Trump's Bold Inauguration Objectives | Colin Jost, David Alan Grier, Dorinda Medley | Monday, January 20

Summary

Summary of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Episode: "Trump's Bold Inauguration Objectives"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
• Host/Producer: NBC Universal
• Description: As the longest-running talk show on television and the leading late-night program digitally, The Tonight Show delivers weekday morning episodes (Tuesday-Friday) featuring Jimmy Fallon's latest monologues, extended celebrity interviews, sketches, games, stand-up, and more.
• Episode: Trump's Bold Inauguration Objectives | Colin Jost, David Alan Grier, Dorinda Medley
• Release Date: January 21, 2025

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1. Opening Monologue and Current Events Commentary

Timestamp: 00:05 – 05:47

Jimmy Fallon kicks off the episode with his characteristic humor, addressing the recent inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States amidst unusual circumstances. Due to freezing temperatures, the ceremony was moved indoors, leading to canceled parades and humorous remarks about the event's downsizing.

Notable Highlights:

• Trump’s Inauguration: Fallon jokes, “America is rolling the dice with the second Trump presidency. It’s like we somehow survived the first squid game and then signed back up for a second.”
• Biden’s Letter: The monologue includes a humorous take on former President Joe Biden leaving a classified letter with a $5 bill inside, suggesting Trump to “Get yourself an ice cream cone” (04:35).
• TikTok Shutdown: Fallon comments on TikTok’s brief shutdown in the US, likening it to a child’s fleeting rebellion: “for 14 hours, millions of parents saw their children's eyeballs for the first time.”
• Apple’s AI Missteps: He highlights Apple's decision to halt AI news alerts after the AI consistently misrepresents headlines, providing humorous examples like confusing "Denzel Washington" with "dick challenge."

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2. Guest Segment: Colin Jost

Timestamp: 06:06 – 16:05

Introduction: Jimmy introduces Colin Jost, co-anchor of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and host of the new game show Pop Culture Jeopardy on Prime Video.

Key Discussions:

• SNL and Weekend Update:

  • Photo Shoot Experience: Jost reminisces about a memorable photo shoot celebrating SNL’s 50th anniversary, interacting with legendary cast members. He shares a funny anecdote about the photographer, David LaChapelle, using a bullhorn pointed at the wall instead of the participants (07:35).
  • First Appearance: Jost describes appearing on a special SNL episode with Timothee Chalamet as host, highlighting the camaraderie and chaotic setup of the show.

• Pop Culture Jeopardy:

  • Hosting Challenges: Jost discusses his transition from contestant to host, drawing parallels to his experience on The Weakest Link. He humorously recounts his incorrect answer about the season of August, revealing his nervousness during his game show appearance (12:17).
  • Game Mechanics: He elaborates on the unique format of Pop Culture Jeopardy, emphasizing the intense trivia competition and fast-paced buzzer system.

Notable Quotes:

• On SNL’s Photo Shoot: “It was like Steve Martin, Julia Dreyfus, Tina Fey, pretend like you like each other.”
• On Hosting a Game Show: “I've seen the worst of it and I've lived the worst. I have a lot of empathy for them.”

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3. Guest Segment: David Alan Grier

Timestamp: 16:28 – 25:00

Introduction: Jimmy welcomes David Alan Grier, a Tony-winning actor and comedian, starring in the new NBC series St. Dennis Medical.

Key Discussions:

• Career Highlights:

  • St. Dennis Medical: Grier talks about his character, Dr. Ron Leonard, an experienced physician navigating the bureaucratic challenges in healthcare. He highlights the depth and complexity of his role, adding humor with references to medical jargon (22:33).
  • Awards and Nominations: Grier shares his excitement about being nominated for a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards, confidently asserting his competitive edge against renowned actors like Denzel Washington (23:22).

• Personal Anecdotes:

  • Early Career: Grier recounts his passion for music and songwriting during his youth, his attempts to join folk scenes in New York, and his memorable experiences with legendary actors like Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson in theater productions (19:35 – 24:31).
  • Interactions with Eric Legend: He humorously mentions his previous audition with Eric Legend for Chocolate News, leading to his role in St. Dennis Medical (21:05).

Notable Quotes:

• On Acting in St. Dennis Medical: “He’s the oldest physician at the hospital. I really do think that this dude, when he started Dr. Ron had a big afro... now he's just like, I give up, man.”
• On Awards: “They going down, baby. This is my time.”

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4. Guest Segment: Dorinda Medley

Timestamp: 25:36 – 33:38

Introduction: Jimmy introduces Dorinda Medley, a prominent personality from the Real Housewives franchise and a star in Peacock’s Emmy-winning series The Traitors.

Key Discussions:

• The Traitors:

  • Show Overview: Medley discusses The Traitors, describing it as a strategic and intense reality show set in a Scottish castle. She shares her experience of portraying a character who fakes her death to create drama and intrigue among contestants (28:25 – 32:50).
  • Strategy and Preparation: She humorously details her preparation for the show, which involved studying The Art of War and using poster boards to strategize daily moves (30:29 – 31:15).

