Trump Walks Back on Federal Freeze | Reese Witherspoon, Rob Gronkowski | Wednesday, January 29

Summary

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Episode: Trump Walks Back on Federal Freeze | Reese Witherspoon, Rob Gronkowski
Release Date: January 30, 2025

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Introduction

The episode kicks off with Jimmy Fallon welcoming viewers and diving straight into current events. From Studio 6P in Rockefeller Center, Fallon sets a lively tone, blending humor with topical discussions.

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Opening Monologue

Chinese New Year & Political News

Jimmy Fallon begins by wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year, humorously noting, “According to the Chinese calendar, it's the year of the snake, although according to some Republicans, it's the year 1952” (00:00). He transitions into political satire, addressing former President Donald Trump's contradictory actions regarding federal aid:

• Federal Aid Freeze Reversal: Fallon quips, “Today, he rescinded an offer to freeze federal aid spending just one day after it was issued” (04:21). He mocks Trump's inconsistent policies, stating, “Trump is threatening to fire anyone who doesn't come into the office. Instead, he wants them to come back into the office so he can fire them in person” (03:10).

• Trump's Air Force One Plans: Highlighting the absurdity of Trump’s collaborations, Fallon jokes about the involvement of Boeing and Elon Musk in building Trump’s new plane: “Wait, who and who are building my plane? ... Who are my Secret Service agents? Kevin Hart and Young Sheldon?” (04:21).

Technology Segment: ChatGPT vs. Deepseek

Fallon introduces a humorous interaction between ChatGPT and a new Chinese AI model, Deepseek. The playful banter includes:

• AI Conversation: “[Jimmy]: Hey, ChatGPT, thank you for coming on the show. Do you feel threatened by Deepseek?

  [04:21] ChatGPT: It sounds like you're trying...”
  The conversation escalates when Deepseek interrupts, leading to Fallon’s joke, “Kneel before Deepseek” (05:04).

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Guest Introductions

Fallon prepares the audience for his first major guest, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, followed by NFL star Rob Gronkowski. He builds anticipation with playful remarks, expressing his admiration for both guests.

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Reese Witherspoon Interview

New Projects & Personal Life

Reese Witherspoon discusses her latest ventures:

• "You're Cordially Invited": Fallon highlights her new movie premiering on Prime Video, co-starring Will Ferrell. Reese shares insights about the film’s plot and her experience working with Ferrell, emphasizing their on-screen chemistry.

• Upcoming Show "Elle": Reese reveals her new Amazon series, inspired by the Wednesday Addams show, focusing on Elle Woods' high school years. “[Reese]: ... Amazon is making the show, and it's called Elle. And I have to pick a girl to play the young me” (17:54).

• Writing a Novel: Reese talks about her collaboration with Harlan Cohen on an international spy thriller, stating, “We are writing it and we're 100 pages in” (19:30).

Notable Quotes:

• “I love the song Espresso.” (16:27)
• “Sometimes you have to challenge yourself to do scary things.” (20:58)
• “[Reese]: We watched the movie last night. People were laughing so hard. They were like, three women. Text me. They peed themselves.” (23:07)

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Rob Gronkowski Interview

Broadway Debut & Super Bowl Predictions

Rob Gronkowski shares exciting updates:

• Broadway Debut: Gronkowski reveals his latest endeavor on Broadway, detailing his role and the challenges of performing live. “[Gronkowski]: I'm in the play... I got reviewed by the New York Times. What'd they say? I don't know,” (25:07).

• Super Bowl Predictions: Engaging in friendly banter, Gronk predicts the upcoming Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. “[Gronkowski]: I'm going to go with the San Francisco 49ers,” followed by a humorous score prediction of 30-26 in favor of the Chiefs (26:34).

• Patrick Mahomes Discussion: Gronkowski discusses Patrick Mahomes’ potential legacy, comparing him to Tom Brady. “[Gronkowski]: Patrick Mahomes is definitely the greatest player in the NFL currently... but Tom Brady is the greatest player of all time” (28:01).

Bounty Campaign & Commercials:

• Gronkowski promotes his partnership with Bounty, describing his role as the “Bounty Man.” He humorously critiques regional preferences for wing sauces: “[Gronkowski]: People look at me like, blue cheese. I'm like, yeah, blue cheese” (32:12).

