Editing Jimmy Fallon (section)

===''Saturday Night Live'' years===
====Early seasons (1998–2000)====
[[File:FeverPitch2004 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Fallon in 2004]]
Fallon debuted on ''Saturday Night Live'' as a featured player at the beginning of the show's [[Saturday Night Live (season 24)|twenty-fourth season]] in September 1998.<ref>No byline (August 29, 2002), "Jimmy Fallon is here on MTV, there on 'SNL' and ...." ''USA Today''.</ref> He became a star by his fourth episode, when he performed [[Halloween]]-themed versions of songs by popular artists, as well as his Sandler impression.<ref name=rs/> Fallon became a celebrity, considered charming by his largely female fan-base, receiving numerous letters from fans, and becoming the subject of numerous fan-sites.<ref name="NYMagazine"/> He became the program's most featured mimic, doing popular impressions of [[Robert De Niro]], Jerry Seinfeld, and [[Howard Stern]]. He also starred as many original characters, including [[Nick Burns (character)|Nick Burns]], an [[IT support]] nerd, Pat "Sully" Sullivan, one of the [[The Boston Teens|Boston Teens]] with [[Rachel Dratch]], and in [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced 2000–2001#Jarret's Room|Jarret's Room]], a fictional [[webcast]] hosted by [[Stoner (drug user)|stoner]] college students Jarret (Fallon) and Gobi ([[Horatio Sanz]]). He was promoted to repertory player in his second season.<ref name="NYMagazine"/>

In his off-time, Fallon released a book comprising e-mail exchanges with his sister Gloria, titled ''I Hate This Place: A Pessimist's Guide to Life'' (1999), and played a minor role in the film ''[[Almost Famous]]'' (2000).<ref name="NYMagazine"/> During their time at ''SNL'', Fallon and Horatio Sanz often drank together. Sanz has described himself and Fallon as "super-functioning alcoholics", and said, "They say that kind of goes hand-in-hand with ''SNL'', some kind of substance-abuse issues, because it's so stressful you easily find yourself blowing off steam a lot."<ref name="vul2014"/> On one occasion, they spent a Friday night watching [[The Strokes]] perform a midnight show, staying up drinking until the early morning, despite having to do ''SNL'' that night.<ref name="39vul">{{cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/02/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-host-hang-out-things-you-learn.html|title=39 Things You Learn About Jimmy Fallon by Hanging Out With Him|author= Jada Yuan|date=February 18, 2014|website=[[Vulture (blog)|Vulture]]|publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref> "We actually took what we thought being on ''SNL'' was, what people think is awesome about it, and we made it happen," said Sanz,<ref name="39vul"/> who said that he and Fallon got in more than a few bar fights.<ref name="vul2014"/>

====Later years (2001–2004)====
Fallon initially planned to spend three years at ''SNL'', like [[John Belushi]], but he was persuaded to stay on for three more when given the reins to ''[[Weekend Update]]''.<ref name="vul2014">{{cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/01/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-interview.html|title=Last Night With Jimmy Fallon: Into the Wee Hours With the Heir to TV's Grandest Franchise|author= Jada Yuan|date=February 2, 2014|website=[[Vulture (blog)|Vulture]]|publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref><ref>Wolk, Josh (October 13, 2000), "2 'LIVE' CREW". ''Entertainment Weekly''. (563):11</ref> His co-hosting of ''Weekend Update'' with writer [[Tina Fey]] further increased his profile.<ref name="spin02"/> During this tenure, he formed a close relationship with Michaels, whom he'd consult on dating, career advice, and more.<ref name="VF1"/> Fallon called a December 2001 sketch, in which he imitates [[Rolling Stones]] frontman [[Mick Jagger]] in a mirror opposite Jagger, his favorite thing he had done up to that point.<ref name="spin02">{{cite book|author=Sia Michel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8s9P_S6njMC&q=jimmy+fallon&pg=PA72|title=Fallon Comes Alive|publisher=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|pages=70–76|volume=18|issue=3|date=March 2002 |access-date=February 25, 2015}}</ref>

