Jimmy Fallon really regrets petting Donald Trump in 2016

Jimmy Fallon feels the public turned on him after he infamously tussled Donald Trump’s hair on The Tonight Show back in 2016, and wishes he hadn’t done it.

Everybody makes mistakes, and we all do things we later come to wish we hadn’t. Celebrities like Jimmy Fallon are no exception, as the late night funnyman is still apparently bothered by a choice he made in 2016. Of course, I’m talking about the moment during his interview with Donald Trump, where he playfully tussled the soon-to-be president’s hair.

Soon after the show, Fallon came under a lot of fire. Trump’s critics were angry with Fallon for apparently being too kind to Trump, feeling he should have been grilling him with tough questions instead. Though Fallon was only trying to keep his show light (he’s never been hard on any of his guests), the incident saw The Tonight Show depart the program in droves. Stephen Colbert’s Late Show has since taken the lead in the late night ratings, in part due to Colbert’s relentless and harsh criticism of the president.

As reported by Vulture, Fallon is revealing in an all new interview that he’s still haunted by the incident. It’s not the dropping ratings that’s got him down, however, as Fallon claims he doesn’t care about that. What gets to the Tonight Show host is how the people turned on him and the entire show’s staff, leading to some very dark thought to cross Fallon’s mind.

From the interview:

"“You go, ‘Alright, we get it. I heard you. You made me feel bad. So now what? Are you happy? I’m depressed. Do you want to push me more? What do you want me to do? You want me to kill myself? What would make you happy? Get over it.I’m sorry. I don’t want to make anyone angry — I never do and I never will. It’s all in the fun of the show. I made a mistake. I’m sorry if I made anyone mad. And, looking back, I would do it differently.”"

Regardless of how any of us might feel about Fallon petting Trump, it certainly didn’t warrant this kind of harassment. Going after Fallon on a personal level is crossing the line. But we’re certainly free to stop watching the show if we’re unable to get over the incident, as many viewers already have.

Next: Seth Rogen reveals funny way he turned down Paul Ryan pic

For those still with Fallon, you can tune in when his show airs every weeknight. Catch The Tonight Show weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EST on NBC!