Super U Podcast | 7 Super Tips with Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon, host of the Tonight Show and former Saturday Night Live cast member gives us insight on his journey to success. He reflects back on various times in life that aided in his current achievements.
5x #1 Bestselling Author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman has performed in over 55 countries and reached over 50 million people this past decade. He was voted the 2nd Most Likable Author in the World behind Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling.
Need a sneak peek? Below are the main takeaways from the episode.
Super U Podcast | 7 Super Tips with Jimmy Fallon:
[1:56] Tip #1
“After fever pitch, I would just say I think I grew up, you know, a little bit like I’m still growing up. And, you know, getting serious with Nancy. So I didn’t, I’ve never really gotten that seriously, like, hey, time to focus up, but she was clearly magical and awesome. And that’s the whole reason for doing the show from our home. Because we left 30 Rock and our show. It was a Thursday. And I remember NBC canceled the audience that day and said no, definitely no audience because this thing is, is real. And Nancy goes, what are you going to do? And I go up what do I mean? I don’t know. She’s like, I mean, you have to do something. So I go, Yeah, I should do something. So Nancy held the service. She directed me and I was just talking to you know, an iPhone, but I really lucked out. I mean, I got her as a guest. That’s the hardest guess.”
[4:11] Tip #2
“I always wanted to stay only three seasons on Saturday Night Live because John Belushi did. And I was like, that’s it three seasons. That’s it. So I went in to Laura and go. “[I’ve] got to leave. Sorry, we had a good thing.” And he’s like, right, you have a contract for six years. So you’re not leaving. Anyway, what else is on your mind? Well, there’s your I was gonna quit and everything. He’s like, Yeah, no, he goes, I think should do update, you know, whatever. And so we talked and luckily, he’s so right, that he’s always right. And I stayed. And did you know three more years, but then after six years, I go, I think it should go just because I’m, I’m friends with everybody. I’m friends with crew. I’m friends with all the cast. I don’t want to be one of those people that it gets. It becomes a job and you get crusty and you go. You’re mad at something at New York. I just had the best experience. Let’s stop it now. And wow, I can’t believe I was
this lucky. And he goes, Okay, he goes, you know, Conan is leaving in like… six years he said there was a weird contract he signed with Leno or something. Leno had six more years to the Tonight Show. And then Conan was going to take over something bizarre like that. And I go, Oh, yeah, he goes, I think he’d be good at that. And I go really, in Tina Fey was in the office too. And she goes, I think so too. She goes, “you love people.” I love people. I love stories I love I’m interested. I really am. So I said, “Great. I’ll see you in six years.” Yeah. And then six years later, he called me.”
[6:56] Tip #3
“No, you know what? I have good people around me. That’s it. That’s the secret. Now you have talked to me every step of the way. On all these things. You’re talking about Lorne? Nancy, you know and honest, honest people and good people. Surround yourself with good people. That’s what that’s some, you know, every great person has said that. You know, so it’s the truth. And no matter what age whenever you figure it out, you go out and I think a lot of people are figuring it out. Now they go, oh, I don’t have to hang out with my, my nephew Larry.”