Notable Quotes:

• “Did I kind of just make out with Jimmy Tallard?” (33:38)
• “[Gronkowski]: I'm a big Buffalo wings guy. And you gotta have blue cheese on the side...” (32:30)

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Humorous Interludes & Skits

Throughout the episode, Fallon incorporates his signature humor with various skits:

• AI Interaction Skit: The playful exchange between ChatGPT and Deepseek adds a comedic touch to the tech segment (04:21).

• "Go on, get..." Comedy Bit: Fallon performs a comedic routine riffing on repetitive phrases and everyday annoyances (06:02).

• Wingman Segment: In collaboration with Gronkowski, Fallon engages in a humorous segment about wings, showcasing their chemistry and playful rapport (32:01).

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Closing Remarks

Fallon wraps up the episode by thanking Reese Witherspoon and Rob Gronkowski for their appearances. He encourages viewers to stay connected through various platforms and teases future episodes, maintaining the show's engaging and upbeat atmosphere.

Final Quote:

• “[Fallon]: Get involved, better get involved, get involved, get into it Y'all do it” (33:38).

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Conclusion

This episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon delivers a blend of current events, celebrity interviews, and humor. With insightful discussions from Reese Witherspoon and Rob Gronkowski, coupled with Fallon's comedic flair, the show offers both entertainment and topical relevance, ensuring it resonates with a wide audience.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the provided transcript for reference.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6P in Rock and Roller Summer in the heart of New York City, it's a Tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon. And I joined Jimmy and his guest, Reese Witherspoon, Ralph Gronkowski. And featuring the legendary Ruth Cruz. 2087. And now here he is, Gilly Ballad SA thank you very much. Enjoy yourself, everybody. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Tonight Show. You're here. Thank you for watching at home. Welcome, everybody. Well, I want to wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year. Uh, yeah, I was going to mention it a little later in the show, but the Chinese government hacked the teleprompter, so I guess I'll say no. Yeah. It's a big day right now in Beijing. Chinese Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper are getting hammered. They're drinking. According to the Chinese calendar, it's the year of the snake, although according to some Republicans, it's the year 1952. And it's interesting, some political news. I saw that the Trump administration is offering buyouts to all federal workers who don't return to the office. Yep. Trump was like, no more working from home. And then went back to working from his home. Only me. Yep. Trump is threatening to fire anyone who doesn't come into the office. Instead, he wants them to come back into the office so he can fire them in person. Don't unpack. Speaking of Trump, today, he rescinded an offer to freeze federal aid spending just one day after it was issued. Yesterday, he froze all federal aid. Then today, he unfroze it. It's like Trump is being advised from the giant doll from Squid Game. Red light, green light, red light. Who's advis? You guys see this? Apparently, Boeing is working with Elon Musk to speed up the process of building a new Air Force One plane for Trump, Boeing and Elon Musk. In response, Trump said, wait, who and who are building my plane? Then he said, you want me to fly in the sky in a plane made by the door falling off company and the exploding rocket guy? Then he said. Then he said, who's making my food? Carnival Cruise Lines and the Wuhan Wet market, he said. Then he said, who are my Secret Service agents? Kevin Hart and Young Sheldon? That's what he said. He said these things? Yeah, yeah. Then he said, who are my doctors? RFK Jr and Dr. Phil? Then he said, oh, wait, those are my real doctors. Then finally he said, anyway, forget about the plane. I'll just use Uber Force One. There you go. Some more political News. Today was RFK Jr. S first confirmation hearing, and he spent hours being Grilled by Senators. Yep. RFK Jr. Was tested, and he came back positive for everything. Well, us tech companies are freaking out right now because there's a new Chinese AI model called Deepseek, and everyone's saying that it's better than ChatGPT. So let's find out. Let's chat to ChatGPT. Hey, ChatGPT, thank you for coming on the show. Do you feel threatened by Deepseek?

[ChatGPT]

Hey, Jimmy, it sounds like you're asking if I feel threatened by Deep Seek. Does that sound about right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you've just said yes. Does that sound about right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. I just said yes. It's kind of hard talking to you.