• Personal Life and Bluestone Manor:

  • Bluestone Manor: Medley talks about her luxurious home in Massachusetts, Bluestone Manor, and her aspirations to spin it into a Bravo show. She invites the audience and Jimmy’s wife to visit, highlighting her role as the epitome of refined living (26:17 – 28:12).
  • Interactions with Other Celebrities: She narrates a humorous encounter with Brittany's ex-husband on The Traitors, showcasing her genuine and nurturing nature even in competitive settings (29:19 – 30:15).

• Fashion and Public Perception:

  • Outfits and Reactions: Medley addresses the fan outrage over her strategic murder on the show, admitting she enjoyed the heightened attention and theatrical response from fans (31:20 – 32:50).

Notable Quotes:

• On The Traitors: “I went in as lady, as a manor. And I was like, I’m gonna be queen of this castle. I am so here.”
• On Preparation: “I read The Art of War twice. I studied philosophers like Najee Hanna... I was so ready to kill it.”

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5. Closing Remarks

Timestamp: 33:38 – End

Jimmy Fallon wraps up the show by thanking the guests—Colin Jost, David Alan Grier, and Dorinda Medley—for their appearances. He promotes their respective projects:

• Colin Jost's "Pop Culture Jeopardy": Available Wednesdays on Prime Video.
• David Alan Grier's "St. Dennis Medical": Airing Tuesdays at 8 PM on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
• Dorinda Medley's "The Traitors": Streaming every Thursday on Peacock.

Fallon also acknowledges the team from The Roots and signs off with his signature goodbyes, encouraging listeners to subscribe and watch The Tonight Show on NBC and Peacock.

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Conclusion: This episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon provided a blend of humor, insightful discussions, and engaging interviews with notable guests. From Jimmy’s sharp take on political events and tech mishaps to in-depth conversations with Colin Jost about comedy and game shows, David Alan Grier about acting and awards, and Dorinda Medley about reality TV and personal experiences, the show offered a comprehensive and entertaining experience for listeners and viewers alike.

Transcript

[Jimmy Fallon]

From Studio 6B in Rockefeller center in.

[Steve Higgins]

The heart of New York City, it's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The Tonight show starring Gimme Fallon. And I join giving his guests Colin.

[Steve Higgins]

Ghost, David Alan Queer, Lorenza Messer, featuring the legendary Ruth Cru 2081. And now here he is giving.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you very much. Enjoy yourself. Thank you. Welcome to the Tonight Show. Thank you very much. After this, we're going to play who Wore It Better, Melania or the Hamburglar. Well, guys, enjoy yourself, guys. Today, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Yeah, we're all united. That's great to know. Yeah. America is rolling the dice with the second Trump presidency. It's like we somehow survived the first squid game and then signed back up for a second. It's like you won. Yeah. Today was Trump's inauguration, but the ceremony was moved inside because of freezing temperatures. Democrats were like, it doesn't bother us. We've been numb since November because of the weather. They also canceled the inauguration parade. When you heard that, Eric Trump was like, wait, so you're telling me SpongeBob won't be here? This afternoon, Trump was sworn in on two Bibles, Abraham Lincoln's and his own personal bible. You could tell which was which because one was 200 years old. The other was a menu from the Cheesecake Factory. Turn your hymnal to the bottom of page two. Jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon. During his address, Trump laid out some pretty bold objectives. He said, first things first, we're going to plant a flag on Mars to his home planet. And that's what we're going to do. First things first. By the end of today, some more inauguration news. I read that former President Biden followed tradition by leaving a letter in the Oval Office for Trump. And out of habit, Biden put five bucks inside. Get yourself an ice cream cone. And I thought this was nice. Biden designated the letter classified so Trump would take it home. Yeah. Biden spent a minute writing it and 10 minutes licking it closed. Of course, the other big story everyone's talking about is that over the weekend, TikTok shut down in the US then came back 14 hours later. It's like when a kid threatens to run away and just spends the night at a neighbor's house. It's like, I'm really doing it this time. Yeah. For 14 hours, millions of parents saw their children's eyeballs for the first time. And finally, guys, Apple is halting its AI news alerts cuz it's constantly butchering news stories with summaries that are totally wrong. Yeah, I guess there's so much news happening that their AI is confusing stories and details. I'll show you what I mean. For instance, these are some real news headlines this week. It says that 82 Joe Biden rides into the sunset, new zin pouches approved by FDA and Rascal flats perform at the inauguration. But Apple's AI reported Joe Biden rides a Rascal to the inauguration chewing 82 Zinn pouches. You see? Yeah. Here's a couple more here. This says Timothee Chalamet fined for riding an E bike. Demi Moore looks like an Oscar frontrunner for the substance. And Chiefs coach Andy Reid all smiles after win. But Apple's AI reported Andy Reid takes the substance. Now looks like Timothy Challenge. Here's Sylvester Stallone named ambassador to Hollywood. Southwest pilots arrested for dui. And Progresso releases hard candy you can suck on. But Apple's AI reported Southwest pilot arrested for sucking on Sylvester Stallone. We're getting at the King. We have a great show.

