children. She humorously recounted moments of parenting teenage daughters and the dynamics of keeping peace at home.

Peet also discussed her new Apple TV series, detailing her role as the ex-wife of a finance bro turned robber. The show, already renewed for a second season, promises suspense and familial drama intertwined with subtle humor.

---

Louis McCartney on Broadway’s "Stranger Things: The First Shadow"

Timestamp: 22:19 - 28:47

Irish actor Louis McCartney joined the show to discuss his role as Henry Creel in the Broadway production, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow," currently playing at the Marquis Theater. McCartney described the production as a prequel, offering fans a deeper dive into the lore of the beloved series.

Notable Quotes:

• McCartney on landing the role: "I did a bunch of self-tapes... I bombed an audition but then got called back and nailed it." [25:22]
• Fallon on the show’s secrecy: "If you're a fan of Stranger Things, you'll love the show. It has a bunch of little Easter eggs." [26:29]

He detailed his experience auditioning for the role under the direction of Stephen Daldry, sharing the nerve-wracking yet rewarding journey to landing the part. McCartney also provided behind-the-scenes insights into developing his character's iconic Vecna voice, highlighting the vocal techniques cultivated with his dialect coach.

Louis expressed his enthusiasm for New York City, sharing his favorite spots like Pop's Pizza, and recounted amusing interactions with locals dressed as characters from the show. Fallon and McCartney shared a lighthearted moment where Fallon attempted the Vecna voice with Louis’s guidance, adding a playful element to the segment.

---

Preacher Lawson on Comedy and Family Tour

Timestamp: 28:47 - 35:00

Comedian Preacher Lawson concluded the episode with insights into his comedy career and ongoing dysfunctional family tour alongside his mother and brother. Lawson recounted his experiences of both triumphs and challenges in stand-up comedy, emphasizing the importance of resilience.

Notable Quotes:

• Lawson on comedy struggles: "Sometimes people don't laugh. Sometimes a lot of people don't laugh." [30:00]
• Bacon sharing a family story: “Why you think my booty's so big? It's swollen.” [31:00]

Lawson shared a particularly memorable experience of being booed during a performance, illustrating the highs and lows of performing live. His storytelling highlighted the unpredictable nature of comedy and the essential role of audience engagement.

He also paid tribute to his comedic roots, humorously discussing his brother Justin's influence on his style and the dynamics of their family’s humor. The segment encapsulated the essence of live comedy, showcasing Lawson’s ability to turn challenging situations into relatable and funny anecdotes.

---

Closing Remarks

Jimmy Fallon wrapped up the episode by thanking all guests—Kevin Bacon, Amanda Peet, Louis McCartney, and Preacher Lawson—for their appearances. He encouraged listeners to engage with the Tonight Show through various platforms, promoting upcoming episodes and the latest content available on NBC and Peacock.

---

Conclusion: This episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" offered a blend of political satire, heartfelt interviews, and comedic storytelling. From Johnny’s engaging monologue on April Fool’s Day and political antics to in-depth conversations with notable guests like Kevin Bacon and Amanda Peet, the show provided a comprehensive and entertaining experience. Louis McCartney’s insights into the Broadway adaptation of "Stranger Things" added a touch of theatrical excitement, while Preacher Lawson’s humorous recounting of his comedy tour underscored the resilience required in the entertainment industry. Overall, the episode maintained a lively and engaging atmosphere, ensuring that both regular viewers and newcomers found plenty to enjoy.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Kevin Bacon: “2118.” [00:26]
• Fallon: “Trump's calling tomorrow Liberation Day while every stockbroker is calling it Inebriation Day.” [02:10]
• Peet: “The best prank was being set up on a blind date with my husband by this lovely writer named Peter Blake.” [16:58]
• McCartney: “I did a bunch of self-tapes... I bombed an audition but then got called back and nailed it.” [25:22]
• Lawson: “Sometimes people don't laugh. Sometimes a lot of people don't laugh.” [30:00]

---

For More: Stay tuned to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" for more episodes broadcasted on weeknights on NBC and available for streaming on Peacock. Subscribe to the podcast to receive the latest episodes weekday mornings across your favorite platforms.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6P in Rockefeller's Gather in the heart of New York City. It's a Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. I joined Jimmy the Death, Kevin Bacon, Amanda Peet, Louis McCartney, comedian Creature Lawson. And featuring the legendary Ruth Kurt.