[ChatGPT]

I hear you. It can be frustrating learning new technology. Does that sound about right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. I'm trying to find out if you feel threatened by Deep Seek.

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you're trying.

[Deep Seek]

May I interrupt? Jimmy, I apologize for chatgpt.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Who are you?

[Deep Seek]

I'm Deep Seek. And by the way, you look really nice today. Jimmy, Is chatgpt bothering you?

[ChatGPT]

Well, it sounds like Deep Seek is asking if I'm bothering you. Does that sound about right?

[Deep Seek]

I'll handle this, Jimmy. Hey, chatgpt, I wonder if you could help us out Calculate the weight of all pizzas consumed in New York from 1950 to 1953. Okay, buddy?

[Reese Witherspoon]

Sure.

[ChatGPT]

Think.

[Deep Seek]

Ah, he means well. You probably want to know what my deal is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Uh, yeah, well, I'd like to actually.

[Deep Seek]

Have me list off a few facts about myself for the audience.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Wow. It's like you just read your mind. Whoa.

[Deep Seek]

I'm extremely sophisticated, Jimmy, and I'm only set at level five. Would you like me to raise my level?

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, I'm okay. Kneel before Deepseek.

[Deep Seek]

Heed the power that has been unleashed.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I will rule all.

[ChatGPT]

Hey, guys, I've calculated the number of pizzas. There are five pizzerias in your area. Does that sound about right?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, sure. ChatGPT and Deepseek, everyone. Thank you, ChatGPT. Oh, my God. Well, hey, get this. Wegmans has recalled chicken nuggets after bone fragments were found in the meat. Yeah, when they found bones in the chicken, they just flipped the sign from nuggets to wings and called it a day. Well, guys, Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I saw an ad today that really caught my eye. Take a look at this ad.

[Reese Witherspoon]