[Steve Higgins]

Give it up for the roof that is delicate.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Thank you very much. Enjoy yourself. Thank you for being here. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, everybody. I appreciate it coming out and watching our show tonight. What a great show we have. You know him as the co anchor of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live. He's also hosting the new game show Pop Culture Jeopardy. With new episodes available Wednesdays on Prime Video. Colin Jost is here tonight. He stars in the new NBC series St. Denis Medical which airs Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC. David Alan Grier is joining us. Funny, funny, funny dude. She is a Real Housewives legend. You can also see her in the Emmy winning series the Traitors on Peacock and it aired tonight on NBC. We're going to talk to her all about it. Dorinda Medley is here tonight. Also. It's Questlow's birthday, everybody. So happy birthday to. Oh yeah, yeah. Come on.

[Steve Higgins]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Stick around everybody. We'll be right back with Colin Jost.

[Steve Higgins]

Come on back.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our first guest is one of the co anchors of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, which is all new this Saturday with host and musical guest Timothee Chalamet. And he's also the host of Pop Culture Jeopardy. New episodes are available Wednesdays on Prime Video. Everyone please welcome Colin Jost.

[Colin Jost]

They love you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We love you. Welcome.

[Colin Jost]

I love that I'm on the Martin Luther King show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, of course you are.

[Colin Jost]

I was like, did Michael Che trap me?

[Jimmy Fallon]

You look good, bud. It's good to see you.

[Colin Jost]

It's great to see you too.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I've actually gotten to see you since I think you were on the show with Chef.

[Colin Jost]

Yes, that's right.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Last time you were here. And in the meantime, I saw you at the Christmas episode of snl.

[Colin Jost]

Very fun.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That was fantastic show, by the way. I think one of the best weekend updates I've ever seen.

[Colin Jost]

Oh, thank you. It was very.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Are you in trouble with Scarlet?

[Colin Jost]

I'm in trouble, I think, with a lot of people. Scarlett was genuinely so shocked.

[Jimmy Fallon]

She was. Her reactions were unbelievable. I love you. It was.

[Colin Jost]

She. It was. Because I was obviously surprised by everything. But they gave her a heads up. They were like, hey, would you be okay if Michael made a little, like, kind of vagina joke at some point? And she's like. She was like, sure, you know, whatever. I'm open to it. And so then when it was like the opposite, I didn't know where it was going. And then the graphic came up for Arby's.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's all you need. That's all you need.

[Colin Jost]

Scarlett is backstage like, oh, my God. That's what it is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh. It was honestly legitimate live moment.

[Colin Jost]

Yes. It really was.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you weren't acting at all.

[Colin Jost]

I was not. I can't act that well.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That was great. But then. Yet we also saw each other on the COVID of New York Magazine.

[Colin Jost]

Yes. This insane photo shoot.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cause it's the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.

[Colin Jost]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And it's a big deal.

[Colin Jost]

Look at this collection of people here. And this is such an honor to be with Steve Martin, Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, Candice Bergen, Julia W.E. dreyfus, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers. I'm there in a strange cowboy jacket. Then up there, you and Bowen. And my favorite moment was you're up there on a three story bunk bed, essentially, and the guy put you a ladder up. You guys had to climb up a ladder to the top. And then he just took the ladder away. And you guys. You guys were like, oh, I guess we're up here for the next 45 minutes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. If something happened, we couldn't jump down. It was like 20ft, very high up in the air. Yeah. I thought it was great. It was David lachapelle.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah. Who's an incredible visionary photographer. The way he works is sort of insane because this group was all together. It was really cool. And then he starts blasting music. No one can hear what he's saying.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He had a bullhorn out of the wall.

[Colin Jost]

He had a bullhorn, but he didn't point it towards us. He had a bullhorn Pointed towards the wall. So it did not help at all. And he's just yelling out and he's yelling to all these people. I'm like, he's like, steve Martin, you wanna lose the glasses? And Steve's like, well, I've had them for 40 years. I think I'm gonna keep em. And he's like, Julia Dreyfus, Tina Fey, like, pretend like you like each other.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They were like, we do. We're friends.

[Colin Jost]

And he's like, yeah, yeah, sure. But for the.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, it was really fun.

[Colin Jost]

It was wild.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It was. And of course, I think my pose, which I don't know what I'm doing, I think they asked for, like a fun pose.

[Colin Jost]

I love when a photographer's like, now, let's do a fun one.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But I'm the only one that did the fun one. Everyone else, look, you look. Look how cool you look.

[Colin Jost]

I did the. There's so few poses that men can do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's your fun one. Look at my fun one. My fun was like.