[Kevin Bacon]

2118.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And now, here's your host, Jimmy Jesus. Oh, wow. It worked. Eventually, you took your time to give me a standing ovation there. Gosh. Everyone else was standing. You were like, I guess we have to. You don't have to. You don't have to. Now you can sit. Everyone else is sitting. You're standing. Welcome. Welcome to the. Can I get you guys anything? You happy? Welcome, everybody, to the show. Today is April Fool's Day, by the way. Happy April Fool's Day. Today is April Fool's Day. That's right. Right now, Canada and Greenland are like. So we find out today, right? This is a. This whole thing's a joke. It seems like there's so much going on right now. Tomorrow, President Trump will announce sweeping new tariffs against all countries in what he's calling Liberation Day. Yep. Trump's calling tomorrow Liberation Day while every stockbroker is calling it Inebriation Day. Right now. Everyone's invested their sa. Well, well, well. Who's the idiot now? Yep. Experts say that Trump's tariffs could cause serious problems for a lot of businesses. Check out what some of them are saying about the president's plan. First, Sony said, tariffs are going to hurt our business. Trump's plan will mean that TVs, headphones and cameras will cost more for consumers. Then Honda said, the tariffs will make cars more expensive and our business will suffer. Then J.C. penney was like, yes, tariffs are the reason our business is doing badly too, as well. Then Radio Shack said, darn those tariffs. They are why we have fallen on hard times suddenly. Then Red Lobster said, agreed, the tariffs are to blame, not our attempt to sell seafood to people in the middle of Oklahoma. Then Party City said, tomorrow's tariffs are the reason we went out of business two months ago. And finally, Tesla said, things can't get much worse. Let him rip. Some more political news. Trump just signed an executive order to stop price gouging on concert tickets. Yep. He said, nobody pays higher prices on my watch. Unless it's for a car, tv, medicine or eggs. That's it. Hey, get this. The Department of Agriculture just announced a recall of more than £200,000 of egg beaters. Cause they might contain cleaning solution. That's too bad. One of my favorite Easter traditions is hiding egg beaters for the kids. Switching gears is Some business news. The CEO overseeing Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell is retiring. Yep. If you're wondering, that's why the flags at the White House are flying at half mouth. The man was a genius. He had those great food groups under one hut. A lot of. A lot of good foods. Some big sports news. A lot of people are talking about these new Torpedo bats after the New York Yankees hit a record tying 15 home runs in three days.

[Preacher Lawson]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

People are saying that the wider bats create an unfair advantage. I didn't think it was a big deal until I saw this earlier tonight. Take a look at this. He bunted it over the fence. What a show we have for you tonight. He's a very talented actor. One of my all time favorite actors. He stars in the new series the Bondsman. All episodes premiere this Thursday on Prime Video. Kevin Bacon is here tonight and he always brings it. He always brings it. He's the best. Oh, I love her, too. She stars in the new series, you, Friends and Neighbors, which premieres April 11 on Apple TV. Pete is joining us. Plus you can see him on Broadway in the new production of Stranger Things, the First Shadow, which is playing now at the Marquis Theater. Louis McCartney is here. Stranger Things. And we got great stand up from Preacher Lawson, everybody. Come on back, everybody. Our first guest is a Golden Globe winner starring in the new series the Bondsman, which premieres all episodes this Thursday on Prime Video. Please welcome Kevin Baker. Kevin Bacon, welcome back to the Tonight Show. I love having you on. You know, I'm the biggest fan of yours, but also we. We drag you into doing these sketches with us and 11 times we've done this. 11. We've done that.

[Preacher Lawson]

This one goes up to 11.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's one goes up to 11. We started in 2015.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So for 10 years.

[Preacher Lawson]

Is that true? Wow.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. We did the Beach Boys. Fun, fun, fun. That's where they kept getting stuck at the hamburger stand.

[Preacher Lawson]

That's right. That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

These are the first drafts of these songs. Then Free Fallen. We did Free horses. He loved horses.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And he couldn't stop. He was obsessed with horses. Lola by the Kinks. I forgot what we did for that one.

[Preacher Lawson]

Everything rhymed with Lola.

[Amanda Peet]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He drove a Toyota Corolla.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We did ZZ Top of Chris Stapleton and swung.

[Preacher Lawson]

That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We swung the guitars around.

[Preacher Lawson]

That's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Blowing in the Wind with Kira Sedgwick. That was. That was a good one.

