History Series / TheTonightShow

* TenMinuteRetirement: Paar infamouly walked off in February 1960 after NBC censors took offense at one of his jokes, but Paar returned to the show within a month. During his return episode he stated that he had a reason, namely...

* SmokingIsCool: Back in the day where smoking was not only the norm, it was expected of celebrity guests. Paar and many (not all) of his celebrity guests regularly caused the set to be fogged over with smoke, thanks to five (or more) smoking guests on the set at any one time.

In July 1957, Jack Paar became the full-time ''Tonight Show'' host. It was during his tenure that ''Tonight'' first became a "water cooler" show--the next morning, people would talk about what happened on the show the night before. Paar was intelligent and quick-witted, but also very unpredictable and candid. He didn't try to put on a fake showbiz persona. He'd get emotional on the air, and would publicly feud with newspaper columnists. For many viewers, the host was even more interesting than the guests. His most notorious moment took place in February 1960, when Paar walked off after NBC censors took offense at one of his jokes. Paar returned to the show within a month. By the spring of 1962, Paar, burned out with doing a daily show, quit. From April-September 1962, ''The Tonight Show'' had a series of part-time hosts, including Groucho Marx, and an orchestra led by Skitch Henderson. ''The Jack Paar Program'', a prime time series, premiered around that time and lasted three years.[[note]]Paar's prime time show has historical significance, since he showed some film clips of Music/TheBeatles in January of 1964 (a month before their debut on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow''), marking their first appearance on American prime time television[[/note]]

In July 1957, Jack Paar became the full-time ''Tonight Show'' host. It was during his tenure that ''Tonight'' first became a "water cooler" show--the next morning, people would talk about what happened on the show the night before. Paar was intelligent and quick-witted, but also very unpredictable and candid. He didn't try to put on a fake showbiz persona. He'd get emotional on the air, and would publicly feud with newspaper columnists. For many viewers, the host was even more interesting than the guests. His most notorious moment took place in February 1960, when Paar walked off after NBC censors took offense at one of his jokes. Paar returned to the show within a month. By the spring of 1962, Paar, burned out with doing a daily show, quit. From April-September 1962, ''The Tonight Show'' had a series of part-time hosts, including Groucho Marx, and an orchestra led by Skitch Henderson. ''The Jack Paar Program'', a prime time series, premiered around that time and lasted three years.[[note]]

In July 1957, Jack Paar became the full-time ''Tonight Show'' host. It was during his tenure that ''Tonight'' first became a "water cooler" show--the next morning, people would talk about what happened on the show the night before. Paar was intelligent and quick-witted, but also very unpredictable and candid. He didn't try to put on a fake showbiz persona. He'd get emotional on the air, and would publicly feud with newspaper columnists. For many viewers, the host was even more interesting than the guests. His most notorious moment took place in February 1960, when Paar walked off after NBC censors took offense at one of his jokes. Paar returned to the show within a month. By the spring of 1962, Paar, burned out with doing a daily show, quit. From April-September 1962, ''The Tonight Show'' had a series of part-time hosts, including Groucho Marx, and an orchestra led by Skitch Henderson. ''The Jack Paar Program'', a prime time series, premiered around that time and lasted three years.

Creator/JohnnyCarson took over on October 1, 1962 and made ''The Tonight Show'' a career ''and'' an American institution, acting as host until 1992. During that time, Carson created many memorable characters, including Art Fern, Floyd R. Turbo, and Carnac the Magnificent, while bringing fame to his announcer Ed [=McMahon=] and his bandleader Skitch Henderson. Henderson was later replaced by Carl "Doc" Severinsen.

In July 1957, Jack Paar became the full-time ''Tonight Show'' host, but he walked off in February 1960 after NBC censors took offense at one of his jokes. Paar returned to the show within a month. From April-September 1962, ''The Tonight Show'' had a series of part-time hosts, including Groucho Marx, and an orchestra led by Skitch Henderson. ''The Jack Paar Program'' premiered around that time and lasted three years.

Johnny Carson made a career of ''The Tonight Show'', acting as host from 1962-1992. During that time, Carson created many memorable characters, including Art Fern, Floyd R. Turbo, and Carnac the Magnificent, while bringing fame to his announcer Ed [=McMahon=] and his bandleader Skitch Henderson. Henderson was later replaced by Carl "Doc" Severinsen.

And in all this history, there was the regular who didn't expect to be one — Lillian Miller (aka "Miss Miller") was an audience member on so many episodes of the Allen/Kovacs, Parr, and Carson versions that she was forced to join AFTRA. She also frequented {{Game Show}}s (including ''MatchGame'' and ''Series/WhatsMyLine''), ''The Creator/MervGriffin Show'', ''Series/TheCarolBurnettShow'', and even appeared on ''The Jack Paar Program'' in November 1962 as a guest alongside Liberace and [[UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli Cassius Clay]].

''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night TalkShow on Creator/{{NBC}} that is part talk show and part VarietyShow. Creator/SteveAllen was the first host, starting in 1954; Creator/ErnieKovacs had Monday and Tuesday nights for the final (1956-1957) season due to Allen's [[Series/TheSteveAllenShow Sunday-night show]] on the same network.

!!The various incarnations of the show provides examples of:

[[quoteright:289:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tonight.png]]

This late-night series on Creator/{{NBC}} is part VarietyShow and part celebrity TalkShow. Creator/SteveAllen was the first host, starting in 1954; Creator/ErnieKovacs had Monday and Tuesday nights for the final (1956-1957) season due to Allen's [[Series/TheSteveAllenShow Sunday-night show]] on the same network.

After Carson left the series, Jay Leno took over as host. Thus began the "talk show wars" of 1993; it had been expected that Creator/DavidLetterman, who hosted the lead-out show ''Series/LateNight with...'' since the early 1980s, would get the gig. When that didn't happen, Creator/{{CBS}} hired him as a direct competitor, ''The Late Show With David Letterman'', launched in 1993. While Letterman initially was the stronger ratings draw, Leno eventually overtook him. ''The Tonight Show'' and ''The Late Show'' remain fierce competitors. (The controversy would be dramatized in the 1996 movie ''The Late Shift''.)

