President Donald Trump blasted the host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” after an interview the comedian did in which he said he “made a mistake” by engaging in a jovial back-and-forth with Trump during the election. | Win McNamee/Getty Images
Late-night host Jimmy Fallon should “be a man,” President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Sunday night, instead of “whimpering” over criticism that stems from the president’s now-infamous 2016 appearance on his show.
“.@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous ‘hair show’ with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have ‘humanized’ me-he is taking heat. He called & said ‘monster ratings.’ Be a man Jimmy!” the president wrote online Sunday.
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The dig at Fallon, the host of NBC’s “Tonight Show,” stemmed from an interview the comedian sat for last week with The Hollywood Reporter in which he said he “made a mistake” by engaging in a jovial back-and-forth with Trump during the then-candidate’s September 2016, appearance on his show. The interview famously ended with Fallon tousling Trump’s hair.
Fallon responded late Sunday night to the president by writing that “in honor of the President’s tweet I’ll be making a donation to RAICES in his name.” RAICES, a non-profit that offers legal services to immigrants and refugees, has seen its profile rise in recent days amid scrutiny of the Trump administration policy that has prompted thousands of children to be separated from their parents after crossing the U.S. border.
The fallout from Fallon’s 2016 interview with Trump was swift, with widespread criticism that translated into a ratings drop for the “Tonight Show.” Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who appeared on Fallon’s show days later, handed the host a bag of softballs, a symbol of the softball questions he had lobbed at Trump.
“It was definitely a down time,” Fallon told The Hollywood Reporter. “And it’s tough for morale. There’s 300 people that work here, and so when people are talking that bad about you and ganging up on you, in a really gang-mentality… It’s all in the fun of the show. I made a mistake. I’m sorry if I made anyone mad. And, looking back, I would do it differently.”
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