[8:02] Tip #4
“23 years old as mirrors wearing very tight clothing is the only outfit I really had. I had like two outfits. I just like these tight Levi’s and a tight, brown Polo. I look like I was auditioning for Cirque du Soleil. Very tight. I was like I was a lily pad. I think it’s just that’s what I had. And as time went on, things just got tighter. Now it’s happening the opposite way my body is going out to my shirts. You know you’re getting a little fat when all of your shirts feel like Spanx. But I was sorry, what were the very tight clothing and I came in. And I had this act where I would do different impressions of people doing a celebrity walkathon. It was a charity for something. It was different celebrities walking and it was like people like Seinfeld going like, why are we
all walking? Why don’t we take a bus? We’re all going same place we could all end up at the same place. I would just give the money to charity. It’s called the same place charity. Why are we walking? I don’t get it. Yeah. And then, but I’m so I’m ready to do my bit and I’m just so nervous. I’m in the building where all my idols, where’s my favorite show? Sarratt live and I go in there and I’ve watched it since I mean, obsessively. Like to the point where it’s not even funny. Like in college. I wouldn’t go out on Saturday nights, because I wanted to be by myself watching satellites. From 1130 to one I would watch every Saturday. I wouldn’t go to parties to go you kidding me? Not gonna come I go. I can’t get I’ll come before, but I gotta leave 1130 I gotta be home. We’ll set up a TV, your own private thing I go if you do that, maybe it’s like I was that obsessed. I’m good at a party. Everything I live by brown coffee. Every every jealous. IBM down, man. So I anyways, I really was obsessed with the show. And I remember I was in high school I think or and I would do Dana Carvey impressions. And I was dreamt, maybe one day Lorne will just call me out of nowhere and you know, insanity. to New York and Jimmy, we need you to come in for Dana. You’re the new church lady. Me. Wow, you found of course that never happened do and so I get to finally I’ve done stand up. I want talent competitions I moved to LA I started taking acting lessons. With Gordon Hunt, Helen Hunt’s dad. I did a study with the Groundlings even though I had no money to pay for the Groundlings, which is a great improv class is a great school to learn how to do improv. And I remember I got the call, I went to the audition, and I get to MEC, and I’m there and I see the peacocks on the rug in the elevator. I’m taking pictures with my disposable camera. I just like and so that was even so much money for me and I go to an audition and they’re putting hair makeup on me. That’s pretty cool. I’ve never even had hair and makeup to go. By the way, Lauren doesn’t laugh. Just you know, I don’t want to throw you I go. Okay. And then thank you for telling me that. Then we’ll go over to the project. Hey, you’re Jimmy Fallon. Yeah, you’re up next. And just a little advice. Lauren doesn’t laugh. I go, okay. That’s fine. He doesn’t that’s what happened. And I go over to they’re ready to go on and I’m ready to do it. The audio guy puts a microphone like, just to let you know, Jimmy lawn doesn’t live. So till the day, I get asked. I’ve heard like four times. Oh my gosh. So I do the audition, and he doesn’t laugh. And but I do my impression that I got it to Adam Sandler. And at the time, Adam just had left the show. No one had done an impression of Adam Sandler. And so I did an impression of Sandler like
you and he’s there laughing. Kind of go he put his head in his hand I go. I made Lorne Michaels laugh so it was like it was a kind of imagine that the rest of the slow-motion and the rest is history.”
[13:00] Tip #5
“Used to like live with these people, these cast members. I live with them. I mean, Will Ferrell I mean, I basically slept over in the office with me will on a gas star Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, is just I mean all these people like Tina Fey, I can’t you know, I think Tina Fey is good memory. She used to like wear this like Ski hat. And I think she would eat like a veggie sandwich from Subway, Notre Dame and she would stay later than anyone. I mean, the lady I would stay up with her ratio and try to write something, you know, and these are the years of everyone to drugs. Everyone’s getting tired. People are actually getting tired. So we would actually I would go home around four, or five getting ready for the next day’s read through around three o’clock in the afternoon or something in the morning, you know, I would leave four and 10 would still be there. And they go by pound. She’s like, What are you typing? She’s Lauren just asked me if I could do the cold open. It must be ready to cold open for about Wow, she was unbelievable. And I always remember that Ski hat and her office with that, that those old Apple iMacs that were colored that had like different colors like those blue and red and I just always remember that but there’s so many do it improvise, you would do stupid things and dumb games and like you would just invent it was one of those fun shows. We could just come in and talk about nothing real you know, you’re like, dude, selling my house, you know? And then I don’t know how much you’re selling for 300,000 Is it good girl in the basement sloths you know you could do and we talked for an hour about nothing fazes you in the writers room. Yeah, maybe in the writers or me in the cast members or you know at one point will was an auctioneer and he was auction things off at the table and young I’m dead you know, on a pencil or whatever, you know, and then like, we’ll come in once he’s really good at this. He would come in as a character name. Ron. If you talk to Will Ferrell. Bring up Ron. Okay. It’s an odd character, but not Ron Burgundy. No Well, mad No. Yeah, might have become Ron Burgundy, but it was this guy that had a mustache. He’d wear like a referee Jersey, and he’s very quiet, and he wouldn’t talk to anyone. And we just talked to Ryan Hey, Ronnie was Hello. You’re having fun? Yes, I am. I want to be left alone, you know, whatever. And you Okay? And then he’s just an odd dude who would be that character for a week. And I remember did he was on the show, performing with Jimmy Page had a song from the Godzilla soundtrack. And I was like, Dude, it did it it and He’s rehearsing. And we were watching rehearsal we got interesting, and who comes in from the background, but Ron comes in the back like he’s wandering like in the background on stage. And then he says he just as I said, did he that is like, what’s gonna security like what he knows? Well, it’s one of the essay that’s Will Ferrell.”