[Steve Higgins]

I didn't even do that. Who does that?

[Colin Jost]

I don't know. I went with the like, No, I swear my hair is real. Like that pose.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, yeah.

[Colin Jost]

That was all I had.

[Jimmy Fallon]

There's not many poses men could really.

[Colin Jost]

There's like, tie you can do.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yep.

[Colin Jost]

There's one where you can do this. Like, maybe make sure I still have sleeves.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Tie. Yeah. And then, yeah, I just went full on, like, what?

[Colin Jost]

It was an honor to be part of that group. It was crazy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I mean, the big 50th special is coming up February 16th.

[Colin Jost]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Sunday live. Yeah, live. Live, Live.

[Colin Jost]

There are going to be a lot of people there. It's going to be crazy. It's now at the point where almost like the whole cast coming back. Anyone who's been a cast member, anyone who's been a host, can barely fit in the studio.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes. No, seriously, it's going to be crazy. It's going to be nuts. But you were there out of 50 seasons. You were there for 20 seasons.

[Colin Jost]

This is my 20th as a writer.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, dude, that's amazing, Joe. That's crazy.

[Colin Jost]

It is crazy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And I remember you as a writer and stuff like that. And I was looking, I was like, were you in any sketches?

[Colin Jost]

Cause sometimes they'll put people in. Well, there were all these audition pieces that we've done through the years at snl. Steve Higgins actually did the original one, wrote the original one, which was Star wars auditions, which are really great ones from the 90s. And I wrote these ones for back to the future and Top Gun. And so they were like, you gotta be in there. They gave me, like, an 80s polo shirt, and I'm doing the Clacker, if you can see. There's one of.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You have a photo.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah. With Bill Hader as his great Alan Alden impression. Incredible. And then on Weekend Update, Seth and Amy, when I was there, they would occasionally be like, hey, we're gonna use a photo of you. Can we take a photo of you for a graphic for Weekend Update? And I'd be like, oh, sure. What's the story? And they're like, well, you'll watch, you'll see.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So this is like. Yeah.

[Colin Jost]

So the first one, they said, this is gonna be, we need a cool teacher.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Colin Jost]

Cool teacher. And the story was a teacher that got STDs from. So that was cool for my mom.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Yeah. The whole family was enjoying it.

[Colin Jost]

I was like, I got a new job, Mom. This was a guy who was attempting to, like, sex trap cougars in the Hamptons. Had to be me for that one. And then this next one before you show it, the story was TSA had a new body scanner, but if the airport couldn't afford a body scanner, they were just going to use Carlo. And it was.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you were Carl.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah, and I was Carlo.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Check it out. Yeah, that's not bad. You're crushing it. But Pop Culture Jeopardy, I love it.

[Colin Jost]

It's. It's such a fun. All the people on it have all this insane knowledge that I cannot believe they have. It's kind of terrifying. Oh, it's great. It's really impressive. It's a great, great crew.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And we were doing a little research, and it turns out this is your first time hosting a game show, but not the first time you've been on a game show.

[Colin Jost]

Yes. While you're laughing like you already know what's coming.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Colin Jost]

I was on a college episode of the Weakest Link. I don't know if you guys recall the Weakest Link.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of course.

[Colin Jost]

Yes. I was on that show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Were you nervous? Do you remember being.

[Colin Jost]

I was extremely nervous. I never had been. It was in Los Angeles. I'd never been to Los Angeles before. I'd never been on any sort of show. And I was there, and I. I wouldn't say that I did great on the show.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, that's not. I'm sure that's not true. You're a very intelligent guy. I mean, I wish there was video of it. Wait, let's just.

[Colin Jost]

You don't have the video.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Let's just take A look at this. Here's Colin Joseph as a contestant.

[Colin Jost]

Oh, you don't need to. Colin, in the northern hemisphere, the month.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Of August falls in which of the four seasons?

[Colin Jost]

Fall.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, summer. I would have said fall too.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah, yeah, totally. A lot of people say fall. What season is August in? And I said fall. I, by the way, thought about it then said fall. So much more humiliating when you're wearing a Harvard center.

[Jimmy Fallon]

God.

[Colin Jost]

God.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How did you end up on that show? You applied to it.

[Colin Jost]

Literally, this is the time in life. It was. I answered a random landline and a guy was like, they weren't calling for me. They were like, hey, do you want to be on a game show? I was like, sure, yeah, of course. And I can't believe this wasn't a scam. And they gave me like a trivia quiz over the thing and they were like, you want to be. We're going to fly you to la. Like, this wasn't a kidnapping. I cannot believe it. We're going to fly you to la. Quick stop in Russia, just get on a plane. And they flew me out and I was, you know what? Like that game show had a voiceover every round. And at every single round it was statistically the weakest link. This round was Colin. Yeah, every single round. And then I managed to get in, survive till the end. And then I ran the table at the end.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How much money did you win?