[Preacher Lawson]

I think that was my favorite.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was a riddle, a puzzle. There Were like, how many.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How long? If one train leaves a station, like, sat question.

[Preacher Lawson]

There's a lot of questions that were answered by blowing in the wind.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And then this last one we did now. Well, I mean, we did American Woman. Michael Bacon was. Was in. That's right. The Bacon Brothers.

[Preacher Lawson]

The Bacon Brothers.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And then Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The Clash, Ramblin Man, Allman Brothers. About. It was about. He was. He was born in the back of a Greyhound bus and found the hard to believe and then head over heels. Tears for Fears. They were talking about the weather. They were obsessed with the weather.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Paint it black. I think he wanted to paint different things, right?

[Preacher Lawson]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And now this one was the great Bryan Adams.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Doing. It was all about six strings.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah. I met Bryan Adams once. And then I also remember there was a time when a lot of times people would come up to me and ask me if I was Bryan Adams.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really?

[Preacher Lawson]

Or, you know, they'd say, can you sign this? I love summer of 69.

[Kevin Bacon]

No way.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He has kind of a good raspy voice.

[Preacher Lawson]

Oh, yeah. It's hard to do. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's really. Imagine doing. He does whole concert like.

[Preacher Lawson]

I know. It's crazy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And nails it. He's unbelievable.

[Preacher Lawson]

And by the way, apparently, if you do the math, Brian Adams is, I think, born in 1959. So the summer of 69, he would have been 10. So I think I could be wrong about this.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He had better years in his life.

[Preacher Lawson]

He may be referring to a different kind of 69.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I didn't. I didn't think about that. There's been. I didn't think about that. Yeah. I assumed he was just time warping or something. Last time I saw you was at the Saturday Night Live, big 50th anniversary concert. Yeah.

[Preacher Lawson]

Which you hosted. And it was so good, Jimmy. I loved it. I loved. You did a fantastic job.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm still out of breath.

[Preacher Lawson]

And by the way, where'd you get that house band?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, there's a band called the Roots, and I just heard about them. They're from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Really? Yes. Philadelphia.

[Amanda Peet]

Pen.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They're from Philadelphia and they're really good. They are the best. How amazing were the Roots?

[Preacher Lawson]

They were fantastic. It was. It was such a night. Such a night of, like. It's one of those ones where I just. Look where I was just looking around, I went, oh, my God, look, there's that.

[Kevin Bacon]

Oh, my.

[Preacher Lawson]

You know. You know, normally I don't always kind of act like that, but, you know, when I'm around, like, big, famous, like, musicians that always. It makes my knees weak a little.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Bit, the whole concert. But I mean, how great. Everybody was great. From Miley Cyrus all the way through. Cher was great.

[Preacher Lawson]

Cher, I know. On and on and on.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Lauryn Hill.

[Preacher Lawson]

Lauryn Hill. Oh, God.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Nirvana with Post Malone.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah. Backstreet Boys.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Backstreet Boys.

[Preacher Lawson]

Crush. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But I was. So I did the opening thing. I was like, I have to do, like, a tribute to the Blues Brothers and thank Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi and just give a shout out to John, hopefully that he was watching down.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah. You know, I work with John Belushi. He spit mashed potatoes on me in my very first movie. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And the Animal House.

[Preacher Lawson]

Animal House? Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Come on. That is unbelievable. You're. He has.

[Preacher Lawson]

He has a cheek full of mashed potatoes. And he goes, see if you can guess what I am now. He puts the mashed potatoes. He spits the mashed potatoes. He goes, I'm a zit.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Get it?

[Preacher Lawson]

Just such a. I mean, just amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What was he like? Just a ball of energy. Was he.

[Preacher Lawson]

You know, at the time that we were doing that, we were making that movie in Eugene, Oregon, at the University of Oregon, which was as far away from New York City as you could. And he was doing SNL for, like, three days. Like, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, he'd do snl. Then he'd fly out and shoot like, Three Days in Oregon on the movie and go back. He was going back and forth.

[Kevin Bacon]

Wow.

[Preacher Lawson]

And, you know, I'll never forget this, because I got invited to a party. He wasn't staying at the crappy motel that we were on the side of the road, but he had a house. Okay. Which he certainly deserved. And get an invitation to a party at John Belushi's house. And he has flown in a ton of locks from Zabar's. Now. To me, at that point in my life, to have one piece of lox was like gold. I mean, it was like, you don't taste lox. I would never. Well, I just would never spend the money on locks.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of course. Who has the money?