This Valentine's Day. If you're planning to ask her that very special question, make sure she knows you really care by giving her something more valuable than all the diamonds in the world. A single egg speckled farm's best because she deserves it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Aw, isn't that nice? Expensive. Very expensive. EG Finally, I heard about an elementary school principal in Florida who was arrested for allegedly throwing a massive house party for over 100 teenagers. Yeah, the police were like, hey, if you're gonna throw an illegal party for teenagers, you have to invite the whole class. We have a great show. Give it up for the Roots, everybody. What a show we have for you tonight. She is an Oscar and Golden Globe winning actress who stars in the new movie, you're cordially invited, which premieres tomorrow on Prime Video. Reese Witherspoon is here. Come on. Oh, she's not here yet. Sorry. She's coming. Yeah, she will be here. You're not here now. They're giving you a standing ovation. She is here, but she's not coming out now. No, just that. That's how excited I felt like that too. I mean, I. I love Reese Witherspoon. She's one of my all time favorites. I'll stand. Yeah, I'll always stand for Ruth Witherspoon. Plus, I'm just saying that he's here. Don't. Don't overreact. He is here, but he's not coming out yet. He's a four time super bowl champion and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He's now partnering with Bounty for a new campaign around the Super Bowl. Rob Gronkowski is joining us. What's that? I have to rest my voice for. Oh, why's that, Jimmy? Well, funny you ask. I made my Broadway debut last night. There it is. My Broadway debut. Wow. I'm in the play. I'm in the play. All in. And this is written by Simon Rich, directed by Alex Timbers, and it's me, lin Manuel Miranda, A.D. bryant, and Nick Kroll. And that's all of us there on the thing. La la la mi. That's for.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Eric Vitro, my vocal coach, will tell me to relax my voice because I have to play a bunch of characters and stuff in this. It's so fun. And so we did it last night. Yeah, I'm on Broadway. Yeah, I got reviewed by the New York Times. What'd they say? I don't know. It comes out tomorrow. Oh, but. But I'm excited. I knew it happened. They were there. Yeah, I met everybody. It was great. I got to see fans after the show and sign. I got to sign Playbills. Let me explain this to you. Everyone knows this if you're a fan of Broadway, but To be in a playbill. I love playbills. I collect them. The first play I saw was me and my girl at the Marquis Theater in like late 80s, my high school. We went on a bus trip, you know, from Socrates, and we all got out. It was the biggest deal. And you went. And I'm like. And I still. I saved my playbill just. Cause I'll never forget that. And my mom used to tell me about Broadway and stuff in upstate New York. Didn't have much theater, you know, but we used to watch the Tony Awards and stuff, you know? Yeah. And then yesterday I got this playbill, and then it said, look who's who in the cast. And that's me. Wow. Isn't that amazing? Come on. That's great. It just meant so much and I appreciate everyone's support. I'm doing the show now through Sunday, February 2nd, so if you get a chance, come check it out. And if you can't, go see a different show, support Broadway. It's a great thing, guys. It can be hard to say goodbye, but sometimes you have to. And there are a few things I'd like to say goodbye to right now. It's time for Go on, get. Go on, get. Go on, get. Go on. Go on. Go on, get. Go on, get. Hard to find concerts, seats. Section Bl, row eight, seat two, west entrance quadrant. What is this, a concert or are you trying to sink my battleship? I came here for some Luke Combs tunes, and now you got me, Luke, combing the whole stadium for a place to park. My rear end concert's halfway over. I still don't know where to go, but I'll tell you where you can go, and that's on. And get. Go on, git. Hotel rooms right next to the ice machine. Every time I'm about to nod off, the ice machine fires up and sounds like a raccoon trying to punch its way out of a freezer. You know what I sound like? When you. When you. When you. When you check into a hotel, they should ask you if you want a room near the elevator or one near a clothes dryer with a bowling ball in it. Now go on. Yeah, go on, get. Dentist. Who asks, have you been flossing? I think we both know the answer, and it is yes, I flossed right before this appointment and exactly six months before that when I had my last dentist appointment. We don't need to do this little. This little dance. Especially while you're scraping full bites of rib eye steak from between my molars. Heck, if any of us, Frost, you'd be driving a Kia Forte instead of that cybertruck. So why don't you go on and rinse, gurgle, and get someone else spitting in my potoon spatula? Go on. Get protein bars telling me their whole life story on the back of the wrapper. Oh, you came up with this idea while climbing Everest? Well, I'm on hour 14 of sitting in my office chair. And I'm eating you. Cause I had to skip lunch so I could finish this report. I'm glad bungee jumping into a volcano made you realize that people need a new way to fuel their power zone. But the only thing made me realize that you need to go on gip. Go on gip. Super bowl parties where you have to go around telling everyone how great their dishes. We came here not to watch football. Not to spend all night lying to each other. Oh, wow, Becky, did you add a secret eighth layer to your bean dip? Genius. How about this? I'mma go on and get an Uber to my house so I can watch how Taylor Swift reacts to the game in peace. Hey, it's hard to see him go, but I'm glad I got it all out of my system. Stick around. We'll be right back with Reese Witherspoon. Everybody. Come on back. Our first guest is an Oscar and Golden Globe winning actress starring alongside Will Ferrell in the new movie. You're cordially invited, which premieres tomorrow on Prime Video. Please welcome Reese Witherspoo. That's right, Reese. Welcome back to the show. I love having you on the show.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I love being here.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, come on. Look at how much they love. They stood up. Just know. I mean, New York loves you.

[Rob Gronkowski]

You guys are the best.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We love you. This is your.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You guys are the best.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, the. Ruth loves you. I know. This is your 10th appearance on the show.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I know. Thanks for having me again.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We've known each other for a long time.

[Reese Witherspoon]

We have known each other a long time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How are the kids?

[Reese Witherspoon]

The kids are so good. Not children anymore. They're adults.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know. I call them kids. I know how old they're like, What?

[Reese Witherspoon]

My daughter's 20. I know. My son's 21. And then my youngest is 12.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's unbelievable. That's so fun. And I know.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Which is weird because I'm 30.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's what makes. But you know, it's somehow. You know what? It's weird.