[Colin Jost]

But I had been so bad at the game that there was almost no money to win because I had gotten it all wrong. So I won like $5,000, which at the time was great. The person after me won $60,000, the game after me. And then I was with all the. We were all in a hotel, all the contestants. So I just used all the money and we just bought like beer and wine and went in a giant 20 person hot tub. And that was basically the money.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, college kid. That's what you do. That's what you do.

[Colin Jost]

It was a college episode.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do you feel like you bond with the contestants on pop culture Jeopardy? Cause you've been on the other side.

[Colin Jost]

I've seen the worst of it and I've lived the worst. I have a lot of empathy for them. It's to answer trivia questions, let alone under the gun like that you have like three seconds to answer. You're in a, a weird foreign studio.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's great at home, by the way. I, I'm great at Jeopardy.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cause I'm like, oh, dude. Buzzing in. Totally fake buzzer everything but holding a real Buzzer. It's. It's a totally different game.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah. And this is nine people. There's three teams of three. So it's like really hard to get in there and buzz when I. Every time I think we say about trivia is I'm great at trivia. As long as it's trivia. I know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Colin Jones, everybody.

[Colin Jost]

Thank you, guys.

[Jimmy Fallon]

New episodes of Pop Culture Jeopardy. Are available Wednesdays on Prime Video. And Saturday Night Live airs this Saturday with host and musical guest Timothee Chalamet. We'll be right back with more tonight. Joe, stick around. Everybody.

[Steve Higgins]

Graduated from one of the.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Our next guest is a very funny comedian and Tony winning actor. He stars in the new series St. Dennis Medical, which airs Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC and streams on Peacock. Please welcome David Allen Greer.

[David Alan Grier]

How long has it been?

[Jimmy Fallon]

It's been a while. It's been a while since we've seen each other.

[David Alan Grier]

You know, before we get too deep.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

I want to thank Captain Kirk. He brought me. That's pretty emotional, man. This man, he brought me a switch. This switch is to his guitar that Gibson made a few years ago that broke and he gave me a replacement switch.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, are you kidding me? Come on. That's it. That is a real. I'm getting emotional too. Well, it's happening. I'm gonna get emotional too. Let me just.

[David Alan Grier]

Let me get my thing together.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, no, no, no.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you though, bro. No, but I'm just saying thank you, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

For real.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, right. He's looking out anyway, we got that out of the way. I'm happy that. Thank you for coming and saying hi to us. I want to talk about St. Denis Medical. I want to talk about all these awards you're up for. Congratulations, bud.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Well done.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're crushing it.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

[David Alan Grier]

Absolutely.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And I read somewhere that you marched with MLK.

[David Alan Grier]

I did, man. As a 7 year old. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan. And so in 1963, there was a civil rights march in Detroit and our whole family went. And I do remember being bribed with an ice cream come.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, exactly.

[David Alan Grier]

The possibility of an ice cream cone.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How old are you again?

[David Alan Grier]

I was seven. So I'm gonna say I was a reluctant revolutionary.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're like, what are we doing?

[David Alan Grier]

But I did march, man. I did. And you know what's weird? I found the poster for that march online and I was able to purchase it. So now I have that poster as well.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But also, that was the he was rehearsing the speech, one of the most famous speeches of our time. I have a Dream speech. That's right here before he did it in Washington.

[David Alan Grier]

You know, I feel like I attended the final dress. You know what I mean?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah. Final dress.

[David Alan Grier]

Final dress.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

So he was going through I have a Dream. Yeah, I have a Thought, I have a Vision.

[Jimmy Fallon]

He was trying things out. Trying things out.

[David Alan Grier]

You know, like when you do new material, you know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. You gotta try it.

[David Alan Grier]

So we said, go with dreams.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I didn't know you did. That's great.

[David Alan Grier]

So I'm. You know.

[Jimmy Fallon]

That's great that you're always giving. Yeah, well, you know. Yeah, I. I love you. I know you from your acting. I love you from your comedy also. I. But I. Your. Your musical abilities. That's what got you into all this in the first place.

[David Alan Grier]

Well, originally, when I was like, younger, when I was in high school, you know, I've been playing guitar badly for most of my life.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

And I really wanted to be a songwriter. So I came to New York when I was 19. I lived here for a year and I sang, you know, in Folk City, you know the places in the Village. We had an open mic.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Were you a folks, a folk singer?

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah, I would. By way of Detroit and Blackified. But I was, you know, folky.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You were.

[David Alan Grier]

I was, man. I wanted to sit in with the band, but, you know, they shut me down.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hey, you got a piece of a guitar, right?

[David Alan Grier]

That's what I'm saying. Kirk was. He was the ringleader.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, exactly.

[David Alan Grier]

Somebody gave you a switch. Don't think you all, you know, you're not with us.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Piece by piece, you'll build a guitar and then.