[[folder:Johnny Carson (1962-1992)]]
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: One of the most famous sketches on the show involved Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) asking Johnny Carson about his stolen "clappers". Among the words that started with "C" (or used the "C/K" sound) used in the sketch: Clappers, caper, copper, closet, Claude Cooper, copped, Cleveland, clean, kleptomaniac, cleaning woman, Clara Clifford, clobber.
* TheAlcoholic: A RunningGag with Ed [=McMahon=]. Just one example, during an animal segment where a kinkajou crawled on Ed:
--> '''Johnny''': Obviously, the smell of olives attracted him.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: Yes kids, the show used to be an hour and forty-five minutes long. The show was eventually cut down to ninety minutes in 1966 after Johnny learned that many affiliates were preempting the first fifteen minutes for local programming and refused to come on until later. For a while, Ed [=McMahon=] would do a solo set before introducing Johnny at the point when all the affiliates switched over to the main feed. In 1980, the show reduced its running time to the present sixty minutes.
** The [[ChristmasEpisode Christmas 1979]] episode recently released on YouTube by Carson Productions featured a very funny opening segment of Johnny and Ed looking at popular toys of the time which lasted three segments and lasted about 26 minutes.
* AwardShow: The Sniveling Weasel Awards, where Johnny's lovely assistant would let loose a weasel to choose between five food bowls representing Academy Awards nominees. This sketch would find a SpiritualSuccessor on Jimmy Fallon's ''Tonight Show'' with "Puppy Predictions", about the Super Bowl.
* BaaBomb: "Sis boom bah!"
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Carson was forever affable on-stage but had a legendary temper in his private life.
** Music/{{Madonna}} and Creator/SeanPenn got married right next to his house; legend has it he was so annoyed by paparazzi helicopters, he went out and spelled '''[[PrecisionFStrike FUCK OFF]]''' on his front lawn with rocks.
** Close friend and "permanent guest host" Joan Rivers accepted a talk show gig on FOX (''The Late Show'') without first asking Carson's permission; when she subsequently called to apologize, he hung up on her without a word and never spoke to her again for the rest of his life.
*** That's not really a fair way to put it, though. She was a close and trusted friend of his who played a big part on the show, and then knew for months that she was leaving the show to be on one that was directly challenging his and intending to take viewers on an opposing channel without telling him; he found out from a press release. That was an especially hard blow for Carson, who considered loyalty very important.
* BigBrotherIsWatching: For a few shows in 1984, a big eye was placed in the background, as a tribute to ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour''. However, it freaked out some viewers (and others were too fixated on the eye and couldn't concentrate on Johnny's punchlines) so he got rid of it.
* BiggerThanJesus: In one of the interviews with Charles Grodin, Grodin [[CallBack addressed something Carson said in an earlier interview]], when he said that $18.95 isn't too much for a book if you're Mother Teresa. Grodin found that "insulting", but Carson explained that Grodin isn't as famous as Teresa. Grodin asked if Carson considers himself as famous as Teresa. Carson's reply? "Of course not!... (reconsiders) I ''might'' be."
--> '''Carson''': I don't do as much good work as she does...\\
'''Grodin''': You certainly don't.
* TheBusCameBack: Jack Paar was invited back many times.
-->'''Carson''': Why did you give up hosting ''The Tonight Show''? You could have been here a lot longer...you could have been here today. Why did you give it up?\\
'''Paar''': Well, you needed the work...
* ByTheBookCop: A sketch from 1981, stemming from a court case that ruled taping TV shows illegal, parodied ''Series/TheUntouchables'' with Johnny as an Elliot Ness-esque character who went around busting down doors of households watching taped shows for their own personal use.
* CallBack: Charles Grodin would often bring up things Johnny said in a previous interview. In some cases, this could be a ''year'' beforehand.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Charles Grodin frequently accused Carson of not caring about the questions he asked, and often refused to answer them without a lot of goading.
--> '''Carson''': In what way were you different [from earlier in your life]?\\
'''Grodin''': ...Do you ''care'' what way I was different?\\
'''Carson''': Not a whit. (audience laughs) Of course I do! We do this every time you come out here!\\
'''Grodin''': Well you don't care how I was different!\\
'''Carson''': Of ''course'' I do.\\
'''Grodin''': You don't care how I wrote the book, you don't care what's in the book, you don't care that I'm referred to as a "zen master" in a major literary review of this book, that it says it has echoes of James Thurber, Andy Rooney, that the stores are already buying it more, it's not even been officially published, you don't care about all that plug stuff. It's true.\\
'''Carson''': ...Gee.\\
'''Grodin''': In fact, it offends you, it upsets you, it irritates you. You resent it, you resent it.
* CasanovaWannabe: Art Fern.
* CatchPhrase: ''"Heeeeeeeeeerrrrreeee's JOHNNY!"''
** Carson would say "It's ____ today." The audience would reply in unison: "How ____ was it??", prompting Carson to do the punchline.
** Whenever a joke would bomb, Carson would jump up, grab the boom mic, bring it close to his mouth (to get the desire echoing effect), and yell: "Attention K-Mart shoppers!"
** During the Carnac the Magnificent sketches, Ed would use many of the same phrases each time, like the "hermetically-sealed" envelopes, which have been sitting in a "#2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnalls' porch since noon today. NO ONE, knows the contents of these envelopes, but you, in your borderline divine and mystical way, will ascertain the answers having never before seen the questions." And after Carnac's gone through a bunch of envelopes, Ed would announce: "I hold in my hand, the last envelope", prompting audience cheering.
** Art Fern had many phrases that he used in most every sketch: "Drive until you come to... the Fork in the Road!"; "Got no job? We don't care. Got a bad credit rating? We don't care. Got a prison record? We don't care. Don't expect to pay us? ''THAT'S'' when we care!"
* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: The reruns on Antenna TV omit any instance where "Tea For Two" is played by the band, replacing it with generic piano music. It's weird to see Johnny dance along to what's obviously a different song.
* CouchGag: Ed's introduction of Carnac the Magnificent always has something different for one of Carnac's previous jobs.
** One segment would have Johnny reading off real TV shows that are debuting in the fall or midseason, and Ed would reply in great length that those are the only new shows debuting, prompting Johnny to reply "WRONG, [insert noun] breath!" before reading the fake/comedic ones.
* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: Carson would frequently have zoology experts like Jack Hanna on, with various animals for him to interact with.
* GameShowAppearance: One Mighty Carson Art Players sketch had Carson playing President UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan as a contestant on ''Series/FamilyFeud''.
--> '''Richard Dawson''': Name something you'd find on a farm. ''(Reagan buzzes in)'' Yes! Name something you'd find on a farm.\\
'''Ronald Reagan''': ...Well...\\
'''Richard Dawson''': Is there a well? ''(top answer)'' There's a well!
