Jimmy Fallon reveals what it took to recruit the Roots

The Roots are the most talented band in late night and wildly successful in their own right. So how did they end up as Jimmy Fallon’s house band?

On the surface it seems like an odd pairing that the Roots would be backing Jimmy Fallon. It’s not typical for a band as established and popular as the Roots to take that kind of gig. Late night bands aren’t exactly supposed to be stars on their own.

But hiring Jimmy Fallon for Late Night was exactly expected either. Nor was his quick rise to The Tonight Show  hosting gig in the aftermath of the Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien fiasco at NBC. 

Fallon’s hiring ended up being a slam dunk as The Tonight Show took off when he got behind the desk. He brought a new energy and fresh approach to what was become a stale institution. A big part of that was another fantastic decision: bringing on the Roots as the house band.

The Roots have been around since 1987 and had released nine albums by the time they linked up with Fallon and NBC. The host explained how his meeting with Questlove and Tariq Trotter during an interview with the syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club:

It’s surprising to hear that the negotiations were that simple when it came to recruiting the Roots. Obviously being on The Tonight Show increased the band’s exposure and they were eager to capitalize on not only reaching a new audience but also playing with the talented musicians visiting the show.

The bit about popcorn in Lorne Michaels’ office is a bit of inside baseball. It has been referenced in passing a few times by Saturday Night Live alumni. The fact that Questlove knew about shows how in tuned he is with comedy and pop culture, making him an even better fit with Fallon.

The entire interview with Jimmy Fallon is worth watching. He discusses how his lifestyle has slowed down outside of the show and his time on Saturday Night Live, what it’s like to be a father, and how he is approaching politics on his show with new showrunner Jim Bell.