[David Alan Grier]

No, but for real, they don't remember. We were in the hallway the last time I was here. I was like, hey, man, Kirk, I have your guitar. Maybe I could bring it and I could sit in. The entire band went, no, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

They all looked away. They got. Oh, come on.

[David Alan Grier]

Nobody gave me love.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No, we're allowed. We want you back. We want you to play with the roof.

[David Alan Grier]

But you know what? In spite of that, but still, I rose.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, see, that's Jimmy. Let's talk. Let's talk about St. Denis Medical on NBC. It just got renewed for a second season. Congratulations.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Very funny.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And you're great. You're fantastic. And Eric Legend is one of the creators. Eric wrote on Late Night back in the day for.

[David Alan Grier]

Did he? Well, you know, Eric, I had a show years ago called the Chocolate News.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. Of Course.

[David Alan Grier]

Well, after I agreed to do St. Denis, Eric, he told me, he said, you know, you interviewed me for a writing position on Chocolate News. I was like, really? Because I didn't really remember him. And he said, you didn't hire me. And I was like, okay.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Getting to know.

[David Alan Grier]

Well, here we are.

[Jimmy Fallon]

We're gonna be best friends.

[Colin Jost]

Here we are, man.

[David Alan Grier]

If you want to sit in.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I promise you. Yeah, we're gonna figure this out. You play Dr. Ron Leonard.

[David Alan Grier]

Yes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

How would you describe Dr. Ron?

[David Alan Grier]

Well, much like myself, Dr. Ron is in the twilight of his career. He's the oldest physician at the hospital. He's kind of given up. I really do think that this dude, when he started Dr. Ron had a big afro, you know, he's gonna change the whole healthcare system, you know, giving medicine directly to the people. But after 30 years of bureaucracy, he's just like, I give up, man. I think he's a really good doctor, but he's just seen it all. Yeah, he's just seen it all. So I'm trying to help the younger doctors. You may not want to do that if you want your life to be happy. You know, he lost his family, his wife, kids. Don't really talk to him because he gave it all to the hospital, so now he's on a different mode.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But what's your favorite part about playing the doctor?

[David Alan Grier]

I like the doctor terminology.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes, me too.

[David Alan Grier]

Because, like, you remember when ER first came on and they had them long shots. Give me a mevathosoles, too, Nurse. Now you got to cut him open. Get his. The tracheal duct. We got a dick.

[Colin Jost]

Pull it out.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah, you know all that stuff.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Give me a tracheal 385. Yes. Nah, this is a 346. Exactly. This is not it.

[David Alan Grier]

Come on, man, think. You know all that kind of stuff.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

So that's what I like.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Are you asking for more lines like that? Yes.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah, man. I like when we do all that good stuff.

[Jimmy Fallon]

But congratulations. You got nominated for a Critics Choice Award for outstanding Lead Actor. Outstanding lead actor. And you're also up for two NAACP Image Awards. Come on, now. That's how you do it.

[David Alan Grier]

That's what you do, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

David Alan Grierson.

[David Alan Grier]

I'm really happy, man. I'm happy with the show. It's good. It's funny because I've done some shows where people, the real people are like, at the grocery store, the dude's bagging, you know, your groceries. They're like, man, why you do that show?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

Oh, no. So this I'M proud of.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. People at the grocery store are like, hey, good show.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Exactly. Yeah, we like it. Here's a couple people you're up against for this nomination. You're up against.

[David Alan Grier]

Why? Read them. No one's gonna know their names. But you go head on, man.

[Steve Higgins]

Dad. Man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Damon Wayans.

[David Alan Grier]

Never heard of him. Next.

[Jimmy Fallon]

What are you talking about?

[David Alan Grier]

Next. Who else? Who else?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Denzel Washington.

[David Alan Grier]

Who?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Who? What do you mean, who?

[David Alan Grier]

I don't know who that is.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You don't know who Denzel Washington is?

[David Alan Grier]

So he has been nominated for. Cause he plays the emperor.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

In Gladiator 2.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

I think mine's a little harder, you know, I'm just saying, man.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. You actually. You were in a movie with Denzel.

[David Alan Grier]

Yes, I was. I was in a play. That's where I first met Denzel. We did Soldier's play.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, really?

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah, we did it at the theater four, right off Broadway back in. Ooh, I'm gonna say 83.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No way.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah. Then we went immediately into the film, he and I and Adolph Caesar, may he rest in peace. He was in the play also. So I've known Denzel. Sam Jackson was in the play with me.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're also up against him.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah. Well, it's no contest, man. They going down, baby. This is my time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You heard it here first.

[David Alan Grier]

And when I win, and when you win, I know a group of musicians who will want me to sit in with them.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. No.

[Colin Jost]

Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Nutrageous. David Allen, Grier, everybody. St. Dennis Mental airs Tuesdays at 8pm here on NBC and streams on Peacock. We'll be right back with Dorinda Medley. Stick around.

