Jimmy Fallon was especially excited to have Steve Carell as his guest Monday night — partially for his acting work and partially because of what the actor means to NBC.
“You may know Steve from a little TV show known as ‘The Office,’” Fallon said, eliciting cheers from his audience. “It was historic because it was NBC’s last show that wasn’t set in Chicago.”
But that wasn’t the only loving jab Fallon had for Carell. “Between reruns of ‘The Office’ and all the ‘Despicable Me’ movies, Steve is basically responsible for keeping the lights on at Peacock,” the late night host joked.
Carell stopped by “The Tonight Show” to promote “Despicable Me 4,” which premieres in theaters July 3, as well as his role in the currently running Broadway play “Uncle Vanya.” The show comes to an end on Sunday after marking the first time Carell had been onstage in “30 years.”
The “Morning Show” star also revealed that he’s been a fan of Taylor Swift ever since he first met her on “TRL,” the MTV series cancelled in 2008. Even back then, Carell thought to himself, “She seems special.”
“I remember seeing some video of her, and it wasn’t like a big viral thing. It was just something I found in the recesses of the Internet. It was her at a hospital playing an acoustic guitar for a patient there, some kid who was recovering from something,” Carell recalled. “It was a really low-key, handheld thing that she sort of just did on the sly. And I thought, ‘That’s so cool … OK, I’m a fan.’”
Fallon’s other guests included track and field sprinter Noah Lyles, who is preparing and hoping to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and musical guest Carly Pearce.