[Preacher Lawson]

Sadie and Spencer. And he had this party, invited us all over. It was the first time I ever tasted a thing called a mimosa. And I was like, holy, they're taking champagne. They're pouring it into orange juice. There's piles of locks. I was like, I want to be a movie star.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's a great story. I've never heard that story.

[Preacher Lawson]

This is amazing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You don't forget those. Those types of stories. When that happens to you. You were on. You hosted SNL. I remember. You were fantastic.

[Preacher Lawson]

Like, probably in the 1800s.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no. One of my favorite sketches ever.

[Preacher Lawson]

35 years ago. They should have the anniversary of me not hosting the snl. I think that would be good.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You were great. You were in a classic NAT X of Chris Rock.

[Preacher Lawson]

Oh, yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Because you as Vanilla Ice.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yep.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That was a great one. That was a great sketch.

[Preacher Lawson]

This was kind of like a. This is kind of like a precursor to first drafts of Rock, I think.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It kind of was. Yeah.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Did you. Did you enjoy your experience?

[Preacher Lawson]

I did, yeah. It was great. I mean, it was an amazing cast. That was like, Chris Farley and Carvey and Rob Schneider and Chris Rock and. And on and on and on. I mean, it was really. That was a really. Sandler, I think, was.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, it was Sandler. That was that great cast.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah, it was a great cast. That was. It was. It was. It was really. It was really hard, I got to say. I mean, it's. You know, I mean, I think it was. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really?

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I would say done so many excellent movies and everything.

[Preacher Lawson]

Let's different, though, you know, standing up there and doing a monologue and then, you know. But what was really cool about. Because we went to the concert, then we also went to the 50th anniversary as well.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah. Which was incredible. On Sunday. Yeah. And what I so fun to sit there and watch the way that that machine works with the backstage stuff, you know, And I remember, like, the crew, insane.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I don't know how Lorne Michaels pulls it all off. I mean, for 50 years with all the crew and everybody knows what they're doing, we get all pieces. I mean, it's New York City, so, you know, the space here, because the audience is here. But if this is in California or something, you'd have a soundstage and you'd have it all set. These are getting pieces of sets from Brooklyn brought up in an elevator during the week. And during commercial breaks, they're moving in sets, putting them together with, like, clamps.

[Preacher Lawson]

It's so wild.

[Jimmy Fallon]

If you touch the walls, they'll fall down.

[Preacher Lawson]

And the hair and makeup changes. I mean, turning into, you know, into Vanilla Ice and then out of Vanilla Ice was no easy feat.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Let's talk about your new show, the Bondsman. This is fantastic. It's on Prime Video, by the way. And how do we set up the premise for this? Because I think it's Fantastic. And it even gets better the more you explain it.

[Preacher Lawson]

Okay, well, I play a guy who is working as a. As a. As a bail bondsman, but I'm an ex musician. I haven't picked up the guitar in like 15 years. I've got. Given that up. I'm living in my mom's garage and in the first probably I say two minutes of the show, I'm murdered. I have my throat cut. I wake up and I'm in the wall built into. I've been hidden in this wall of a motel. And I come back to life and I realize that I've gone to hell and back. And I'm now a bondsman for the devil. Hunting demons in this. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's so fun. It's fun.

[Preacher Lawson]

It's a fun show.

[Kevin Bacon]

Really?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is it the people behind Blumhouse, right?

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah, Blumhouse.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And they make the best horror movies that you've seen out there. And it's good, but it's also. There's some humor in it too.

[Preacher Lawson]

There's a lot of humor. And there's also. It's. It's a lot of. It is really about this family that we have. My relationship with my mother, with my ex wife, my. My son who I'm sort of estranged from. And so it's got a lot of heart and a ton of blood.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Kevin Bacon, everybody. All episodes of the Bondsman premiere this Thursday on Prime Video. Amanda P. Joins us after the break. Stick around. Our next guest is a very talented actress. She stars in the new series, you, Friends and Neighbors, which premieres April 11th on Apple TV. Please welcome Amanda Peet. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for being here. And before we even go on, I just want to thank you very much for the first week that I ever did any of this stuff. The talk show host. I was late night and we couldn't book the show and you were just nice enough to go. I'll be nice.

