BACKGROUND:
Trump is in power, his allies are dismantling our democracy, and millions of people are under direct threat. Fallon just announced he’ll "keep his head down" and avoid politics on The Tonight Show because it’s “never really been political.” But silence in the face of authoritarianism isn’t neutrality—it’s complicity.
NBC and Fallon need to hear from us: Now is not the time for late-night comedy to sit on the sidelines. Add your name to our message telling Fallon and his producers that pretending politics doesn’t exist while people’s freedoms are under attack is not just cowardly—it’s dangerous.
When you say you’re going to “keep your head down” and avoid politics, you’re doing more than dodging controversy—you’re choosing complicity. Right now, Trump and MAGA Republicans are stripping away freedoms, attacking immigrants, rolling back civil rights, and undermining democracy.
Comedy has always played a vital role in holding power accountable. Late-night hosts before you—from Carson to Letterman to Colbert—understood that making people laugh doesn’t mean ignoring what matters. To “stay out of politics” while millions are suffering under authoritarian policies isn’t neutrality. It’s cowardice.
We’re not asking you to turn The Tonight Show into C-SPAN. We’re asking you to do your job: Use your platform to tell the truth, punch up, and remind your viewers that what’s happening in this country isn’t normal—or funny.
History will not look kindly on entertainers who kept their heads down. Don’t let The Tonight Show be remembered that way.