Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Episode: Trump “Open” to Meeting with Dictator Kim Jong Un in Asia | Glen Powell, Alex Rodriguez
Date: October 27, 2025
Host: Jimmy Fallon
Guests: Glen Powell, Alex Rodriguez

Overview

This energetic episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon blends late-night hilarity with celebrity interviews and current event satire. Jimmy opens with a sports-heavy monologue, pokes fun at political headlines, and welcomes guests Glen Powell (actor) and Alex Rodriguez (baseball legend). Both guests discuss their careers, recent projects, and share entertaining behind-the-scenes stories, while the show maintains its signature light-hearted, playful tone.

Main Segments and Key Insights

1. Monologue: Football, Politics, and World Series Antics

[00:59 – 04:24]

• Fallon comments on NFL Sunday and the New York Jets’ rare win, playfully suggesting New Yorkers are "planning a ticker tape parade" ([01:38]).
• Shifts to political satire: Trump’s trip to Malaysia and potential meeting with dictatorial leaders, riffing:

  "Trump landed in Malaysia and said, so beautiful. An entire country named after my wife." – Jimmy Fallon ([01:55])

• Jokes about Kim Jong Un being “open” to meeting the President.
• Raps a parody song about the World Series matchup between the Toronto Blue Jays and LA Dodgers, filled with wordplay and pop culture references:

  "Toronto is trying to take down Mookie Betts. Swish. If the Dodgers lose, they'll say, at least we're not the mets." ([03:46])

• Brief comedic bit on cruise ship outbreaks.

2. “Go On, Get” Comedy Segment

[04:25 – 07:48]

• Fallon riffs on everyday annoyances, including:
  • Cleveland Browns’ helmet logo ("Your helmet's not even brown"),
  • Fake kitchen drawers ("You gaslight me. Some of you even have a handle on it. What sick son of a bitch puts a hand on a fake drawer?"),
  • Tiny syrup bottle handles ("Is this in case a garden gnome comes to life...?"),
  • Raisins as Halloween treats ("Thanks for keeping all the neighborhood kids regular. Next year, why don't you just cut to the chase and just give out the kids Activia.")
• Sets a self-deprecating tone and emphasizes relatable grievances.

3. Interview: Glen Powell

Starts at [07:56]

a. Football Acting and SNL Hosting

• Powell talks Chad Powers, produced by Eli and Peyton Manning, and facing real pro athletes on set:

  "My line is obviously ex pro line, but the defensive line is also pro... some of these guys are 356.5 [pounds], run at me full force." – Glen Powell ([08:50])

• Describes his on-field fear:

  "There's a play ... and I think I pivoted a little bit too late. And this guy was right up on me. And I saw my life flash before my eyes." ([09:21])

• Announces he will host Saturday Night Live, November 15, calling it a lifelong dream.

b. The Running Man (Action Movie)

• Powell plays Ben Richards in a new Edgar Wright movie, where he’s hunted globally for 30 days:

  "It's a nonstop, you know, thrill ride." ([10:36])

• Shares stunt stories from both ‘The Running Man’ and ‘Expendables 3’:

  "I'm hanging on a rope ... not my first action movie. I did Expendables 3 in Bulgaria ... there's a stunt that I was doing where I'm like hanging on a little pipe, like 11 stories up." ([11:16])

• Reminisces almost falling during a stunt and how producers joked he was "the most expendable of all Expendables" ([13:13]).

c. Arnold Schwarzenegger & The Running Man Legacy

• Powell discusses seeking Arnold Schwarzenegger’s blessing for the new ‘Running Man’:

  "You don't want to go into a role that made him ... iconic and not ask for his blessing, not ask for his advice." ([14:50])

• Shares a memorable FaceTime with Arnold, who playfully comments on Edgar Wright's tooth gap:

  "When I got my gap fixed in my teeth, my box office went down. The bigger the gap, the bigger the box office." – Arnold Schwarzenegger (as quoted by Glen Powell, [15:55])

• Powell teases the intensity and excitement for the film’s release.