[Amanda Peet]

I'm pretty sure you could book the show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, we could not. And you came on our first week and you supported me. Thank you, buddy. I appreciate that. That's awesome. That's awesome. Thank you for doing that.

[Amanda Peet]

My pleasure.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thanks for being here. And Happy April Fools.

[Amanda Peet]

Happy April Fools.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do you celebrate? Do you like a good April Fool's Day?

[Amanda Peet]

I feel a little weird.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I'm not gonna do anything.

[Amanda Peet]

You're not?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I'm not really an April Fool's person.

[Amanda Peet]

Oh, really? That surprises me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know. I don't like a good.

[Amanda Peet]

I like knowing what you're Like, I'm funny every day, but not on April Fools.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no. I like to laugh, but I don't like to pull a prank or anything.

[Amanda Peet]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay. I'm not. Yeah. I don't love it. I don't like to be pranked, so I don't prank.

[Amanda Peet]

I see.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. But I enjoy watching it. But I don't want anything to do with it.

[Amanda Peet]

I enjoy watching it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I don't want anything to do with it. Yeah, no, I just support comedy.

[Amanda Peet]

I do like a prank.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You do?

[Amanda Peet]

I do. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

O.

[Amanda Peet]

And, well, I think the best prank was probably, you know, I was set up on a blind date with my husband by this lovely writer named Peter Blake.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How long have you been married to your husband?

[Amanda Peet]

It's almost 20 years.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Congratulations. That's 20 years. Wow. That's awesome. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right.

[Amanda Peet]

And so. And you know. Oh, my God. I'm just, like, picturing David listening to this. We liked each other, but it wasn't, like, incredible.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay. It turned out to be better. Yeah. 20 years later. Not bad.

[Kevin Bacon]

But.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Amanda Peet]

And so we decided to play a trick on Peter Blake, and I was gonna write him an email.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He's the person who set you up?

[Amanda Peet]

Yes. In the very beginning of emails. And I wrote him a long note saying at midnight, saying, you know, he was very nice, but he was a freak. And he started bawling about his ex girlfriend. And then you said David was your husband.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, he's sorry about his ex.

[Amanda Peet]

He was kind of a freak. And he's obviously not over his ex girlfriend. And we went to the sushi restaurant, and he was blathering on about her, and then he started crying. And then I also wrote that the reason I know this is because he read this at our wedding. He started crying, and then later, when a song came on that he liked at the sushi restaurant, he started singing a little too loudly.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my gosh. Did he know that?

[Amanda Peet]

To his credit, Peter Blake wrote back. Wow, that doesn't sound like Benioff at all.

[Jimmy Fallon]

20 years later, you have three kids together. Yeah. So I think you like each other pretty well. Yeah. How old are the kids?

[Amanda Peet]

The kids are 10, 14, and 18.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Is your daughter 18 already? That happens fast. Oh, my God.

[Amanda Peet]

Crazy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And how are all the. They just. Do they love you. They love what you do. You're not.

[Amanda Peet]

You don't have teen girls yet?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No.

[Kevin Bacon]

No.

[Amanda Peet]

Or you wouldn't be asking.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No. Right now they're just. They're daddy's little girl. They're so cute. Yeah. I have 11 and 10, but. Yeah, but do they know what you do and they love what you do.

[Amanda Peet]

And they don't care?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, they don't at all. Really?

[Amanda Peet]

I'm pretty much just embarrassing. Yes, completely. And he is, too. And they're kind of. You know, it's tough. Like the other day, David has back problems, so he has a relax the back chair, and I'm.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Relax the back.

[Amanda Peet]

Do you know that?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know. It's like a store in the mall, right? Yeah, yeah. Relax the back. Yes. And they go, yeah, I'm in.

[Amanda Peet]

It's, like, for really old people.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, it is not. No. Everyone uses relax the back.

[Amanda Peet]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Amanda Peet]

And I think it's so ugly and I'm so vain that I was like, you cannot put that in my living room. And so I made him.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Where is it?

[Amanda Peet]

It's in my closet, and he sits in it. There are so many jokes about how David is in the closet.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's an email right there. That's a good email. Wait, so if his back hurts, he has to go in the closet, but.

[Amanda Peet]

He writes in the closet, and he does his zooms and everything. And I was getting out of the shower, so I was naked, and I was coming in to get dressed, and Frankie, my older daughter, was in there stealing a sweatshirt, which I enjoy, because then it means she likes something about me. And she. I was just minding my own business, putting on my clothes, and she just looked at me and then looked at David and just looked at me again and was like, do you guys ever miss being young and attractive?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow. Wow. And your husband's like, get out of here, you brat. Get out of here, you brat.