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Art Fern again.
--> "Piths off!"
* GroinAttack: Accidentally carried out on a wooden target by actor Ed Ames during [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeN0QkZmmY an axe-throwing demonstration.]] The entire audience went into hysterics for over a minute, and their efforts to stop laughing were not at all aided by a circumcision joke from Johnny in its wake that ensured the segment's immortality as a high point in his career.
* HeadPet: Johnny's encounter with an undiapered pygmy marmoset is a blooper-reel favorite.
* HypocrisyNod: A 1991 episode had a monologue joke about Delta Burke wanting to get paid for an episode of ''Series/DesigningWomen'' she wasn't in. The punchline: "Can you ''imagine'' someone wanting to get paid for something they didn't do?"[[labelnote:Note]](a bit of SelfDeprecation at how Carson would frequently take Monday shows off)[[/labelnote]]
* ImmediateSelfContradiction: In 1986, Johnny interviewed four Playboy Bunnies, and some audience members snickered at a comment that could've been interpreted [[InnocentInnuendo two ways]]. [[PlayedForLaughs Johnny admonished them]], saying it was a serious interview, then turned back to the Bunny and said, "Go ahead, baby."
* IronicEcho: Used numerous times during any interview with Charles Grodin, for comedic effect.
* LenoDevice: UrExample, though he didn't use it nearly as much as Leno did.
* MoodSwinger: Done for laughs by Bob Newhart in one of Johnny's last shows:
--> '''Newhart''': Uh, I've been watching the shows, it's very good.\\
'''Carson''': Thank you, we've had a lot of fun.\\
'''Newhart''': Y'know, I saw Buddy, and it's been, and I know you don't like maudlin kind of, y'know, things.\\
'''Carson''': We're both the same.\\
'''Newhart''': We're very similar, we're from the midwest, we kinda hold- '''DON'T GO, JOHNNY!!! DON'T GO, JOHNNY!!!'''
* MustHaveNicotine: Due to the changing views towards smoking, Carson eventually stopped smoking on screen. That didn't mean he stopped smoking on set. He would hold a lit cigarette on his lap and take discrete puffs whenever the monitor showed that he wasn't in the shot, exhaling upwards to keep the smoke from showing on screen. His desk even had a special fan installed to draw away the smoke from his hidden cigarette.
* OffTheRails: Could occur with certain guests. See the Burt Reynolds / Dom [=DeLuise=] episode from the '70s for just one instance.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-__pF6pgnR0 This ''Tea Time Movie'' segment]] goes OffTheRails in spectacular fashion when the mustache falls off.
* OnceAnEpisode: Carson making fun of last night's "bad" crowd during the monologue.
* OverlyLongGag: Carson's purposefully-long intro to Bill Clinton in 1988 might just be the absolute longest guest introduction in history, clocking in at about 2 1/2 minutes.
--> '''Carson''': My, uh, my first guest tonight became a media celebrity last week when he delivered the nominating speech for Michael Dukakis at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. Uh, Bill Clinton is a four-time governor of Arkansas. He was the nation's youngest governor when he was first elected in 1978, at the age of 32. In a recent Newsweek poll, he was voted one of the five most effective governors in the country. ({{Beat}}) He also oversaw Arkansas's once-depressed state economy... (audience begins to laugh) rebound to prosperity through his programs of welfare reform, public health plans, and consumer protection, including a tight rein on utility rates. From his capitol office building in Little Rock, Governor Clinton has helped remold his state into a competitive player in economic business and industry, while maintaining his state's traditional homestead heritage and rugged natural beauty. Marvelous to have him on the show, but that's just ''part'' of the Bill Clinton story. His family and friends remember Bill as an idealistic and determined young man who earned his Bachelor's Degree from Georgetown University, later graduating from Yale Law School. Like fellow Democrat, New Jersey Senator Bradley, who shares the first name "Bill", Governor Clinton expanded his horizons as a Rhodes Scholar, studying at England's renowned Oxford University. (page two...) He returned to America... (audience laughs) with a renewed fervor, and while still a law student, ran George [=McGovern=]'s 1972 presidential campaign in Texas. Two years later, he lost the congressional race, but won widespread public admiration, and was easily elected Attorney General at 29, two years after that. And it's great to have him here. He's also the past chairman... (audience laughs) of the education committees of the state, and author of the comprehensive report on the importance of leadership in education reform. It gives me great pleasure to welcome a man who currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association, and who has shown America that Arkansas is more than just trees and Hot Springs National Park. (page three...) ''Much'' more. There's Blanchard Springs Caverns... (audience laughs) There's the country's only active diamond mine. Arkansas is the birthplace of cosmopolitan publisher Helen Gurley Brown, singers Glen Campbell and Music/JohnnyCash, and the late actor ACreator/AlanLadd, best known for his performance in the Academy Award winning film, ''Film/{{Shane}}''.\\
(two audience members start chanting "We want Bill!")\\
'''Carson''': Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton, a man who Hernando De Soto might have had in mind when he discovered this territory called Arkansas back in 1541. Of course, back then it was owned by France, then Spain, then France again. Then it was sold as part of the now-famous Louisiana Purchase, which brings us full-circle to my first guest. Bill Clinton, a man who loves his state, from its eastern delta to its southern lowland forests, all the way up to its western highlands, which includes, of course, the Ozark Plateau. And in conclusion... (audience cheers) Here's a man who needs no introduction, the honorable Bill Clinton of Arkansas!
** This speech was likely a reference to Clinton's notoriously long speech at the Democratic National Convention that year to introduce candidate Michael Dukakis, which [[HilariousInHindsight many thought would end his political career]].
** Carnac (Carson) would often complain that Ed's explanations during the Carnac the Magnificent sketches got longer and longer each time he did them, often joking that he doesn't have enough time to do the sketch.
* PreciousPuppies: During the early years while the show was broadcast live, Ed [=McMahon=] would do in studio advertisements for Alpo dog food, which included an eager dog waiting to eat the stuff. One night the dog ignored the food and walked offstage, leaving Johnny to quickly fill in, sitting up for Ed in one famous blooper.
* ProductPlacement: One skit involved Carson as Hamlet, reciting the famous AlasPoorYorick monologue, except inserting product plugs after certain words. Among the items Hamlet plugged included AAMCO, Mentholatum deep heating rub, Preparation H, and American Express.
* {{PSA}}: Parodied in a recurring sketch where Johnny would record multiple [=PSAs=] for a variety of causes in a row. Just one example:
--> '''Johnny''': Johnny Carson here, to talk about a crime not often discussed in polite society. I'm talking about lumberjacks who use innocent woodland animals as a Frisbee. Next time you stroll through a forest and you spot men in plaid shirts tossing a furry creature, turn them in. Contact "Beaver Heavers, Tacoma, Washington."
* ReReleaseSoundtrack: The Antenna TV reruns feature a different ending instrumental than the original airings. Thankfully, the iconic opening theme is intact (albeit with different visuals).