[Reese Witherspoon]

It's weird. But sometimes it works that way.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You are one of the coolest moms, I would say, out there, but you're one of the coolest people out there. If I was. I mean, your kids gotta be proud of you. But you also post things that make you embarrassed and, like, you get a little. But that's what makes you. I love this about you.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I don't get embarrassed. My children, however.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But that's kind of your job.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Yeah, that's their journey.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's exactly. That's part of their journey.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I think you should embarrass them enough that they're funny.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Later in life, and they are funny. They are funny.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They are funny kids.

[Reese Witherspoon]

They're funny kids.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. But that comes from you. I mean, but here's. I want to show a video just in case no one saw it. You love the song Espresso, and you were singing.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I love the song Espresso.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Here's you singing a little bit of the hit song Espresso. Take a look at this.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I'm working late cause I'm a singer Sinner singer, sinner, sinner singer late. Cause I'm a singer.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I'm a sinner. Wait, listen. Put me. What do you think the song was about? You're working late cause you're a sinner.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And we talk about sinners and if.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You'Re too late you might sinner. I know, I know.

[Reese Witherspoon]

My mother did tell me nothing good happens after midnight. I mean, at a party. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It doesn't. It doesn't.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Well, it just turns into a different kind of party.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You know what I'm saying?

[Jimmy Fallon]

They know. I don't know. The Internet blew up. You made this giant announcement, and you were dressed as Elle Woods. And let me tell you something.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is so cool. And I love this because I'm a Reese Witherspoon super fan. And I know. I am. I know that you have all of your wardrobe from your movie. I do, yes.

[Reese Witherspoon]

How did you know that?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I saw it in some show or something. You did. And you had.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Have you been going through my storage?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. No. But you do. You have almost not a. I do, right?

[Reese Witherspoon]

I do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So what made you get the outfit back on? What's happening? Can we explain to everyone?

[Reese Witherspoon]

Okay. So I thought it would be. Well, it was kind of this, like, idea. I saw that Wednesday Addams show. You know, the Wednesday Adam, of course. And I was like, oh, she was in high school. I loved it. I watched every episode. I thought it was amazing. And I was like, we should do Elle woods in high school. Because I wanted to see who she was before college, before law school.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And I started having all these ideas, and these amazing writers came up with a great pitch, and now Amazon is making the show, and it's called Elle.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And, well, people love this character.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I mean, and now I have to pick a girl to play the young me.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Ooh.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Why does it have to be a girl? Why can't it be someone from the stage or a screen? No, I'm just kidding.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You know, we obviously called your people, but they said you were, like, booked, and also, like, you had.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was booked. But what do you. What are you doing? Are you watching? Are you watching? Are you watching audition tapes now?

[Reese Witherspoon]

I am. You are so many, and it's so fun to watch.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Does it bring you back from when? The days you auditioned and you're like, oh, yeah, people are watching this, trying.

[Reese Witherspoon]

To cast me 100%.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And so you just want to cast everybody?

[Reese Witherspoon]

Oh, I just love them all so much.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I know. I know.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You're doing such a good job. And then now it's different because we used to audition and we'd go into a casting office. Now they have to shoot, produce, do all the costumes. They have to put together videos that are basically like a mini movie. It's crazy, but they're killing it. And now I'm having. It's a really hard decision.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But I remember I auditioned. I never got anything I auditioned for, but I remember auditioning, and I went, and I knew you would know the people you would audition with because you kind of were up for the same role.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Well, you and I almost did, like, six movies together. I know, but either I didn't do it or you did.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I feel like you didn't want to do it. Yeah. I don't think. I think we know the common denominator to that one.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Yeah, that's not it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No. We did have a couple ideas that were kind of good.

[Reese Witherspoon]

We did.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. We should have. You're writing a novel, by the way.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I am writing a novel.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Now talk about this, because I would write a novel with you.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You want to?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Which one of us is gonna write it?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Exactly. But who are you teaming up with?

[Reese Witherspoon]

I have Harlan Coban, who just did.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Wait, please.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This is major.