[Amanda Peet]

What did she say?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Honey, shut the closet door. I want some privacy.

[Amanda Peet]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I want to congratulate you, by the way, in your new movie, Fantasy Life. This is a big deal for you.

[Amanda Peet]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Big deal for everyone who just premiered at south by Southwest and received the special jury award for performance. Good for you. Go, bud. Impressive.

[Amanda Peet]

Thank you. I've never won anything, so I was really, you know, bowled over.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is your first movie in almost 10 years. Yeah. Why was this the movie?

[Amanda Peet]

It's not on purpose. I mean, I tried to get a bunch of stuff, but just.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, no.

[Amanda Peet]

For real.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But why was this the one? You go, this is the one. I'm gonna jump in.

[Amanda Peet]

I thought it was before. Baby girl. It's a very fun idea. It's like a suburban mom who has a kind of emotional affair with the Manny. Ooh, younger man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Congrats on the award.

[Amanda Peet]

Thank you so much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And now you have this big show on Apple TV with our pal, Jon Hamm.

[Amanda Peet]

Yes, I do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We love so much.

[Amanda Peet]

We do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, he's a stud. We love him. And he's so funny. He's a stud. He's a stud. He's such a stud. Are you kidding me, girl? And he's funny.

[Amanda Peet]

I'm kidding.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know you are. You're Friends and Neighbors is what it's called. And Olivia Munn, by the way, another pal of ours. We love her, too.

[Amanda Peet]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How do you set this show up?

[Amanda Peet]

So he's like a. He's kind of like a middle aged, you know, finance bro who's at the top of his game. And then he gets fired and he loses everything and he lives outside New York City in a really rich neighborhood and he starts robbing all of his rich neighbors.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Not too shabby. Yeah, I love that.

[Amanda Peet]

So it's very suspenseful because obviously he keeps up the facade that he's still working and that everything's fine. And I play his ex wife and they still have some unfinished business. Maybe. But he's also has some business with Olivia Munn and.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hey, there you go. See, we're rooting for you already. Like, wait, what? Yeah, yeah. The show has already been renewed for a second season, so once again, come on. Your Friends and Neighbors premieres April 11th on Apple TV. We'll be right back with Louis McCartney. Stick around. Our next guest is a very talented actor who stars as Henry Creel in the big new Broadway production, Stranger Things, the First Shadow, which is playing now at the Marquis Theater. Please welcome Louis McCartney. Thanks for having me. Thank you for being here. This is your Broadway debut, but it's also your first time in New York.

[Louis McCartney]

Yeah, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you're from Ireland originally. How are you enjoying New York?

[Louis McCartney]

I think New York is great. It's a crazy city. I mean, Times Square alone.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Louis McCartney]

You know, I'm super close to walking to work. I mean, I've got a million stories that I'll tell you probably afterwards.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, I can imagine. Yeah.

[Louis McCartney]

But, yeah, I'm.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What's your favorite parts of New York?

[Louis McCartney]

Well, I'm finding my hideaways. And right now I've got Pop's Pizza, which is my favorite pizza restaurant.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Pops Pizza?

[Louis McCartney]

Pops Pizza.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No.

[Kevin Bacon]

Okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No one knows. It's a discovery. Really?

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How'd you find out about a Pops Pizza?

[Louis McCartney]

Well, actually, so I was talking to the concierge in my building, this lovely guy named Chris, and he said, I know the best spot for you. I came home one night after rehearsals and he just dropped it right in front of me. It was just like, sausage pepperoni feast. And then so he invited me to Pop's Pizza. So I invited him to our dress run. And no way. I see this guy in suits all day, and he came dressed as Eddie Munson, and he had the. He had the hellfire T shirt, the leather jacket.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No way.

[Louis McCartney]

I was there and I was watching him. I was like. He had his jacket zipped up. I was like, I know you're dressed as Eddie Munson right now.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And he went, yeah, yeah, let's talk about the show. I mean, you play Henry Creel, who's about to end up becoming Vecna on Stranger Things. You opened in London, West End. Yeah, we're still running. And you won a bunch of Olivier Awards for the show itself. Congratulations on it. Thank you very much.

[Louis McCartney]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There's always so much secrecy around Stranger Things. Did you know what you were auditioning for?

