The backlash surrounding Jimmy Fallon, sparked by his controversial Conor McGregor interview, continues to grow as old interviews resurface.
The late-night host, 51, was branded ‘spineless’ and ‘pathetic’ for allowing the UFC fighter to appear on his sofa.
McGregor, 37, was previously found liable in a civil case for the 2018 rape of Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel, after which doctors described her injuries as ‘moderate to severe’.
She had bruises on all four limbs, a bloodied scratch to her breast, tenderness to her neck, and a possible tear in her vagina from a tampon wedged so far up, it had to be removed using forceps.
Fallon viewers took to social media to voice their disappointment at the presenter for platforming McGregor. However, others pointed out this isn’t the first time he’s angered viewers with his guest.
‘Well that’s not particularly anything new for Jimmy Fallon,’ wrote parasocialyte on X in response to a question about why ‘rapists’ were allowed on the show.
They posted a picture of Jimmy Fallon ruffling Donald Trump’s hair from an episode that aired in 2016, when he had asked to ‘mess up’ the famed blonde quiff.
In 2023, a jury in New York found that Trump sexually abused and defamed E Jean Carroll in a civil trial relating to an incident over 30 years ago.
Fallon was accused of ‘humanising and normalising’ the then-presidential nominee, sparking a backlash that the presenter did later address.
‘I didn’t do it to humanise him,’ he said in an interview with The New York Times months later. ‘I almost did it to minimise him.
‘I didn’t think that would be a compliment: “He did the thing that we all wanted to do.”‘
A year later, he reiterated that he didn’t want to ‘normalise’ the controversial POTUS and that the moment didn’t mean he ‘believe[s] in his political beliefs or any of that stuff.’
Trump posted his reply to the situation on X, before his account was permanently suspended, writing: ‘@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous ‘hair show’ with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have ‘humanized’ me-he is taking heat.
‘He called & said ‘monster ratings. “Be a man Jimmy!”‘
The situation got ‘bigger and out of control’, according to the late-night host, with comedians mocking the moment which made him want to step back.
‘They know the show,’ Fallon explained at the time to the Hollywood Reporter. ‘I’m just doing five hours a week. I get in at 10 in the morning, I work ’til seven at night and I’m just trying to make a funny show.
‘[Addressing them:] You know the grind and you know me. Of all the people in the world, I’m one of the good people — I mean, really. You don’t even know what you’re talking about if you say that I’m evil or whatever.
‘But people just jump on the train, and some people don’t even want to hear anything else. They’re like, “No, you did that!” You go, “Well, just calm down and just look at the whole thing and actually see my body of work.’”
Perhaps jaded by the Trump situation, Fallon has now been accused of trying to bury the interview by posting other clips on social media.
It’s not just fans who have criticised the presenter, as Christina Ricci made her disgust known by reposting a statement from another user to her Instagram story.
The post from mushroom.marauder read: ‘Conor McGregor raped a woman so brutally that the EMT who saw her commented on the severity of her bruising. She also had to have the tampon she was using when he raped her surgically removed, as it had been shoved so far inside her.
‘Why the absolute f**k is this piece of human garbage being given a platform on Jimmy Fallon’s show? Shame on you Jimmy.’
Fallon has yet to address the backlash, opting not to mention the scandal in the most recent episode of his show.