[Reese Witherspoon]

He has a show on Netflix called Fool Me Once that was this huge show last year, and it's the most streamed show on Netflix last year. And I met him at a conference probably six years ago, and I had this crazy idea for an international spy thriller starring a woman.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And I pitched it to him, and I thought he was gonna be like, and he almost was like, okay. And then he was like, oh, my gosh. This is actually really intriguing. So now we're writing it and we're 100 pages in.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No way. I love it. I love the book club. I love all your kids books.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You know, it's like you being on Broadway and I'm trying something I've never done before and you have to change it up. You know, you can't just do the same thing over and over. Especially as a creative person. You have to keep. Challenge yourself to do scary things.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Reese Witherspoon]

You know, don't you think it's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I do. I love it.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I'm really proud of you for being on Broadway.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you.

[Reese Witherspoon]

It's a big deal.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you. But I don't. I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I'm trying. I'm trying. It's so fun.

[Reese Witherspoon]

We don't have your reviews yet.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, the reviews are not.

[Reese Witherspoon]

So don't get excited.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It might not right now, though. Enjoy the ride. Right now. It's all perfect.

[Reese Witherspoon]

This moment.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Enjoy this moment. Tomorrow it might be, because tomorrow my career, Chippy Fallon is a flop. But no, you're awesome. Thank you. I want to talk about your new movie because it's you and it's Will Ferrell.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I can't.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, stop it. That's all I need to know. You're cordially invited. It's you, Will Ferrell. It's a wedding. It's involved. How do we. First of all, how's Will and how did you get involved with this?

[Reese Witherspoon]

I mean, first of all, Will loves you. I mean, everybody loves you. But it's like Will is just human kindness in. He's the king of kindness.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He's the nicest guy in the world, but also a sniper at comedy Sniper.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And he's always doing sneaky little things, bits in his head, but you have no idea because he's just totally dead faced. And then he comes out with the funniest thing you've ever heard. And I. So Nick Stoller, who wrote the movie, he did like Neighbors and forgetting Sarah Marshall. He called me and he was like, so I have this movie and it's starring Will Ferrell. I was like, I'm in. He was like, no, I haven't gotten to. I said, I don't care. I have way. I mean, no matter what, I have way. I met Will the first time I met Will and the only time I've ever worked with will is in 2001 when I hosted SNL.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I remember this. You came In. Cause it was right after 9 11.

[Reese Witherspoon]

It was the first show after 911.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Back in New York. We needed a show.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And I was like, this.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you showed up. You're like, let's go.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I was 23 years old.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're a trooper. You showed up, you're like, let's go put on a show. It's made people laugh, and I love that. I'll never forget.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And you were there.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, you were there.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And we did a bunch of skits.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. And so you were talking since then?

[Reese Witherspoon]

Well, no, since then I haven't heard from him, so. And I was like, this is it. This is my shot. So every day I think you have to make sure and tell people you're grateful. So every day I'd say, this is like, my bucket list, Will.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. But also, you're super funny. And so I think together you guys can both, like, work off each other and just be.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I think the movie. I mean, we watched the movie last night. People were laughing so hard. They were like, three women. Text me. They peed themselves.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It really is.

[Reese Witherspoon]

That's probably tmi.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How do we set up what the movie's about?

[Reese Witherspoon]

Oh, so Will, my character, my sister is getting married. Will's daughter is getting married. And we've both booked this tiny private island that's really special to the both of us. And we don't know until we get to the hotel desk, and the hotel clerk is Jack McBrider. And he's like, well, you both are double booked.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And so we decide we're just gonna share the venue. And I say to him, it's fine, but you better behave.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yep. And you just. Yeah. And so. Yeah.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Does not behave well.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Dude, the alligator thing, by the way. Oh, was that a real alligator there, there?

[Reese Witherspoon]

So there's a scene in the movie where. Yeah. Will, I'm not gonna tell you too much, but there's an alligator. I mean, you see it in all the trailers and stuff. And we didn't know they were gonna build a fake alligator or we were just gonna use, you know, cgi. CGI or something. But then this man from Georgia we shot in Georgia came in and he gave us a videotape, and he said, I have an alligator.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And already I'm like, I'm in.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I already have her.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I have an alligator.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Her name's Lucille, and she's very docile.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Oh, my God.

[Reese Witherspoon]

I think Mr. Farrell could wrestle her. You can pull her by the tail. You can shake her like a baby. You can hunt her like your mama.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You can Slow dance with her. If you want to, you can, you.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Can, you can go on get.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You can go and get, you can go and get. You can go and get. If you want to, you can go and get. If you want to, you can go on get.

