Jimmy Fallon was welcomed on the set of The Tonight Show by a host of top stars, including Robert De Niro, Mike Tyson and Lady Gaga.
Jimmy Fallon took the reins of The Tonight Show at the NBC studio on Monday.
Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan, Joan Rivers, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Sarah Jessica Parker, Joe Namath and Stephen Colbert also made surprise appearances on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show debut.
The slew of unannounced walk-ons followed Jimmy Fallon’s remark that someone owed him $100 after betting he would never host The Tonight Show, at which point Robert De Niro and others strode on stage one after another, each plunking bills onto his desk until finally Stephen Colbert showered him with a bucket of pennies.
“I’m Jimmy Fallon and I’ll be your host – for now,” Jimmy Fallon told the audience in the new multi-million dollar studio where such beloved Tonight veterans Johnny Carson and Jack Paar once presided.
Jimmy Fallon also paid tribute to the show’s previous hosts by name, including the long-serving Jay Leno.
The Tonight Show first aired on NBC in 1954 from New York with host Steve Allen.
Jack Paar hosted the show from 1957 until Johnny Carson took over in 1962, and reigned for 30 years, before departing in 1992. Johnny Carson moved the show to southern California in 1972.
First Lady Michelle Obama is among the guests scheduled for this week, along with Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake. Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig and Lady Gaga will appear on Tuesday.
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