** Speaking of the Antenna TV reruns, the music coming back from commercials has been replaced by various stock music pieces. Once you know that, it's a little weird seeing Ed praise Doc and the NBC Orchestra, since they didn't actually play the songs.
* SamusIsAGirl: One of the most famous skits involved Johnny pretending to be a cowboy but revealing that he was a woman. Only catch is, when he removed his hat, [[ThrowItIn he accidentally removed his wig with it, essentially derailing the skit and ending it early ("Screw it, let's go!")]].
* SexSells: The Matinee Lady, who appears in every Art Fern sketch.
* ShapedLikeItself: 93-year old guest Florence Hodges said she was from Dothan, Alabama, leading to this exchange:
--> '''Johnny''': Where is that?\\
'''Florence''': It's in Alabama.
* TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment: Invoked: Nearly every time Robert Blake was on in the late '70s and early '80s, he complained that one of his movies, ''Second-Hand Hearts'', kept being delayed for release by the studio. Johnny agreed to show a different clip from the movie every time Robert was on, so that if he was a guest often enough, the audience would eventually see all of it.
* ShoutOut: The Matinee Lady as portrayed by Teresa Ganzel is virtually identical to her character in ''Franchise/NationalLampoon's Movie Madness''.
** On September 7, 1973, the Mighty Carson Art Players performed a parody of Film/LostHorizon. Ed introduces the segment by implying that it will be worse than the recent BoxOfficeBomb.
* {{Sidekick}}: Ed [=McMahon=].
* SignatureLaugh: [=McMahon=]'s deep belly-laugh. Hi-ho!
* SmokingIsCool: Many of Carson's celebrity guests smoked, and unashamedly lit up on the set. Carson prominently kept a wooden cigarette box on his desk (Creator/DonRickles [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foz_01qP5K4 accidentally smashing the box's lid and Johnny subsequently berating him for it is a TV classic]]). There were frequent instances where five or more people on the set (Carson and [=McMahon=] included) had lighted cigarettes in hand at any one time, with ashtrays provided. By the early 1980s, with the habit becoming less socially acceptable and health risks becoming better known, Carson and [=McMahon=] stopped smoking on screen; [=McMahon=] ultimately quit, while Carson continued his pack-plus-a-day habit for most of the rest of his life, ultimately dying in 2005 of respiratory failure brought on by emphysema.
* SpinOff: Of sorts. In July of 2013 Turner Classic Movies aired a five-part series hosted by Conan O'Brian called ''Carson on TMC''; each episode consisting of five classic Carson ''Tonight Show'' intervews with stars such as George Burns, Liz Taylor, and Henry Fonda.
* StealthInsult: Done ''repeatedly'' in any interview with Charles Grodin. Of course, this supposed bitterness was all part of the act. Example: When Carson was accused of not reading Grodin's latest book:
--> '''Carson''': I've read the book cover to cover.
--> '''Grodin''': You have?
--> '''Carson''': Yes I have.
--> '''Grodin''': And?
--> '''Carson''': ...It's a very long book.
* TheStoic: Carson nicknamed Tommy Newsom (sax player and replacement bandleader whenever Doc was out) [[SarcasmMode "Mr. Excitement"]].
* TakeThat: When Creator/BetteDavis was interviewed in 1988, Johnny asked her if there's any actor who she'd never work with again. Without hesitation, she replied "Creator/FayeDunaway". She called Faye impossible, and claimed you could sit ''any actor'' in her chair and they'd say the same thing.
* {{Taps}}: The band plays Taps whenever an attempted comic bit dies.
* TemptingFate: Carson has more than once made a point to never oversell a comedy sketch for this very reason:
--> '''Ed''': This is gonna be something hilarious, you're trying to tell us.\\
'''Johnny''': No, we don't say that. ''(Ed chuckles)'' We say this, possibly, ''could'' be amusing.
* TongueTied: On a 1986 episode, Johnny called a film a "flim".
* TooMuchInformation: Johnny asked Charles Grodin what the worst time in his life was, and Grodin agreed to answer if Johnny answered. Johnny replied: "When I first got divorced." Grodin snarked, "See, I would never reveal anything that personal."
* VanityPlate: The Carson Entertainment logo on the Antenna TV reruns features a coffee mug on Carson's desk while a sound byte from Carson plays: "I'm humbled by that applause."
* VitriolicBestBuds: Johnny Carson and Charles Grodin.
* WhosOnFirst: A variant occurs in a skit where Carson played Ronald Reagan being briefed on his day's activities by his aide. One of the most memorable exchanges was Reagan reviewing his plans to go swimming with James G. Watt at the YMCA.
-->'''Carson''': Who?\\
'''Aide''': Watt.\\
'''Carson''': Where?\\
'''Aide''': Y.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jay Leno (1992-2009, 2010-2014)]]
* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: One of the Headlines involved a person selling "cabbits": Rabbits and cats mixed. Leno found this quite humorous, as he interpreted it as an animal that doesn't exist in real life instead of what the author likely intended, rabbits and cats sold together.
--> '''Leno''': What, does it sleep for 23 hours and mate for an hour?!
* CatchPhrase:
** During "Headlines": "Kev, what do I love?" "Stupid criminals."
*** Alternatively: "Kev, what do I hate?" "Dressing up animals."
* CocaPepsiInc: One recurring segment involves showing products of hypothetical mergers between companies to make humorous product names.
* CoolCar: Leno owns a ''warehouse full'' of them, and they turn up on the show occasionally.
* {{Corpsing}}:
** Before reading one of the "Headlines" (a "for sale" ad selling "fudge-packing machines"), Leno cracked a smile, and Kevin asked what was so funny. Leno asked if the audience was sure they wanted this one, and when they cheered, he proclaimed that he was just going to read it, and wasn't going to comment or smirk. But then he glanced at it again and smirked. Cue Kevin: "You're smirkin' already! You're smirkin' before you even say it!"
* ADateWithRosiePalms: One "Headlines" featured a news story about a construction worker allegedly masturbating on the job. The construction worker vehemently denied masturbating, as he was one-handed and thus, couldn't jack off with one hand and do his job with the other. Case is still under investigation.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DontExplainTheJoke: One of the "Headlines" showed an Amish buggy with the caption reminding people not to take the Amish's picture. After a tepid response, Leno quipped, "You see, they took their picture. I should've explained it more clearly."
* FinalSpeech: Didn't really have one the first time his ''Tonight Show'' ended, but gave one the second time:
