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Why These Celebs Settled a $100 Bet with Jimmy Fallon on His First Tonight Show
Mariah Carey, Tina Fey, Joan Rivers, and more stars ponied up during Fallon's 2014 Tonight Show premiere.
On Tuesday, May 14, NBC celebrates a decade of Jimmy Fallon hosting The Tonight Show with a two-hour primetime celebration. On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special, Fallon looks back on the show's biggest and best interviews, games, performances, and one-of-a-kind moments.
But in a bit from the very first episode of Fallon's Tonight Show on February 17, 2014, he claimed that some of his famous friends thought he'd never get to sit behind the desk — as was evident once they paraded onto the stage to settle their bets.
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"I want to say thanks to all the fans for all their support. And to my buddy who said that I'd never be the Host of The Tonight Show," Fallon said in the above clip from his 2014 Tonight Show premiere. "You know who you are. You owe me a $100, buddy, you do."
That's when Robert De Niro stormed onstage to pay up. He was followed by a cavalcade of stars including Mariah Carey and the late Joan Rivers, who was a frequent Tonight Show guest Host.
De Niro, Colbert, and more paid Jimmy Fallon's $100 bet
De Niro turned around and left without saying a word, as the crowd cheered his surprise appearance.
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One by one, parade of famous New Yorkers begrudgingly handed Fallon a hundred after losing the bet. The Big Apple A-listers included Tina Fey, Joe Namath, Rudy Giuliani, Mariah Carey, Tracy Morgan, Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Tyson, and Lady Gaga.
Even famous Angelinos Kim Kardashian and Seth Rogen dropped by to fork over some dough.
The string of celebrities ended with Stephen Colbert, who entered with a bucket of pennies, pouring coins all over Fallon's desk and even down his shirt.
Colbert posed for a selfie with Fallon as he stood over him said, "Welcome to 11:30, b---h!" (At the time, Colbert was still hosting The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, and wouldn't take over hosting The Late Show on CBS until September 2015.)
After Colbert left, Fallon sat at his desk trying to process what just happened. "Thanks for believing in me, guys," he said as he started gathering up his pile of money and loose change. A decade later, the parade of famous faces hasn't stopped since.
This classic clip is just another example of how Fallon has been making memorable moments since his very first day hosting The Tonight Show.
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How to watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon two-hour 10th anniversary special will air May 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, streaming the next day on Peacock.