4. Interview: Alex Rodriguez

Starts at [17:22]

a. From Football to Baseball

• Rodriguez reminisces about his high school football days but credits his Dominican mother for steering him to baseball:

  "My mom seriously convinced me. She goes, okay, football's are fun. You can make a living with baseball." ([18:00])

b. Crossover with Patrick Mahomes

• Shares a heartwarming story about meeting a young Patrick Mahomes Jr. and (tongue-in-cheek) advising him to stick with baseball, not football:

  "I lowered my voice and I said... baseball's where the money is. Football's just for fun. But you're going to make your money in baseball like your dad and I." – Alex Rodriguez ([18:29])

• Fallon jokes about the irony, given Mahomes's later football stardom:

  "Take my advice. You told Patrick Mahomes not to play football. That's the greatest." ([19:24])

c. World Series and Shohei Ohtani

• Rodriguez praises MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s updates (shorter games, bigger bases).

  "I will say this might be the most-watched World Series in the history of the sport." ([20:06])

• Discusses global interest (Canada, US, Japan).
• Raves about Shohei Ohtani:

  "He's an alien." ([20:22]) "He's the tallest guy on the team ... the fastest guy ... hits balls 500ft ... throws 100 miles an hour. The only comp is really Babe Ruth and you and I weren't around for that." – Alex Rodriguez ([20:33]) "The greatest baseball player I've ever seen with my eyes ... is Barry Bonds by far. The best pitcher is Roger Clemens... [Ohtani] is both." ([20:53]) "He's a unicorn. He's one of one." ([21:00])

d. Viral Moment & Documentary

• Recalls making a half-court basketball shot at a college game, helping a student win $10,000 for tuition:

  "That's the only half court shot I've ever taken and it'll be the last one." ([21:25])

• Discusses his documentary "Alex vs. A-Rod" and personal growth:

  "I made very public mistakes. I served a long suspension. I cost myself the Hall of Fame. ... But looking back, like, it might be the greatest thing that ever happened to me. ... I'm a better father. I feel I'm a better person." ([22:14])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the NY Jets’ rare win:
  "For Halloween, the Jets decided to go as a professional football team." – Jimmy Fallon ([01:52])

• On SNL hosting:
  "I've wanted to do SNL my entire life. It's been like a dream." – Glen Powell ([09:57])

• On perilous stunts:
  "We all joke that if you die, we don't even need to do a reshoot. You are actually most expendable of all Expendables." – Glenn Powell quoting Expendables producer ([13:13])

• On Shohei Ohtani:
  "He's an alien." – Alex Rodriguez ([20:22])
  "The greatest baseball player I've ever seen with my eyes is Barry Bonds by far ... and [Ohtani] is both Bonds and Clemens rolled into one." ([20:53])

• On personal transformation:
  "While I gave up the hall of Fame because of my stupidity ... I'm a better father. ... Might be the greatest thing that ever happened to me." – Alex Rodriguez ([22:14])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Monologue: Football & World Series Jokes: [00:59 – 04:24]
• "Go On, Get" Comedy Segment: [04:25 – 07:48]
• Glen Powell Interview: [07:56 – 16:26]
• Alex Rodriguez Interview: [17:22 – 23:15]

Tone and Style

Playful, self-deprecating, filled with pop culture and athlete banter. Fallon sets a breezy, quick-witted pace; guests share candid, funny, and genuine stories, staying in sync with the Tonight Show’s energetic, positive vibe.

Summary for Non-Listeners

If you missed this episode, you missed a high-spirited night with sports satire, comical everyday gripes, and warm, revealing interviews showcasing both the glamorous and vulnerable sides of its celebrity guests. Glen Powell geeked out on action roles and nervy stunts, while Alex Rodriguez offered personal insight along with sports analysis and a not-so-prophetic story about Patrick Mahomes’ childhood. Both guests, in classic Tonight Show style, were game for laughs and reflective moments alike.