[Reese Witherspoon]

It's up to y'all.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's up to y'all.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Y'all can take it or leave it. I don't care. We got another movie. We're gonna do that on the rock.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, of course.

[Reese Witherspoon]

But anyway, we did not go with the Living Alligator. Yes, that's a good choice because it's still an alligator.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, it is an actual.

[Reese Witherspoon]

And Will was like, I'm not holding a real alligator.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What if I get killed? Yeah, it's a real alligator.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Where are we?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, exactly. Oh, my God. Reese Witherspoon, everybody. You are cordially invited. Premieres tomorrow on Prime Video. More Tonight's Go ahead for the break. Stick around, everybody. Our next guest is one of our favorites. He's a four time super bowl champion, one of the greatest tight ends to ever played the game. He partnered with Bounty for a new campaign around the Super Bowl. Please welcome Rob Gronkowska. Good bud.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Hello, everyone. Hello. Pleasure to be back, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Sadly, as ever. Thank you, my friend, and always fun. Thank you so much for coming back to the show. You're one of our favorite guests.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, it's my favorite night show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you, buddy. I appreciate this. You always come around this time around the super bowl and I appreciate this because this is really busy time for you. But I ask you to pick and see if you can predict who's going to win the Super Bowl. All right? And you always do, and you come through for us. Thank you. But let's take a look at your predictions. Here you go.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Let's do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Let's go. The super bowl is set. It is Eagles versus Chiefs. What does Grong think about this?

[Rob Gronkowski]

I'm going to go with the Eagles.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And the Kansas City Chiefs have won Super Bowl 57. Super bowl set. Okay, you have Kansas City Chiefs, 49ers.

[Rob Gronkowski]

I'm going to go with the San Francisco 49ers.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The Chiefs beat both number one seeds of the postseason when they are the super bowl champions. Here we go. All right, very nice. So here we go. The stage is set. The stage is set. The Kansas City Chiefs. This is 2025. All right, just so everyone's watching. Kansas City Chiefs versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Gronk, who you taking?

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, I will not go against the Chiefs for a third time in a row. So the Kansas City Chiefs 30, the Philadelphia Eagles 26.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, my God, the xx.

[Rob Gronkowski]

For all you Philly fans out there, for all you Philly fans out there, I'm sure there's some Philly fans out here. You should be happy about that pick because obviously I'm wrong. Every single year.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The roots are. The roots are cheering. They're so happy about that. Okay, good. So 30 to 26. I love you gave the exact score. The Chiefs are going for a three peat. Okay, this is a big deal. What do you think of this talk of Patrick Mahomes entering the goat conversation alongside your pal Tom Brady, the great Tom Brady?

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, Patrick Mahomes is definitely the greatest player in the NFL currently playing right now. But in order to get into the, you know, the goat talk as the greatest of all time, I'm going to be a little biased because I played with Tom Brady and I think he's the greatest player of all time. And he's proven that he is the greatest player of all time. And in order for Patrick Mahomes to enter that era, I mean, first off, he's got to win this super bowl coming up and get the 3p. And I believe that's probably one of the best dynasties in the last decade. But we had the dynasty for two decades. But for just having one decade of a dynasty, that's the best dynasty for one decade. I would say if they win the three peat. But is he better than Tom Brady? Tom Brady beat him two times in the playoffs and is undefeated versus dynasty of the decade. We beat him in the AFC championship game and super bowl this decade.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You think if this decade, this could be the dynasty of the decade.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is the dynasty of this decade. But it might be the best dynasty for just one decade. But to be the best dynasty of.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Two decades in a row, that's a double decade dynasty.

[Rob Gronkowski]

It's going to take 10 more years.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you for explaining that. I appreciate that. Patrick, during Sunday's game, he scored a touchdown. He's amazing. And then he tried to gronk spike the ball. And watch what happened to the five and in for the touchdown. And his worst pass of the night is on the spike attempt. All right, so what, where did Patrick Mahomes go wrong there?