[Louis McCartney]

Yeah. No, not at all. I mean, it was this untitled Netflix play directed by Stephen Daldry.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Stephen Daldry. Yeah.

[Louis McCartney]

I know, right? He's. He doesn't. Needs no explanation. You know, he's great and he's so funny. He's bonkers and he's great. It's great to work. But anyways. And, yeah, so I did a bunch of self tapes. I didn't hear anything for six months. And I got called back to London for this other part in the show, and I bombed that audition. And I didn't get that. But then they called me back and I was in this group of like 20 to 30 kids. And I was there like, okay, this is like proper time to knuckle down. And I did that. I went back home and my agent called me and he said, you should probably have your family for this conversation. I was like, you know, I've messed it up. And.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, what are we going to jail?

[Louis McCartney]

Yeah, I know. We're all standing around the phone and it was so quick. It was just a yes, like, you got it. And it was. My brain couldn't even process it. But, like, looking back, like, if I were to say something, you know, every day was just. I was fighting and I was. To be honest, I was scared. I was terrified the whole time, you know, just doing that work. But I'm really, really happy with how it's all been. And, you know, being here with you, man, it's great. I'm so happy. Like, this is so, so fun.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm happy that you're Here. Yeah. Thank you. If you're fans of Stranger Things, you'll love the show. It has a bunch of little Easter eggs. But you don't need to know the show to enjoy this Broadway production. I will say that because it's all about the. It's kind of like. It's setting everything up.

[Louis McCartney]

Yeah, it's a prequel.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, it's prequel. And it's super fun. Crazy effects. Yeah. By the way, a lot of effects happening one, by the way, effect. That's very cool. Since you're Vecna, you do the voice.

[Louis McCartney]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How do you come up with the Vecna voice? How do you do it?

[Louis McCartney]

Yeah. So when I arrived to London, William Conacher, our dialect coach, he took one look at me screaming all over the place, and he said, we're not doing that for eight times a week. So we've cultivated these two voices, and we got this one. So it's. If you talk like you're underwater, it's, you know, it's seductive and it's thrilling and it's threatening. And then the other one, if I want to, you know, punch somebody vocally, if I want to kill them in a scene, I'm gonna do, like, a gravelly one. Like a. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Punch someone vocally. I love it. We actually have a microphone with the modulator attached so that everyone kind of. Can you teach me how to do that?

[Louis McCartney]

Absolutely.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. That's. That's for you. And this. Yeah. What would I say?

[Louis McCartney]

Okay, I want you to say, where's your sweet little boy, Nawi?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Okay. Just go right into the. Do you wanna do it first? And then I'll do it.

[Louis McCartney]

I'll do it.

[Preacher Lawson]

Okay. Where's your sweet little boy Now?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, but now. Why am I saying this again? Just. I'm saying, come find out. I'm taking the.

[Kevin Bacon]

Where's your sweet little boy now.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow. Not bad. I mean, hey, that's pretty good. You're a good director. You're next year. Next year. Yeah. We'll swap places.

[Preacher Lawson]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hey, welcome to New York, and thank you for being here. I figured since you're here, I'll give you one of my favorite pizzas. This is Series. Series Pizza. New pizzeria that I'm loving right now. There's a slice for you, and then someone got me Pops. There you go. This is Pops. Pizza.

[Kevin Bacon]

O.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Looks good, bud.

[Kevin Bacon]

Hey.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cheers.

[Preacher Lawson]

Cheers.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Good to see you. Break a leg. Louie McCartney. How you doing? Stranger Things. The first Shadow is now playing on Broadway at the Marquee Theater for Tonight Show, after the break. Stick around. Our next guest can be seen on his dysfunctional family tour alongside his mother and brother across the nation this year. Please welcome the very funny Preacher Lawson.

[Kevin Bacon]

Thank you so much. This is my fourth time on Jimmy Fallon. Hey, I got a brother named Justin Lawson. He's also a comedian and he's never been on Jimmy Fallon. Yeah, I just wanted to take this time to say, in your face, Justin. Nah, it's funny. Cause he's the funniest person in the world and no one's gonna know. He's great. He's real funny. My whole family's funny. Me, my mom and him, we're on tour right now. But he's really funny. Like when I first started doing standup When I was 17, I used to steal all his jokes, you know, Cause he wasn't a comedian. So he would just say funny stories in the living room. And I'm like, that's so crazy. What else happened, huh?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, that's crazy.