-->"Okay... boy, this is the hard part. I want to thank you, the audience. You folks have been just... incredibly loyal... ''[tears up]'' This is tricky. ''[laughs]'' Ah... we wouldn't be on the air without you people. Secondly, this has been the greatest 22 years of my life. I tell you. ''[applause]'' I am... the luckiest guy in the world. I got to meet presidents, astronauts, movie stars... it's just been incredible. I got to work with lighting people who made me look better than I really am, I got to work with audio people who made me sound better than I really do, and I got to work with producers and writers, and just all kinds of talented people who made me look a lot smarter than I really am. [[TheWoobie I'll tell you something... the first year of this show, I lost my mom. Second year I lost my dad. Then my brother died. And, uh... after that, I was pretty much out of family.]] And the folks here became my family. Consequently, when they went through rough times, I tried to be there for them. The last time we left this show, you might remember, we had the 64 children that were born among all our staffers that married. That was a great moment. And when people say to me, 'Hey, why didn't you go to ABC? Why didn't you go to Fox? Why didn't you go...?' I didn't know anybody over there. These are the only people I've ever known. I'm also proud to say this is a union show, and I have never worked... ''[applause]'' ...I have never worked with a more professional group of people in my life. They get paid good money, and they do a good job. And when the guys and women on this show would show me the new car they bought, or their house up the street here in Burbank, the one the guys got... I felt I played a bigger role in their success than they played in mine. And that was just a great feeling. And I'm really excited for Jimmy Fallon. You know, it's fun to kinda be the old guy, sit back here and see where the next generation takes this great institution, and it really is... it's been a great institution for 60 years. I am so glad I got to be a part of it. But it really is time to go, hand it off to the next guy. It really is. And in closing, I want to quote Johnny Carson, who was the greatest guy to ever do this job, and he said 'I bid you all a heartfelt goodnight.' Now... [[MoodWhiplash now that I've brought the room down...]] hey [[Music/GarthBrooks Garth]], you got anything to liven this party up? Give it a shot! Garth Brooks!"
* JuxtapositionGag: Many clippings sent to the "Headlines" segment involve amusing accidental juxtapositions. It can be two ads with incompatible content placed next to each other, or two ads with pictures placed together to create improbable anatomy. Other times, the headline of one article is next to a picture from a different news story altogether, with unfortunate implications. (For example, a story of murder victims' bodies being recovered from a yard was placed next to a photo of then-President UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan and wife Nancy with shovels, as they cheerfully broke ground on his presidential library.)
** Parodied on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Marge cuts out this article to send in: "Ketchup Truck Crashes into Hot Dog Stand - 30 Dead."
* LanternJawOfJustice: Taken UpToEleven in the "Iron Jay" skits.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Whenever Creator/DonRickles is a guest, the band plays "La Virgen de la Macarena".
* LenoDevice: TropeNamer.
* LighterAndSofter: Referenced when Jay interviewed Creator/PamelaAnderson about her film ''Blonde and Blonder'':
--> '''Jay''': This is your first PG-13 movie, isn't it?\\
'''Pamela''': ''(laughs)'' Yeah, good one.
* LongList: One of the Headlines involved a school that served nothing but spam. He showed the lunch calendar and read all the entries:
--> '''Jay''': Start with me on Monday: Barbeque spam. Tuesday: Nachos w/spam. Wednesday: Sloppy spam. Thursday: Country style spam. Friday: Grilled spam. Go down. Spam-a-cube. Spam hoagie. Baked spam. Spam nuggets. Spam n noodles. Go down to the next week! Spam pie! Spam burger! Vegetable spam soup! Spam steak! Not spam and cheese! Spam chops! It's unbelievable!
* LoopholeAbuse: In 2005, Leno was called to testify for the defense in the Music/MichaelJackson child molestation trial, as he was familiar with the accuser and his family. This didn't keep him from his regular gig, but he was legally unable to joke about anything related to it during his nightly monologues. The solution was to have other comedians (Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, etc.) take over for a chunk of said monologues and tell all the Michael Jackson jokes they pleased.
* OnceAnEpisode: Starting around 2007, Leno would use part of his monologue to tell "The economy is bad!" jokes, one after another. When he would finish telling a joke, the band would play a brief snippet of "Hooray For Hollywood".
* PottyEmergency: When Leno had the cast of ''Film/{{Superbad}}'' on, Creator/JonahHill told a story about how he was arrested for urinating in an alley. He defended his actions by saying that he was stuck in traffic and was nowhere near a restroom. He also got annoyed by the tabloids, who made up that he was urinating ''and'' defecating.
* ProductPlacement: Jay and Kevin once did a sketch parodying the overabundance of product placement on TV. The sketch was ostensibly a cop show, but they crammed in as many slogans as possible into the dialogue (Kevin even singing GE's jingle for no reason) while wearing clothing festooned with logos.
* PsychoStrings: A common music cue during "Headlines" when a vicious dog or a person with a creepy face is shown.
* {{Pun}}: During one "Headlines":
--> '''Leno''': You know how Canada got its name, by the way?\\
'''Kevin''': How's that?\\
'''Leno''': It went C, ''eh'', N, ''eh'', D... it's an old joke.
* TheRival: Creator/DavidLetterman.
-->"He's only saying that because I'm here."
* RunningGag
* SongParody: Billy Crystal sang a "send off" medley to Leno during the last week of the original ''Tonight Show'' run, which included parodies of such song as "[[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic These Are a Few of My Favorite Things]]" and "[[Series/TheJeffersons Movin' On Up]]".
** He also sang a parody (along with surprise guests) for Leno's final show on 2/6/14. This one parodied just one song: "[[Film/TheSoundOfMusic So Long, Farewell"]].
* {{Squick}}: Invoked. One Headline involved using cremated ashes being used to paint portraits for a widower. The audience groaned more than they laughed, which led to this:
--> '''Leno''': Isn't that horrible?\\
'''Kevin''': ...Yes.\\
'''Leno''': Too bad it's not FUNNY. (audience laughs)
* TitleThemeDrop: Before one "Jaywalking" with the subject of science questions, the theme song to ''Series/WeirdScience'' briefly played.
* TooMuchInformation: One of the Headlines involved putting plastic molds on your face. When the image in the clipping looked too much like UncannyValley to Leno, he snarked, "It's like having sex with a cyborg!"
--> '''Kevin Eubanks''': ...You've had sex with a cyborg, Jay??\\
'''Jay Leno''': (straightens tie) In my single days.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The primetime failure of ''The Jay Leno Show'' was responsible for the fiasco by bringing down the ratings for the local 11:00 PM newscasts and Conan's ''Tonight''.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Jay Leno and Terry Bradshaw
* VoxPops: "Jaywalking".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Conan O'Brien (2009-2010)]]
* AccidentalMisnaming: Conan told a story about how a supposed fan recognized him on the street and said, "It's Cohen O'Riley from the radio!"
* AffectionateNickname: On the second episode, Tom Hanks shortened Conan's name to "Coco", and the rest is history.
* AmusingInjuries: Animal expert Nigel Marven came out with a fresh cut on his neck, from the water monitor's tail that whacked him just before going on stage. Nigel went on like nothing was wrong, but after Andy pointed out his injury, Conan became concerned. Nigel insisted it was no big deal ("It's a badge of courage for wildlife guides") and continued showing the animals he brought. His injury became a RunningGag throughout his segment.
--> '''Conan''': If at any time you get light-headed or feel you need medical attention, you let me know, and I'll wait twenty minutes and get it for you.\\
(...)\\
'''Conan''': Okay, well we should probably move on, because I think you're about to ''die''.\\
(...)\\
'''Conan''': Let's move on while you still have enough oxygenated blood in your head.
* AnachronismStew: In a flashback to Conan's college days, Conan is seen playing with ''Lord of the Rings'' action figures. Andy calls attention to this after the clip:
--> '''Andy''': They had Gandalf dolls back in '84?\\
'''Conan''': I made it myself.\\
'''Andy''': Oh! All right, touche.\\
'''Conan''': I carved it.\\
'''Andy''': You had the foresight to make it look like Ian [=McKellen=].\\
'''Conan''': All right, shut up.
* BaitAndSwitch: In one "In the Year 3000":
--> '''Conan''': After Radio Shack changes its name to "The Shack" and Pizza Hut becomes "The Hut", The Olive Garden's name will be "The Horrible Restaurant".
* {{Beat}}: In one of the Creator/WilliamShatner interviews, Conan asked Shatner how his Thanksgiving was. Shatner responded that it was awful, because it was so messy. Then he paused, and when he began talking again, Conan interrupted him:
-->'''Conan''': I never know what's going to happen when you come out here. I asked you a question and you took, I think, a 45-second pause.
* BenevolentBoss: Reportedly, the exit negotiations were held up by Conan's insistence that NBC shell out severance money for his staff. Conan reportedly paid out of pocket to provide for staff/crew members who weren't covered by the NBC contract.
* BigNo: Said by Cody Devereaux when Conan accidentally did something to hurt his feelings. Always followed by Cody stating [[ComicalOverreacting he doesn't want to live anymore]], [[DrivenToSuicide running into the sun, and melting.]]
* BitingTheHandHumor: The last two weeks of Conan's ''Tonight'' [[HilarityEnsues were downright vicious]].
-->"NBC announced that they expect to lose $200 Million on the Winter Olympics next month. Now, folks, is it just me...or is that story ''hilarious''?"
* BodyHorror: In one sketch, Conan shot Wax Creator/TomCruise and Wax [[Series/HappyDays Fonz]] out of a cannon... with the catch that they didn't have enough money to rent a cushion for them to land on. This resulted in the Tom Cruise model breaking in half upon hitting the ground, and Fonz's face getting ''mutilated''. When Conan brought the two back into the studio, he warned young children to leave the room before showing the Fonz's busted-up face.
* BrainFood: In one of the Cody Devereaux sketches, Cody was joined by a zombie, whose theme song was merely Cody's but with different lyrics: "Brains, brains, brains, brains..."
* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: One of the most famous gags from the first "In the Year 3000" sketch: Conan said that [=YouTube=], Twitter, and Facebook will merge to form "[=YouTwitFace=]".
* BrokenRecord / ManipulativeEditing: One "Conan on the Aisle" sketch had Conan criticizing ''Film/PublicEnemies'' for being too repetitive, which padded the running time. A clip from the film was shown where an announcement was made to look to your left and then to your right to see if you spot John Dillinger. In the actual film, the audience only did this once, but as presented in this segment, they were instructed to look to their left and right ''several'' times.
* ButtMonkey: On '''every single talk show''', when the NBC fiasco was discussed, Carson Daly (who hosts ''Last Call'' at 1:30 in the morning, after all the major talk shows are done) was known as "that poor guy".
** Daly survived when O'Brien decided to leave NBC rather than have ''Tonight'' start a half-hour later.
* CatchPhrase: "In the Year 3000" always began with William Shatner saying: "And so we take a cosmic ride into that new millennium; that far off reality that is the year 3000. It's the future, man."
* CelebrityEndorsement: A recurring segment towards the end of the series involved Conan declaring himself "the new Oprah" and endorsing a wide variety of SoBadItsGood products, such as Steven Seagal's "Songs From the Crystal Cave" CD, ''Film/{{Killdozer}}'', ''Film/{{Troll2}}'', ''Film/{{Leprechaun}} IV: In Space'', the 2010 calendar of extraordinary chickens, and ''Kathie Lee's Rock n' Tots Cafe: A Christmas Giff''.
* CoolCar / TheAllegedCar: Conan's 1992 Ford Taurus SHO played both roles as needed, seemingly varying based on whether or not he washed it for that particular star turn.
* CountryMatters: When Adam Sandler was a guest on the last week of shows, he told the story of how he and Chris Farley were fired from ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. This led to him reciting his manager's motto: "NBC: Nothing But [[SoundEffectBleep Cunts]]."
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' curtain, which Conan even [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_31INFH6bY mentioned]] after someone posted the original picture.
** Conan hires a [[Film/{{Avatar}} Na'vi]] assistant along with his vampire assistant. The vampire is unhappy, and Conan suggests he can start work later and share the role. The vampire ends up running out into the sunlight rather than share the job.
* DontExplainTheJoke: When Newark mayor Cory Booker was on, he was surprised that so many people took his "banning Conan from New Jersey" comment seriously. He had to explain that he doesn't have the power to do that.
** In the last week of shows, Conan did a series of sketches where he did something really expensive on NBC's dime before leaving, and on the final instance, he told the viewer, "There's been some outrage on the internet that we're wasting all this money... it's ''NOT REAL''! Okay, just wanted to make that clear."
* DrivenToSuicide: Cody Devereaux, Conan's brooding vampire assistant, who kills himself [[NegativeContinuity each time he appears]] by running into the sun and melting.
* EvilInc: Even before the Leno-Conan debacle, this RunningGag was carried over from ''Late Night''. For example, in one sketch with a dog that paints portraits, the dog wasn't cooperating and barking incessantly, causing Conan to deadpan that Comcast (who was in the process of buying NBC at the time) must love this.
--> '''Conan''': ''(evil-sounding voice)'' Let's see how this "O'Brien" does! What the hell is that?!
* EyeBeams: In one "In the Year 3000", the William Shatner intro started as normal, but in this one instance, George Takei's head showed up and blew up Shatner using laser eye beams.
* FailingATaxi: Part of the gag that "introduced" Conan at the start of his first show. Unable to catch a cab in [[BigApplesauce Manhattan]], he ran...all the way to Hollywood. [[FunnyMoment Then he realized he forgot his keys back in New York, so he burst into the studio with a bulldozer.]]
* [[FandomRivalry/{{Sports}} Fandom Rivalry: Sports]]: Invoked. When Conan (jokingly) fired one of the band members for watching the baseball game during the show, he said he could do that... because he's a Red Sox fan. Cue a few audience members good-naturedly booing, which Conan quickly called attention to.
--> '''Conan''': Yay boo, yay boo, it's lots of fun to do. If you like it, holler "yay", and if you don't, you holler "boo". (audience laughs) My apologies to ''everyone''.
* FanserviceExtra: The woman that Conan always rescues in "Noches de Pasion con Señor O'Brien".
* {{Feghoot}}: See OverlyLongGag below.
* FinalSpeech:
-->"Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', the ''Series/LateNight'' show, and my brief run here on ''The Tonight Show'', I have worked with NBC for over 20 years. Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we're going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible. Walking away from ''The Tonight Show'' is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting ''The Tonight Show'' and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I've had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot, we'll find a way to make it fun. And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational. To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism — it's my least-favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. As proof, let's make an amazing thing happen right now. Here to close out our show, are a few good friends, led by Mr. Will Ferrell!"