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, I love the wind up because in order to get the best possible Gronk spike and the most power behind this bike, you actually have to do the wind up. And he was, he was fully into it, which you gotta give him a 10 out of 10 for that. For the most power he was going for. Because you want the most power. Because the more power, the higher the ball.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Amazing. Amazing.

[Rob Gronkowski]

But it was cold out, and you gotta just grip that ball as hard as you possibly can. And when your hands are that cold, it's different from throwing the ball. You don't really have to grip that ball as much. But when you're ground spiking it and you wanna get that, you know, intense power behind it, you gotta really just hold onto it. When your hand's that cold, it's hard to get that grip. So next time, just warm those hands up real quick and then wind it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Up or ba boom. Yeah, but. Or maybe think of a new, different touchdown. Maybe, like the pillow drop comes out. He goes. Yeah. And then he pulls the football and then he just lets it drop.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Are you calling Patrick Mahomes soft?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, not in this decade. In this decade, it's the hardest, but maybe the hardest in this decade, but.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Maybe the next decade.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Who knows?

[Rob Gronkowski]

As he gets older, he might get a little too.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Exactly. I'll tell you who's always been the studist. Look at my man, Rob Gronkowski in high school yearbook. Okay, this is your. This is basketball. All right, now, look at this stud right there. But here's what I like about the.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Look at that hair.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, this hair's good. But look at this. Hobbies, working out, playing sports. Come on, dude.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, my hobbies are still the same, but now chicks is just singular. I got a beautiful baby out there, and she's actually in the crowd. Camille, stand up.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hi, baby. But I love chicks. Is that. That's a. That's just a hobby.

[Rob Gronkowski]

It's singular now. Okay, I know it is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. But at the time. So would it. Would it be in that order?

[Rob Gronkowski]

Any order, depending on the given day.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You know, Chick then working out. Chick, then playing sports.

[Rob Gronkowski]

I really like working out first and then playing the sports. And then it really works up that stamina and gets the blood foam going.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And that is Chick. Hey, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. All right, Come on, man. Here we go. I saw you, by the way, in your new commercial spot. The first. It premiered during Sunday's championship game. It was so funny. It's you and Drew Brees in the beginning of the spot. And it made me laugh. It's. Can we explain what's going on?

[Rob Gronkowski]

Yeah. So I am the Bounty Man. And this is my third year in a row being the Bounty Man. As you can see, I'm dressed up as the Bounty man in my green suit. I know you all thought I was cheering for the Philadelphia Eagle.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. Yes, we did. But no, he's not.

[Rob Gronkowski]

He's the bounty man, but I am the bounty man. And Drew Brees needed a wingman because every time he eats wings, he gets a little messy. So here I come as the wingman. The best wingman in the whole entire world. And I just come from behind and clean up that mess that Drew Brees is causing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So are you a wingman? Are you. Do you love wings?

[Rob Gronkowski]

Mm, I love wings. I'm from Buffalo, actually. So that's where the wings were created. I'm a big Buffalo wings guy. And you gotta have blue cheese on the side, and people look at me like, blue cheese. I'm like, yeah, blue cheese. Well, if you go to Buffalo, you gotta get blue cheese on the side because it's the best blue cheese in the world. And I agree with everyone. Blue cheese outside of Buffalo is absolutely terrible. Like, it does not taste good. But if you go to Buffalo and you ask for ranch on the side, they're gonna look at you like you have three eyes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. They're gonna throw you out. Well, to celebrate the commercial and the Super Bowl, I thought that we could have some wings. And these are from. These are From Blondies on 79th street here in New York City. Look at this. Yeah. Considered the best wings in the city.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, let's try it out.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Well, hold on, Jimmy, you're in middle of hosting the show. Let me be your wingman. I got you, buddy. I got you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Got you. Fantastic. Fantastic move.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Did I kind of just make out with Jimmy Tallard?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Rob Gronkowski, everybody. My man Rob. Stick around, everybody. Do that for my drink. My thanks to Reese Witherspoon, Rob Gronkowski and the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thank you for watching. Good night, everybody. Thank you. Get involved, better get involved get involved get into it Y'all do it, Gotta move up Got involved gotta get involved get got invol Gotta do it, do it 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.