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15 Throwback Photos of Jimmy Fallon, From SNL to The Tonight Show
Jimmy Fallon was just a young comedian in his 20s when he landed a role on Saturday Night Live.
From Saturday Night Live to The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon has been making us laugh for decades. The late night TV host is well known for his hysterical comedy bits and ebullient personality on stage, not to mention his love for music.
In between his hosting duties on The Tonight Show, Fallon collaborated with Meghan Trainor, Dolly Parton, Justin Timberlake, Will Ferrell, and more celebrities on his Holiday Seasoning album. He’s also a dad to two daughters, Winnie and Frances, with his wife, Nancy Juvonen.
RELATED: Jimmy Fallon and Wife Nancy Juvonen Tell the Sweet Story of Their First "I Love You"
Fallon, now 50, often shares updates on his life on Instagram and The Tonight Show, but where did he get his start? And when? Read on to see photos of Fallon when he was a young comedian in his 20s and his debut on late night TV after a brief stint with movies.
Jimmy Fallon got his start in comedy in the ‘90s
Fallon was so dedicated to chasing a career in comedy that he dropped out of college just one semester before he’d graduated, though he did get his degree from College of Saint Rose in 2009. When he first moved to L.A., Fallon told The New York Times he took classes at the Groundlings School for two years, but never became a full-fledged member of the improv group.
But by 1998, Fallon started booking big comedy jobs, appearing in a Season 2 episode of Spin City and later joining Saturday Night Live as a cast member in Season 24. In an interview on The Howard Stern Show in 2002, Fallon said his main career goal was to be on SNL, and he managed to wow Lorne Michaels with his celebrity impressions, specifically of Adam Sandler.
“I remember him laughing,” Fallon told Howard Stern about his audition. “I looked at Lorne, he put his hand over his head. I was like ‘How cool is this story? Even if I don’t get this, I can tell my friends I made Lorne Michaels laugh.’”
Jimmy Fallon was on Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2004
Fallon started his SNL tenure in 1998 at 24 years old, appearing in sketches that highlighted his knack for impressions of celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, and Robert De Niro.
During his six years on SNL, Fallon starred in countless sketches that are now considered classics. Of course, you remember the notorious “More Cowbell” sketch. And when Fallon would break character in the “The Love-ahs with Barbara and Dave” sketch in the hot tub. Or the “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” sketch with Justin Timberlake.
But Fallon’s favorite? His 2001 mirror sketch with Mick Jagger. In an interview on the The Dan Patrick Show, Fallon said that Michaels wasn’t initially a fan of the idea. “Before the meeting I said to Lorne, ‘Maybe I’ll do an impression of Mick in the mirror, I’ll be his reflection.’ Lorne goes, ‘Please don’t do that, that’s been done so many times,’” Fallon recalled, adding that the Rolling Stones frontman loved it. “We wrote it on a Friday night, which is so rare. We rehearsed it once, and did it on Saturday night and the place erupted.”
RELATED: Jimmy Fallon Explains How His Famous SNL Mirror Sketch with Mick Jagger Happened
In 2000, Fallon started co-hosting “Weekend Update” with SNL head writer and cast member Tina Fey. “She is the absolute greatest, we had such a good chemistry. It was like the kid who didn’t do his homework and the smart girl that’s gonna give him the answers,” Fallon said on The Drew Barrymore Show about working with Fey. “She was just so fun … Tina Fey is a genius.”
Fallon left SNL in 2004 when he was 29. “I’m gonna miss it more than anybody else,” Fallon said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in October 2004. “That’s what’s good about the show, really. It evolves, ya know? If people were still doing the Coneheads now, it probably wouldn’t be as exciting.”
After SNL, Jimmy Fallon starred in movies
While Fallon’s first major movie role as Dennis Hope in Almost Famous happened while he was still on SNL, he dedicated more time to movies following his departure from the show. In 2004, he starred in Taxi with Queen Latifah. A year later, he starred in the beloved rom-com Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore.
RELATED: Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon Shared a Very 2000s Story About Their Fever Pitch Kiss
Working on Fever Pitch actually led Fallon to his wife, Nancy Juvonen, whose production company, Flower Films, produced the movie. “The best thing that came out of [Fever Pitch] is that I married the producer and have two little girls with the producer. That’s my wife,” Fallon shared on The Drew Barrymore Show.
On television, Fallon appeared in an episode of Band of Brothers in 2001 and hosted multiple award shows. Outside of those early 2000s roles, Fallon dabbled in voice acting in the animated movies The Magic Roundabout and Arthur and the Minimoys. More recently, you’ve seen Fallon make cameos as himself in movies like Spirited and Marry Me, as well as TV series including Only Murders in the Building, Girls5Eva, and Lip Sync Battle.
Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night and The Tonight Show era
Fallon returned to his NBC roots and became the host of Late Night in 2009, incorporating music from The Roots and Steve Higgins as the show’s announcer. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon started several viral sketches like the “Evolution of Mom Dancing” with former First Lady Michelle Obama, “The History of Rap” with Justin Timberlake, and his “Ew!” series, which has featured celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, John Cena, and Taylor Swift.
Fallon hosted Late Night until 2014 when he took over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show, which he still hosts today with The Roots and Higgins. Like Late Night, The Tonight Show has created many ongoing series with celebrity guests like the “Wheel of Musical Impressions,” “Tight Pants,” and “Thank You Notes.”
In 2024, Fallon celebrated 10 years of hosting The Tonight Show. “I forget half the things I’ve done,” Fallon joked on TODAY about his long career. He said that some of his favorite moments from The Tonight Show are the musical bits like when he, The Roots, and Metallica jammed out with classroom instruments. Or when he sang Rolling Stones songs as Keith Richards played guitar.
RELATED: Jimmy Fallon Shares Rare Baby Photo of Himself (as a Blonde) for His 50th Birthday
“I can’t believe I got to do that, all in the name of comedy,” Fallon told TODAY in 2024, adding that while his late night competitors may be more opinionated on politics, his goal is always to entertain and make people laugh: “I’ll make ya laugh, that’s my job. And hopefully I do my job.”
