Editing Jimmy Fallon (section)

===Film career (2004–2008)===
[[File:Jimmy Fallon (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Fallon in 2007]]
Fallon began to pursue a film career in 2004. He had spurned most major roles due to lack of time and disinterest in the dozens of scripts he read.<ref name="usa04"/> He signed on for his first lead role in ''[[Taxi (2004 film)|Taxi]]'', a remake of a French film, after co-star [[Queen Latifah]] became attached to the project. He was also attracted to the film's [[action comedy film|action comedy]] tone, seeing comparisons with ''SNL'' alumnus [[Eddie Murphy]]'s first big film, ''[[48 Hrs.]]'' (1982).<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/07/interview-jimmy-fallon |title=Interview: Jimmy Fallon|author=Steve Head|date=October 7, 2004|website=[[IGN]] |access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref>

In the fall of 2003, he split his time between shooting the film in Los Angeles and returning to New York City for ''SNL''.<ref name="usa04"/> With his contract ending, his sixth season at ''SNL'' was his last; Fallon signed off at the conclusion of the show's [[Saturday Night Live (season 29)|twenty-ninth season]] in May 2004.<ref name="people1">{{cite news |author=Stephen M. Silverman |author-link=Stephen M. Silverman |date=May 17, 2004 |title=Jimmy Fallon Signs Off from SNL For Good |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,638549,00.html |access-date=February 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326162005/https://people.com/people/article/0,,638549,00.html |archive-date=March 26, 2008}}</ref>

With big expectations from the studio, ''Taxi'' premiered in the fall of 2004. A flop with critics and audiences, it was Fallon's first failure.<ref name=rs/> [[20th Century Fox]] had already signed him for his second major role, starring opposite [[Drew Barrymore]] in the 2005 [[romantic comedy]] ''[[Fever Pitch (2005 film)|Fever Pitch]]''.<ref name="usa04"/> ''Fever Pitch'' fared little better than ''Taxi'', receiving mild reviews and tepid box office returns.<ref name="ew"/> He met his wife, producer Nancy Juvonen, during production of the film, and the two wed in December 2007.

Fallon began receiving fewer film offers. He had entered what he has called a "lost period", drinking more alcohol and beset by confusion over his next career moves.<ref name="VF"/> Fallon moved back east to New York, spending "a couple of years aimlessly knocking around."<ref name="vul2014" /> He wrote a screenplay during this time "about a guy in a goth band who has to pretend to be a country-music star."<ref name="rs" />

Before leaving ''SNL'', Michaels had told Fallon that he would be a good fit to take over NBC's ''[[Late Night (NBC)|Late Night]]'' franchise when then-host [[Conan O'Brien]] left for ''[[The Tonight Show]]''. Michaels urged NBC to give Fallon a holding deal in February 2007 so that he could not be lured elsewhere.<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2009/03/02/jimmy-fallon-king-late-night/|title=Jimmy Fallon: The New King of ''Late Night''|author=Tim Stack|date=March 2, 2009|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=June 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426002207/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C20262336_2%2C00.html|archive-date=April 26, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

To prepare for the role of a late-night host, Fallon toured college campuses and comedy clubs for eight months, where he tested out a new 50-minute routine.<ref name="ct">{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/03/02/jimmyfallon-wants-you-to-follow-him/|title=Jimmy Fallon: Host for a Twittering society|first=Kevin|last=Pang |date=March 2, 2009|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date= June 16, 2012}}</ref> He also began watching the comedy of [[Chevy Chase]], [[Dick Cavett]], and [[Johnny Carson]], as well as ''[[The Larry Sanders Show]]''.<ref name=rs/> In May 2008, Fallon was announced as the successor to O'Brien's ''Late Night''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Greppi|first=Michele|url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/05/jimmy_fallon_headed_to_nbc_lat.php|title=Jimmy Fallon Headed to NBC 'Late Night'|work=TVWeek|access-date=April 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728163156/http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/05/jimmy_fallon_headed_to_nbc_lat.php|archive-date=July 28, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jimmy Fallon to succeed Conan on NBC talk show|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 25, 2008|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-fallon-conan-nbc25apr25,1,4145164.story|access-date=April 25, 2008 |first=Television|last=Critic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430043258/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-fallon-conan-nbc25apr25%2C1%2C4145164.story |archive-date=April 30, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/jimmy-fallon-cinches-conans-job|title=Jimmy Fallon Cinches Conan's Job|date=April 24, 2008|publisher=Fox News Channel}}</ref>

Fallon was considered an odd choice for the job, both by executives at NBC (who "hated" the idea and predicted it to be a failure) and among the general public. This was alluded to in an early promo for the series: "You loved him on ''SNL''! You hated him in the movies! Now you're ambivalent."<ref name="GQ">{{cite news|url=https://www.gq.com/style/wear-it-now/201304/jimmy-fallon-interview-gq-april-2013|title=Jimmy Fallon: The New King of Late Night TV|author= Jeanne Marrie Laskas|date=March 2013|work=[[GQ (magazine)|GQ]]|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref><ref name="NYM">{{cite news|url=https://nymag.com/arts/tv/profiles/69366|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111140050/http://nymag.com/arts/tv/profiles/69366/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 11, 2010|title=Mr. Sunshine|author=Adam Sternbergh|date=November 7, 2010|work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|access-date=May 5, 2015}}</ref>