Jimmy Fallon wants to host The Tonight Show longer than Johnny Carson (but fans aren’t sold on the idea)

This year, Jimmy Fallon celebrated his tenth year as the host of NBC’s The Tonight Show, a series he began hosting back in February 2014 after taking over for Jay Leno. Ten years later, Fallon seems to show no signs of slowing down nor does he seem to have any plans to walk away as host of NBC’s long-running late-night series. 

Speaking at Deadline’s Contenders Television event on April 15, Fallon revealed that he hopes to continue on as the host of The Tonight Show for many more years to come. In fact, he has set his sights on becoming the show’s longest-running host. “Let’s break the record, let’s go, let’s do 30 years!” Fallon noted when speaking about Johnny Carson’s record as the longest-running host of The Tonight Show having hosted the series for 29 years. 

While Fallon seems to have no desire to walk away from the show and is hoping to host the series longer than its original host, it seems not every viewer is game for that idea. 

Fans put Jimmy Fallon on blast after he says he wants to become longest-running Tonight Show host

There are many fans who enjoy Jimmy Fallon as The Tonight Show’s host; however, it seems there are just as many who are not exactly down with the idea of Fallon surpassing Carson as the longest-running host of the series. 

“Doing 30 years that’s the funniest thing this guy’s ever said in his life. His predecessors would be appalled at how bad he is at his job and how awful the show is with him as host. Just as awful now as it was 10 years ago, unwatchable,” wrote one Deadline reader reacting to Fallon’s comments at the Contenders Television. 

Many joined in sharing similar sentiments with many readers coming hard for Fallon as they reacted to Deadline’s panel. “If I may say he will NEVER be as good as Johnny Carson,” snarked one reader. “Fallon is funny at times but overall he couldn’t tie Carson’s shoe nor could any of the others all of whom I hold in higher regard,” added another. 

Although there were plenty who seemed to laugh at the idea of Fallon coming for Carson’s hosting record, the reactions weren’t all negative! 

“Let him go with it as long as he can. It’s tough coming up with new material for 5 nights a week. He loves what he does, and it shows,” rebutted one fan speaking out against Fallon’s critics. 

“I don’t watch much TV but when I happen to see The Tonight Show I find it a refreshing break from other shows because it’s not all about politics. Political talk is so tiring. It’s nice to see a host who enjoys people and enjoys his work so much. So I’m all in favor of Jimmy Fallon getting an extra 20 years on the show,” added another fan who clearly enjoys the variety Fallon brings to his series that helps set The Tonight Show apart from competitors such as Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show. 

It’ll be interesting to see exactly how long Fallon does end up hosting The Tonight Show, but it seems he has no desire to walk away from the series. And while he might not have won over everyone in his first ten years as the show’s host, he’s carved out a loyal following and set the show apart from the crowd with many iconic moments with many more still to come!