Jimmy Fallon Couldn’t Have Pandered Any Harder for Relevancy Than He Did Last Night

It’s very apparent that late-night shows are struggling to bring in younger viewers. Most young people I know are either out or asleep by 11 p.m. on weeknights, no in between. But beyond that, there’s a gap in relevancy. Late-night hosts used to be the bridge between celebrity and the public, power brokers and translators for the country’s most powerful and affluent people. Now, social media and podcasts are the primary mediators. Late-night hosts have to offer something those other platforms don’t have, and it’s clear they’re struggling to figure out what that is. 

The only recent ray of hope for late-night ratings was Josh Johnson’s first hosting stint on The Daily Show. Clearly, a younger host can attract a younger audience. No matter how young and diverse a writers’ room is, if the person delivering the joke is an older white guy, something is lost. Jimmy Fallon, one such Gen Xer, suffers from that affliction (plus a few others) with The Tonight Show.

And despite President Trump’s biggest hopes and threats, Fallon probably isn’t going anywhere soon. So, that means he has to try and find other bids for relevancy with younger audiences. And on Tuesday night’s episode, we got some insight into just how desperate the show has become. 

The regular announcer, Steve Higgins is out this week. So, in their place, Fallon brought in former Summer House (reality TV) stars and cohosts of the podcast Giggly Squad, Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner. On paper, DeSorbo and Berner are catnip for younger millennial and Gen Z audiences. The duo have huge social media followings, have co-authored a book and gone on nationwide tours. They’re ostensibly who will be replacing late night in the future. 

But when you look closer, it feels more like someone poorly answered the question “What do kids like these days?” Apart from Giggly Squad, Berner is most famous for her Netflix special and a pretty offensive red-carpet gaffe involving Megan Thee Stallion, while DeSorbo’s other enterprises include a very expensive “bedwear” line and appearing as a guest host on Love Island.  

The duo are emblematic of the genre of multi-hyphenate creators that define 2025’s celebrity. Sadly, this choice isn’t likely to bring in more young viewers, as The Tonight Show and its guest announcers suffer from the same affliction: a desperate desire for a bigger audience. 

Despite the duo’s previous appearance on Fallon (which garnered less than 300,000 views on YouTube), the guest announcing spot doesn’t feel intentional or sincere for either party. Fallon is cozying up to the medium of performer that’s likely to replace him, and DeSorbo and Berner are hoping to be legitimized beyond their social media presences. I don’t think it’s going to work, though. For starters, there’s a notable lack of charisma during the entire experience. It didn’t feel fun to watch at all. But second, and more importantly, it feels like every other marketing scheme toward young people — Mr. Beast makes chocolate, Alix Earle drinks Poppi sodas, Kai Cenat uses TMobile  — it’s a gimmick, just desperate bullshit that doesn’t respect anyone involved. 

The bad news for Fallon, DeSorbo and Berner is that we’re all smelling it.