Jerry Seinfeld called out Rolling Stone’s reporting of an encounter between him and Jimmy Fallon as “so stupid.” The incident, which detailed Seinfeld asking Fallon to apologize to a crew member, was part of a wide-ranging expose about the toxic workplace of “The Tonight Show.”
“This is so stupid. I remember this moment quite well,” Seinfeld said. “I teased Jimmy about a flub, and we all had a fun laugh about how rarely Jimmy is thrown off. It was not uncomfortable at all. Jimmy and I still occasionally recall it and laugh. Idiotic twisting of events.”
The article details two employees who witnessed Fallon scolding a crew member in the middle of taping with Seinfeld. The legendary comedian then told Fallon to apologize for the “very awkward” moment, which Fallon then did.
“It was one of the strangest moments ever and so many people were there, so it’s kind of hard to forget,” a former employee said in the original article. The cut of the episode featuring the apology did not make it to air.
Though Rolling Stone reached out to representatives for Seinfeld several times, the comedian responded only after the article was published.
On Thursday, Rolling Stone published its expose. According to two current and 14 former employees, the NBC show has been a toxic workplace for years. The article details passive-aggressive notes from Fallon to his writers, multiple employees claiming they experienced suicidal ideation from working at the job and that guest dressing rooms were called “crying rooms” when not in use.
“We are incredibly proud of ‘The Tonight Show,’ and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” NBC said in a statement about the article. “As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”