In his later years on ''SNL'', Fallon co-starred in a skit, "''[[The Barry Gibb Talk Show]]",'' in which he and musician [[Justin Timberlake]] portrayed [[Bee Gees]] brothers [[Barry Gibb|Barry]] and [[Robin Gibb]]. It marked the beginning of a long-running friendship and collaboration with Timberlake.<ref name="timberlake">{{cite news|title=History of a Bromance: Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake|url=https://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2013/12/jimmy-fallon-justin-timberlake-bromance.html|date=December 20, 2013|author=Tara Wanda Merrigan|work=[[GQ (magazine)|GQ]]|access-date=February 25, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210021804/http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2013/12/jimmy-fallon-justin-timberlake-bromance.html|archive-date=February 10, 2015}}</ref>

Fallon became known for his tendency to [[Breaking character|break character]] in sketches, an attribute he, as well as Michaels, disliked.<ref name="GQ"/> It began in the famous "[[More Cowbell]]" sketch, when [[Will Ferrell]] wore a tighter shirt than expected, causing Fallon to crack up. After this, other cast members would try to get Fallon to break.<ref name=rs/> Some cast members believed he was attempting to steal the moment, to make the sketch about himself. The joke became near-constant during Fallon's final year on the show.<ref name=rs/> During this time, Fallon parlayed his ''SNL'' success into co-hosting the [[2001 MTV Movie Awards]]<ref>Souter, Ericka (June 11, 2001), "talking with...Jimmy Fallon." ''People''. '''55''' (23):28</ref> and [[2002 MTV Video Music Awards]],<ref name=MTVVA>Soriano, Cesar G. (July 23, 2002), "Fallon: He's a 'kinder, gentler' MTV awards host." ''USA Today''</ref> and recording his debut comedy album, ''[[The Bathroom Wall]]'' (2002), which was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album]]. He also modeled for [[Calvin Klein]].<ref name="paper"/> Fallon was named one of ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine's [[50 Most Beautiful People]] in 2002, an honor Fallon found embarrassing.<ref>No byline (May 13, 2002), "Jimmy Fallon." ''People''. '''57''' (18):173</ref>

Fallon appeared in [[blackface]] in a 2000 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', impersonating Chris Rock.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Caleb Howe |title=Lester Holt Dressed up as a Woman in 'Whiteface,' Fallon In Blackface, What Exactly is NBC's Policy? |url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/lester-holt-dressed-up-as-a-woman-in-whiteface-fallon-in-blackface-what-exactly-is-nbcs-policy/ |access-date=February 10, 2019 |work=[[Mediaite]] |date=October 29, 2018 |quote=there are videos out there of Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon, both of whom work for major networks, doing exactly that. Fallon, in fact, works for NBC now, and the videos show him doing so originally aired on that network}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Joseph A. Wulfsohn |title=Kimmel, Fallon avoid Ralph Northam controversy in late-night monologues; both have histories using blackface in skits |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kimmel-fallon-avoid-ralph-northam-controversy-in-monologues-both-have-histories-using-blackface-in-skits |access-date=February 10, 2019 |work=[[Fox News]] |date=February 5, 2019 |quote=Fallon also appeared in blackface during his days on "Saturday Night Live," impersonating Chris Rock in a sketch.}}</ref> After the sketch resurfaced online 20 years later, Fallon issued a [[Twitter|tweet]] apologizing for an "unquestionably offensive decision".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harrison|first1=Ellie|title=Jimmy Fallon apologized after a 2000 clip of him wearing blackface on 'SNL' resurfaced |url=https://www.insider.com/jimmy-fallon-apologizes-after-2000-blackface-skit-resurfaces-2020-5 |access-date=February 12, 2023 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>