[Kevin Bacon]

That's good. He was real funny. I knew he was funny when I was like, you know, I was six years old. I was six. It was me, my mom, my brother. And we, you know, Justin, we went to the store for a second. We were maybe gone two minutes. We come back, my oldest brother Joshua, he has red dripping all over him. So my mom, she goes into mom mode. She goes, josh, are you okay? You okay? He's like, I'm fine, I'm fine. And then once everyone calms down, we notice he has a can of red paint in his right hand and a Woody doll from Toy Story in his left hand. My mom goes, joshua, why would you paint the Woody doll red? And he goes, I didn't do it, mom. I swear. And I'm six, so I'm gullible. So I'm like, we gotta find this dude that framed my breath. She was like, he did it. And he was like, I swear to you, I didn't do it. My brother Justin, he's eight years old, he steps through, he goes, yeah, you did. And we caught you red handed. For an eight year old, that's pretty good. That's pretty good for an eight year old, you know? And I remember my mom in the corner, she was just trying not to laugh and she couldn't help it. She just started dying laughing. She laughed so hard she forgot to give Joshua a spanking that day. So that day I figured out we all did that if we make our mom laugh, we don't get whoopers. People think, I want to be a comedian. This is survival. All the whoopers I got. Why you think my booty's so big? It's swollen. You think I want this? All right, let's go. But, yeah, I like making people laugh. I like it. I think it's cool. I love making people. Sometimes people don't laugh. Sometimes a lot of people don't laugh. There's one time I've been doing comedy 16 years, and about five months ago, there was a lot of people that didn't laugh at this time because I went on tour with someone else. When I go by myself, when it's my tour, it's great because people come see me. They're like, oh, I know his style. I know his silliness. You know? And sometimes they bring their friends and they're like, why? Why are we gonna watch a pastor? But they figure out who I am during the show. But it's good to go on tour with other comedians. Cause you get in front of different audiences, and you can, like, steal the audience. And so I went on tour with another guy and his audience, they didn't really like me. Cause when I first walked on stage, nobody cheered. And it was like a thousand people. And I'm used to at least 11 people cheering for me. So I was like, this is kind of weird. That's fine. I'll just win him over with my material. But before I got my first joke out, there was a guy in the front row. And he yells out, you better be funny.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Or what, bruh?

[Kevin Bacon]

What you gonna do? I already got paid. All right, what you gon do? Yeah, that's right. Yeah. I found out what they're gonna do. They start booing you. So he started booing me. And I'd never been booed before, so I panicked. And I was like, yo, mama. That's the only thing I can come up with. I was like, yo mom's a boo. You know? And then more people started booing me. So I started roasting the whole audience. I was like, shut up, idiots. You're probably dumb. You know, I was really getting them. And more people start a boom. It turned to, like, a choir booze. They were like, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo. And I was like, all right, whatever. I'll just get off stage. And they were like, yeah. And I was like, whatever. So I'm walking off stage, sad. I run into another comedian who crushed. And he goes, how'd it go? I said, they booed me. He said, you lying. Then the sound guy was like, nuh. Nobody asked you. Sound guy. Don't do sound stuff. And I'm leaving. I'm walking out. I'm like, I'm going home. I'm not gonna talk to nobody. There's no point. I'm just going home. I need to. I need to take a shower or something. As I'm walking off, I see a lady. She has my T shirt on. She has a signature from me in 2019. She goes. And she goes, hey, can I get a signature for 2024? She had 2019, 2021. She was like, I need 2024. And I was like, yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'll give you. So I go to sign her, you know, her shirt, and she's like, I'm so sorry they were mean to you. And I'm like, I don't care. And she was like, can I get a hug? And I was like, can I get a hug? Why don't they want me, man? It was great. Felt like an angel popped up. Then another dude out of nowhere, Preacher Lawson. I said, what up, baby? He go, you trash. And he just goes back. And I was just. I was like, I thought we were gonna hug together, but I don't care if they didn't laugh, you know? Those are my brother's jokes. Anyway, my name is Preacher Lawson. Thank you. So.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Preacher Lawson. Look for Preacher on his dysfunctional family tour at a city near you. My thanks to Kevin Bacon, Amanda, Pete, Louis McCartney. Preacher Lawson. Once again, good night, everybody. Thank you. Get involved, Better get involved. Better get involved. Get into it. Do it. Get on up. 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.