* FlippingTheBird: William Shatner gave Conan the finger during one of his interviews.
* FullBodyDisguise: One of the first sketches on the show involved Conan disguising himself as a focus group leader who showed clips of ''Series/LateNight'' to older viewers to see what they said about him. Among the comments about Conan: He's not funny, he makes a fool of himself, is probably mentally unstable, and would only appeal to porn addicts.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Invoked in one of the last episodes. Norm [=MacDonald=] came out as a surprise guest with a congratulatory gift basket that he meant to give him back in June, and read the ironic card:
--> '''Norm''': "Congratulations, Conan O'Brien, on finally securing your place as permanent host of ''The Tonight Show''. That's something they can never take away from you. It is perhaps the shrewdest programming decision ever made by the NBC brain trust. Sure, the pressure's on, but if I know you, Conan O'Brien, miserable failure is not an option. You are the new king of Late Night! Long live the king!"
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In the first episode of 2010, Conan asked La Bamba what his New Year's resolution would be. Check out Scott Healy behind La Bamba; he's desperately trying not to crack up.
* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: During one of the "In the Year 3000" skits, La Bamba was unprepared for the robe that lowered from the ceiling and ducked out of the way just before it hit his head. After he got the robe on and everyone laughed, Conan (kidding, of course) announced: "You're ''fired''. What the hell!"
** In another episode, Conan noticed that the band members were watching a baseball game during the show. Conan casually remarked to the bandleader, "Well you're fired."
** The lyrics to "Just Shut Up and Drink It" (sung to the "Andy'll Try It!" theme): "If La Bamba doesn't wanna lose his job... ("I have no choice!") just shut up and drink it!"
* HeelRealization: In one of the "Andy'll Try It" skits, Andy was supposed to drink Tofurkey and Gravy Soda, but refused and made La Bamba try it instead. La Bamba only poured a tiny bit into his cup but Conan insisted on a full glass. After La Bamba tried to drink it but spit it out after only a couple seconds, Conan immediately and repeatedly apologized for essentially forcing La Bamba to drink a lot of it.
* IdenticalStranger: Continuing the RunningGag from ''Series/LateNight'' that Conan looked like Finnish politician Tarja Halonen, on ''The Tonight Show'' it was a RunningGag that Conan looked like Tilda Swinton.
* InnerMonologue: Whenever Conan delivers a diatribe on race relations, Mike Merritt has a derisive inner monologue about how white Conan is. This gag was carried over from ''Series/LateNight'' and also has appeared on ''Series/{{Conan}}''.
* InsistentTerminology: The first time William Shatner was a guest, Conan plugged Shatner's talk show, saying you can find it on The Biography Channel. Shatner corrected Conan and said it airs on "The Bio". Conan got confused, and Shatner explained that he was instructed to call it "The Bio", not "The Biography Channel".
* ItsAlwaysSpring: Used as an excuse by Conan to justify that his head injury wasn't that bad. When the doctors were determining how bad his concussion was by asking him questions, one of the questions was what month it was. Conan defended himself by saying that it's L.A.; you ''never'' know what month it is!
* ItsPersonal: In the second Cory Booker video:
--> '''Cory''': I banned Conan from Newark Airport, and last night he had the audacity to ban me from ''Burbank'' Airport? Well Conan, it's ''on''.
* JudgmentOfSolomon: Conan's open letter saying ''The Tonight Show'' was an American institution and he'd rather see Leno take it back than let it be "killed" in a later timeslot.
* LargeHamAnnouncer: "TWITTER TRACKER TWITTER TRACKER TWITTER TRACKER!!!!!"
* LaserGuidedKarma: Following the NBC-Comcast merger, Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts [[http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/cnbc-zucker-wont-make-comcast-merger/ fired Jeff Zucker]] for royally screwing up the whole Tonight Show thing, replacing him with Comcast COO Steve Burke.
* LastStand: The comedy talk show version. Conan, knowing he had about two weeks before NBC forced him off the show, started reaming out his own network (and Leno) on a nightly basis.
* {{Leitmotif}}: Cody Devereaux, Conan's brooding vampire assistant, is always accompanied by a BoyBand-esque song with the lyrics, "I'm gonna love you forever / and never say goodbye..."
* ManOnFire: When William Shatner told how he deep-fried a turkey for Thanksgiving, he said he forgot one important step: Keep the neck down. When the turkey neck is up, it forms a spout, which caused oil to shoot up and cover him. "And then I caught fire."
--> '''Conan''': You did ''not''. You did not catch on fire. (Shatner looks offended) I'm sorry, maybe you did.
* MathematiciansAnswer: When Creator/JenniferAniston was a guest, they showed a clip of the short-lived ''Series/FerrisBueller'' series, but could only find a clip in German. After the clip, Jennifer asked if anyone in the audience knew what the characters were saying. A woman responded and Conan asked, "What happened there? Do you know what was said?" The woman merely replied, "Yes", and Conan burst out laughing.
* MeleeATrois: What erupted among pretty much every late-night television host as a result of the ScrewedByTheNetwork situation.
** Conan O'Brien ripped on Creator/{{NBC}} and Jay Leno in his monologue, increasingly so as it became apparent he was being forced off the show and/or network in Leno's favor.
** Leno took shots at David Letterman's sex scandal.
** Letterman retaliated by spending the next week tearing into "Big Jaw" Leno and the "pinheads" at NBC.
** Creator/JimmyKimmel did a devastating parody of Leno on ''Series/JimmyKimmelLive'', then [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joXYj2IoKXs visited Leno during a Ten At Ten segment]] to call him out.
** [[Series/TheLateLateShow Craig Ferguson]] first said he never wanted to work for NBC, then called the network executives "lying rat bastards" among other things, some of which were bleeped out.
** [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] called Jeff Zucker "the Dick Cheney of television, just shooting television shows in the face".
** [[Series/TheColbertReport Stephen Colbert]] mocked NBC's dishonesty, later accusing Zucker of wanting to burn the network down for the insurance money.
** George Lopez (on his TBS show) asked "What does NBC stand for, [[FunWithAcronyms Nobody Backs Conan]]?"
** To complete the circle, Leno ended the week by swiping at Conan's ratings and hitting Letterman's sex scandal again. At one point, he said that "{{Creator/FOX}} is looking pretty good this time of year".
** NBC sent executive Dick Ebersol out to ''The New York Times'' to call Conan "gutless" and "chicken-hearted".
** Creator/HowardStern weighed in with the suggestion that Leno intended to screw Conan out of ''Tonight'' all along.
** Jimmy Fallon was stuck between siding with one of his comedy heroes (Leno) or his close friend and the guy who gave him ''Late Night'' (Conan), and tried as hard as he could to stay out of it, winning major points from Conan fans originally skeptical of him when he took over ''Late Night''. In an interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'' celebrating his first year of hosting ''Late Night'', Fallon stated that he called Conan to offer his support and tell him he would be willing to host ''Late Night'' at 1:00 AM with no resentment.
** Carson Daly, [[ButtMonkey whose show is on at a dead hour]] and always on the brink of cancellation, appeared in the crowd of Kimmel's show asking if he could have his job.
** Robin Williams sang an [[Series/WhoseLineIsItAnyway Irish Drinking Song]], the last half of which consisted of him alternating between chants of "FUCK THE BASTARDS THAT CANCELED THE SHOW" and "FUCK THE BASTARDS, THEY CAN'T TAKE A JOKE".
* MenstrualMenace: Referenced by Kevin Nealon during one of his interviews:
