Anthony Jeselnik on Writing for Jimmy Fallon, Comments on His Drinking | Joe Rogan

And I never got the rubber boots, you know what I mean? I was always just like had sneakers. I'm like trying to get the Fallon at like seven in the morning, walking to the subway through the slush. It was like it would be beautiful while it was snowing. And then as soon as it was on the ground, you would just like get rid of this shit now. Did you write for Fallon? Uh-huh. What was that gig like? I mean, it was frustrating. They didn't like, because I started when he started late night with Jimmy Fallon. I was one of the first guys there. And they didn't like any of my jokes. Like it was just it was impossible. To mean or just like this is going to make Jimmy unlikable. It wasn't about being funny so much as like coming off as smart and friendly, you know, unlikable. I was there for a year. And then they barely used anything I ever did. But they knew I was funny. They liked me. And I thought for some reason in my head, I thought that if I quit before a year, that it'll like follow me. People will be like, what happened with Fallon? Why were you only there a year? And then when I left, it was like, no one would have given a shit if I'd left after 10 weeks. You know, wouldn't have mattered at all. Yeah. It was an interesting experience, but I did not enjoy it. Being a writer for other people's voices has got to be very difficult. I mean, for me, it's impossible. It's like, I write in my voice and you either like it or you don't. Like I've written for Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, and if I loved a joke, they loved it too. But with Fallon, it was not the case. You know, it was almost never, like he would laugh at the joke, but he'd be like, I can't say this. I can't do it. What are they trying to do? Like what is he trying to do? He's trying to be like middle America. Like there's a market for that, right? Is that what it is? He just wants everyone to love him. You know, he just wants everyone to love him. That's like not a bad trait to have in a late night host. Right. The best trait to have in a late night host. I'd like to see him drunk one day, just shitting on everybody though. I think it would be hilarious. It is hilarious. Does it do that? Oh yeah. I mean, I've heard that he quit drinking. I don't know if that's true, but he would like, he liked to get drunk and like, in like shitty bars and like hang out and like with the staff and the crew. Like he was, he's like a man of the people and he didn't just want to go home and drink. He wanted to go out and go to some weird bar that was like in a subway that no one knew about and have beers. Like he was a, he was like a fun drunk, you know, but he did a lot. Yeah. There was always those rumors that he's got a problem. Jimmy Fallon's got a problem. Yeah. Yeah. Do you think that's like the pressure of just being this like super friendly, sweet guy on TV, wanting everybody to love you that he like, oh my God, get me a fucking drink so I can cut loose. I think that could be part of it. You know, that's why I was, I was thought like with my persona, like let's be the meanest person you can. So you, it, you can, it allows you to be nice off stage. You know, you got, you kind of, it gives you a little bit of distance, but the guys who come off as like your best friend on stage tend to be monsters off stage. Some of them, man. Yeah. Yeah. I got another story. I'll tell you when we get off the air, about one of those. Great. Yeah.