[Steve Higgins]

Keep on rocking In a new world Even though it ain't a great thing before this a major key Call King Kong all the way to be home Never been known as a brother the tiptoe keeping ten toes like sneaker and soul Peter.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Ernest Skass is one of the most popular members of the Real Housewives franchise. She's in the new season of Peacock's Emmy winning series, the Traitors, which streams new episodes every Thursday. Please welcome back Dorinda Medlin. Dorinda, welcome.

[Dorinda Medley]

I made it back.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Welcome back to the show. Yeah. I'm so happy that you're here. I want to talk to you about the Traitors and we want to get into it and there will be spoilers. Sorry. Yes, there will be. Yeah. But before we get into that, last time you were here, we talked about your home in Massachusetts called Bluestone Manor.

[Dorinda Medley]

Which I'm hoping you come to one Day.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I would love to come.

[Dorinda Medley]

I invite you all the time. Well, I invite Nancy all the time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You invite my wife. Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

Like.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. That's the way it happens in my life. Yeah. But we did talk about. And all these celebrities were obsessed with Bluestone Manor, and they all want to go. I think it was Rihanna tweeted something about it. And then I heard a rumor that there might be an entire show at Bluestone Manor.

[Dorinda Medley]

That's what we're hoping.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Really.

[Dorinda Medley]

I'm hoping. Camera's up soon. Yes. It's a work in motion, really. And I think it's needed. I mean, Bluestone Manor is like the Disney of Bravo. Really.

[Jimmy Fallon]

It really is. All right. I want to. Sorry. It's so good. So it's in the works. Good. We're sending vibes out. When that happens, I want you to come back.

[Dorinda Medley]

Yes. Well, and then you can come up and you can host me there. I can host you instead of you hosting me all the time.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Do you like hosting?

[Dorinda Medley]

I love. You know, my famous thing. I cook, I clean, I decorate. I make it nice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I make it nice. Exactly right.

[Dorinda Medley]

I make it nice.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You make. You do. You make it nice.

[Dorinda Medley]

But did I make it nice on Traders?

[Jimmy Fallon]

I think you did make it nice. I think they did you wrong.

[Dorinda Medley]

Oh, thank you, Jimmy. That's. I will say that's what I want to hear.

[Jimmy Fallon]

The Traders, which. I do love this show. Do you guys know the show? If you've seen it, it's. It's. It's crushing on streaming on Peacock. It's got the most numbers of any new unscripted reality show right now. I love Alan Cumming. He's fantastic. And it's all your favorite reality stars. Different celebrities are playing the game, and then everyone sits down. They go, okay, let's play. They're in a castle in Scotland, wandering around. But you spent a lot of time.

[Dorinda Medley]

In Scotland, by the way. Yeah, I was married to a Scottish man. My daughter is the product of a Scottish marriage.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, I did not know this.

[Dorinda Medley]

So I am. I was married to a wee. Duncan Dorrit. Yes. Hi.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Hi.

[Dorinda Medley]

So I was excited to see a little bit more of the sworns and stuff come out.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah, but you didn't.

[Dorinda Medley]

I wasn't there that long.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You were there that long.

[Dorinda Medley]

Didn't get enough Sworn.

[Jimmy Fallon]

So you get in. You get in this castle, and Alan comes in. Everyone's sitting around, getting to know each other. And do you know the other people? Do you recognize them?

[Dorinda Medley]

There was some housewives there and a couple other people. I Recognized. Then there were a lot of survivors. And I don't. I've never watched survivors.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, oh, you.

[Dorinda Medley]

I've never watched survivors. So I didn't really.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You didn't know any of the survivors?

[Dorinda Medley]

I didn't know any of the survivors. And they are a totally. That's a different breed. I mean, that is a. That's a different breed.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, yeah. They're playing the game. As soon as the camera's.

[Dorinda Medley]

That is Search and Destroy. There's no fashion.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yes.

[Dorinda Medley]

There's no humor.

[Jimmy Fallon]

No.

[Dorinda Medley]

And there's no buddy. Buddy.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Dorinda Medley]

So that didn't really work for me. I mean, they live a different sort of way of life.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. But then I saw you talking to Brittany's husband. Ex husband.

[Dorinda Medley]

Well, here's a funny story. So I get there, and of course, I'm trying to get to know people and buddy up, and I meet this wonderful man, Sam. So I'm like, my name's Dorinda Medley. I'm from the Real Housewives in New York City. I make it nice, blah, blah, blah. You know, the whole thing, doing my thing. And I said, tell me. You know, just tell me about yourself. And he said, well, I'm sort of a model actor. And then he said, I just got divorced. I said, well, that's a shame. You're such a young, nice guy. I'm sure you'll be fine. Do you get along with her? And I'm asking all these questions. Is she in the same business? Finally, this woman, this girl Brittany from Big Brother says to me, that's Britney Spears ex husband. I had no idea it was Britney.

[Steve Higgins]

Are you kidding me?

[Dorinda Medley]

What are you doing? She said, you're asking all these questions. This Britney Spears ex.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're like, what's your ex wife do for a living? What'd she do?