[16:58] Tip #6
“I have really good segment producers. So the segment producer talks to the guests before they come to do the interview. So they kind of like trying to get you like any good story. Like how was your flight? After doing this for 10 plus years now I know everybody really pretty well. And I’ve seen them at their highs and the lows. So I also have personal stories where I’ll talk to people now and now I go like, Hey, are you still collecting, you know, troll dolls or something? You’re like, oh, I’m out of you know, and then a sparks a thing then it’s a snowball, then it becomes a giant you know, and it’s great. I love when that happens.”
[18:43] Tip #7
“Nancy Juvonen are Nancy Fallon now but she’s the greatest man. She’s the coolest thing that ever happened to me. I met her. She’s a producer on a fever pitch. I did this movie with Drew Barrymore is in Boston and we’re shooting this movie with the Farrelly brothers. And it was I loved it. I had so much fun making this movie. And it was just gray and rainy. I remember she’s, she’s just a cool, she’s just got a cool vibe to her big smile. Beautiful and just smart but fun and we had so much fun. And I just remember it was a gloomy rainy day in Boston, very rainy and often this person walks in with like, I want to say white pants, a pink sweater, and a green backpack like neon green and I was like and blonde hair and white tea they very California you know. And I was like she is just the ray of sunshine issues. Then it was one of the now is one of the moments where I go, she’s special. She’s floating, you know, she’s coming into focus where everything else is blurry. And we would hang out I mean when you do a movie, you get really close with the cast and the crew and you hang out with each other afterward and you go and we used to go to someone’s hotel room and listen to music, and then would just kind of dwindle down just be me and Nancy and we listen to we’re friends Before we went out with us just friends and I would like since it wasn’t romantic, I would be like, hey, chicken, this Randy Newman song. Normally if I was trying to do I wouldn’t say, let’s listen to Randy Newman for now. It’s like, right. Like, you got to be friends. I go. And she was like, I like that’s how you know, Harry knows I love Harry Nelson, though he played the point. You know, the point. Yeah, I know, that we just became friends. And we just started talking about it and we just became really best friends. I just loved her. And then kind of just didn’t really nothing really happen. Yeah. And I was very nervous. I don’t want to do anything for anybody, you know, on this Saturday, like better. I didn’t even know if I wanted to date anyone. Or she didn’t have any idea either. We’re selling the movie in London. We withdrew. And I saw Nancy again and saw her in a couple of months. And I’m like, I miss you. I want to hang out with you. Like, that’s, she’s like I miss you too. And then we haven’t stopped dating since because she’s the best. She’s the smartest if you ever need advice I would go to either my wife or Lorne Michaels.”
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Connect with Jimmy Fallon:
Instagram: @JimmyFallon
Twitter: @JimmyFallon
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8-Th83bH_thdKZDJCrn88g
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The Super U Podcast is hosted by #1 bestselling author and Motivational Speaker Erik Qualman.