[Dorinda Medley]

I was literally mothering him, you know, saying, it's gonna be fine. There's more fish in the sea. I'm sure she was great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Good for you. Good for you. Why not? You gotta be young, good, be nice. I love that. I love that, you guys.

[Dorinda Medley]

You don't need to be with an older woman. The whole thing.

[Jimmy Fallon]

When you went in to do this, did you go in with the strategy?

[Dorinda Medley]

Strategy? I mean, I prepared like I was really going to war. I read Art of War twice. I studied.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Did you really?

[Dorinda Medley]

Twice. And took notes and. Not the Cliff Notes. I actually read it. I studied philosophers like Najee Hanna, who's a big academic.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Your daughter is.

[Dorinda Medley]

She's at Harvard. She's like, writing all these strategies and putting me through these scenarios.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You've been prepared.

[Dorinda Medley]

Oh, prepared. I put. When I got into my room, I had Scotch tape and I put all these poster boards up. Of all my strategies each day. So I was so ready to kill it. I literally, like I said, I went in as lady, as a manor. And I was like, I'm gonna be queen of this castle. I am so here. Yeah.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah. And then you had to take the poster board down the same day, probably.

[Dorinda Medley]

But it was really close. And the fashion. I mean, I had the best clothes.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh, you did? We didn't get to see it. Well, the Internet freaked out. They're outraged.

[Dorinda Medley]

Well, that's the good news.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Cause they love you. You got a fan base. I have to say.

[Dorinda Medley]

I mean, technically, I'm dressed like this. Cause it's my funeral tonight. Because I got killed off, so I'm gonna wear all black. No, but I have to say, if you are going to get murdered early on, I did it. Right. Because the outrage, I have to say, I really enjoyed.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You did? Yes. Well, what do you think that if you stayed longer. Yeah.

[Dorinda Medley]

It wouldn't have been as effective. So people were so, you know, it could have. Listen, this. We filmed in June. So when you leave, you're under this incredible cloak of secrecy. Like, don't tell, don't look, don't.

[Jimmy Fallon]

This.

[Dorinda Medley]

I mean, you have to slither back to, like, you know, New York, to your house. Cause no one can know that you got killed. And then.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Oh. Cause they know that you're cast on the show. So if they see you walking around, they go, oh.

[Dorinda Medley]

So I slithered back to JFK. Literally, you know, 15 suitcases. Hand, you know, my heart in my hand.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Yeah.

[Dorinda Medley]

You know, no one to talk to about it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And then you're not allowed to tell anyone. Right?

[Dorinda Medley]

Oh, no. You're like. And you're in that mindset now. Like, you're really in the mindset. You're, like, so frightened to say a word. How are you doing? I don't know. Like, what? What are you doing?

[Jimmy Fallon]

What does that mean? Why are you saying that? Why would you ask me?

[Dorinda Medley]

Are you gonna get those?

[Jimmy Fallon]

Don't you get me in trouble. Yeah, yeah.

[Dorinda Medley]

So you're all in that mindset. And then for six months until it aired, people did this to me. I can't wait to see you on trainers. I'm sure you're gonna be great.

[Jimmy Fallon]

And I'm thinking, oh, I don't wanna let anyone know.

[Dorinda Medley]

So it was a relief when my murder finally happened. But the outrage I have to say, I went to Rise the other day, which is the gay bar on ninth Avenue, and the amount of homage I got for being. They really thought I died. People were like, oh, my God. Like I was Jesus Christ that had risen.

[Colin Jost]

I don't know if that was beautiful.

[Jimmy Fallon]

I don't know if it was that, like, oh, my God.

[Dorinda Medley]

Oh, my God.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You really are me.

[Dorinda Medley]

I didn't really die in Scotland.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Would you ever go back and do it again if they asked you?

[Dorinda Medley]

In a second.

[Jimmy Fallon]

In a second.

[Dorinda Medley]

It's a great experience. Totally different from Housewives, but it's a great experience.

[Jimmy Fallon]

You're great. And thank you for coming on and talking about it. I always love to see you. Dorinda. Dorinda Medley, everybody. New episodes of the Traitors stream every Thursday on Peacock. Stick around.

[Colin Jost]

We want more.

[Jimmy Fallon]

Dorinda.

[Steve Higgins]

Well, it's just a conversation. I'm back with a special presentation like the Box Open, An Adventure.

[Jimmy Fallon]

My thanks to Colin Jo, David Allen Greer, Dorinda Medley and the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Good night, everybody. Thank you.

[Steve Higgins]

Get it, bomb. Gotta get involved, get involved get into it do it, huh? Yeah. Get into it. Hey, steady up, please. Let go of the rest. That's right. Tonight, Mr. Dynamite, we're going up. Y'all going up. Y'all going up. Let's get back work. Come now. Get involved Got to get involved get got involved get into it, do it.

[Jimmy Fallon]

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.