--> '''Kevin''': I do like this time of the year. It's a lot better than that time of the month.\\
'''Conan''': ''(AsideGlance)'' Unbelievable.
* AMindIsATerribleThingToRead: In one of the "Mike Merritt's Inner Thoughts" segments, Mike ends by calling Conan a "decaying porcelain doll" in his mind. The gimmick of the sketch is that Conan is unaware of what Mike thinks about him, but in this instance he called him out on it:
--> '''Conan''': "Decaying porcelain doll"? ''(Mike shrugs and smiles)'' My God! That bit's getting meaner and meaner.
* MisterSeahorse: One "Tonight Show Tour-iffic Tram-tacular" sketch featured Andy giving birth in front of a crowd on the tour trams.
* NonindicativeName: Done for laughs with "In the Year 3000", which describes events that would "occur" in the near future, not ~1,000 years in the future.
* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Occasionally, Conan will say this when describing a "news of the weird" story.
* TheOldestProfession: During one of the "Conan is the new Oprah" segments, Conan introduced a new bit where Max Weinberg became a relationship advice co-host.
--> '''Max''': Here's my "relationship tip of the day": Always ask a prostitute if she's really a cop. Because, by law, she has to tell you. Conan?
* OverlyLongGag: When Norm [=MacDonald=] was a guest, he told a joke about a moth who visits a podiatrist: [[labelnote:Read]] A moth goes into a podiatrist's office, and the podiatrist's office says, "What's the problem?" And the moth says "What's the problem? Where do I begin, man?" He goes, "I go to work for Gregory Illinivich, and uh, all day long I work. Honestly doc, I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I don't even know if Gregory Illinivich knows. He only knows that he has power over me, and that seems to bring him happiness. But I don't know, I wake up in a malaise, and I walk here and there." And the podiatrist says, "Oh yeah?" And the moth goes, "Yes." And he goes, "Uh, at night I...I sometimes wake up and I turn to some old lady in my bed that's on my arm. A lady that I once loved, doc. I don't know where to turn to. My youngest, Alexendria, she fell in the...in the cold of last year. The cold took her down, as it did many of us. And my other boy, and this is the hardest pill to swallow, doc. My other boy, Gregarro Ivinalititavitch... I no longer love him. As much as it pains me to say, when I look in his eyes, all I see is the same cowardice that I... that I catch when I take a glimpse of my own face in the mirror. If only the cowardice was stronger then perhaps...perhaps I could bring myself to reach over to that cocked and loaded gun that lays on the bedside behind me and end this hellish facade once and for all." He says, "Doc, sometimes I feel like a spider, even though I'm a moth, just barely hanging on to my web with an everlasting fire underneath me. I'm not feeling good." And so the doctor says, "Moth, man, you're troubled. But you should be seeing a psychiatrist. Why on earth did you come here?" And then the moth said, "'Cause the light was on." [[/labelnote]]
--> '''Conan''': My congrats to everyone who stuck with it until the end.
* ParallelPornTitles: In a Triumph sketch where he visited a dog hotel in L.A., he took over a room and ordered one of the hosts to play a bunch of dog porn videos for him: "[[Film/TurnerAndHooch Turner and Cootch]]", "[[Film/MarleyAndMe Marley in Me]]", "[[Film/BeverlyHillsChihuahua Beverly Hills Chi-Hoo-Hah]]", "[[Film/AirBud Rear Bud: Golden Receiver]]", "[[WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail An American's Tail: Fievel Goes Deep]]", "[[Film/HomewardBoundTheIncredibleJourney Homeward Bound and Gagged]]", and "[[Franchise/{{Lassie}} Lassie Come Twice]]".
** On the last week of shows, Conan mentioned that during the NBC fiasco, he was given an offer by an adult film company to star in one of their porn films. He was "seriously considering" it, and listed off a variety of porn titles that he might star in, including "[[UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler Conan the Impaler]]", "Conan Gets the Late Shaft", "In the Rear 3000", ''[[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Conan the Bangbarian]]'', and ''[[Literature/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants The Fisterhood of the Traveling Time Slots]]''.
* PersonaNonGrata: During the long-running "feud" between Conan and Newark mayor Cory Booker, Cory banned Conan from Newark airport, to which Conan banned Cory from L.A.'s airports. Then, Cory upped the ante by banning Conan from the entire state of New Jersey.
* PottyFailure: In the final "In the Year 3000":
--> '''Andy''': Homeland Security will have to deal with another case of exploding underwear on an airplane, after Kennedy Airport opens its first Taco Bell.
* PreciousPuppies: Conan's ''Tonight Show'' Mini-Dose of Joy — puppies dressed as cats! Complete with EarWorm theme music. They were so gosh-darn cute, Conan couldn't help but laugh. "I can't ''compete'' with this!"
* ProductPlacement: Conan had to plug a digital camera in an early episode, though to his credit it segued into a "Photo Gallery" sketch, with the gimmick being that Conan used said camera for his recent trip to the beach with Andy.
* RattlingOffLegal: An early episode had Conan plugging a Kodak digital camera. When Andy asked Conan if he was paid by Kodak to plug their camera on the air, he denied it. The action freeze framed and a disclaimer scrolled up the screen, with an announcer reading it:
--> '''Announcer''': The NBC legal department is required by law to disclose that Conan O'Brien was indeed asked by the Kodak Corporation to mention the M380 camera. In fact, when Kodak asked O'Brien if he'd mention the 380, O'Brien immediately responded, "Add some zeroes to that and you've got a deal." And don't be fooled by Andy Richter. He agreed to sign on for a replacement lens cap and a camera strap. One Kodak executive was overheard saying, "My God, I've never seen such naked greed."
* RunningGag: Several.
** Larry King's oldness (carried over from Leno's era).
** The Green Car Challenge (done on both shows).
** "Andy'll Try It!"
** Making fun of a certain South American leader's fatness (not Hugo Chavez), even though said leader isn't fat.
** [[Literature/{{Twilight}} The Moody Vampire]]. It even got to the point where Creator/TaylorLautner got into a fight with him (staged, of course).
** For a time, Conan's concussion.
** Puppies Dressed As _____.
** Sketches involving two creepy and poorly-done wax statues of [[Series/HappyDays The Fonz]] and Tom Cruise that Conan picked up at a wax-figure warehouse.
** [[TakeThat Newark jokes]], which culminated in Newark mayor Cory Booker actually being a guest on the show.
* SeriousBusiness: Before each "In the Year 3000", Conan would say something to the effect of, "All right, enough screwing around. We've been having fun, but I think it's time we stop that. It's time to get serious for a moment, and look... into the future."
* ShortRunners: While the show had over 100 episodes, that's a tiny amount for a talk show, especially one that was expected to last years and years. Of course, the short run is due to the NBC debacle that's been covered heavily on this page.
* SideEffectsInclude: Parodied in the "Andy'll Try It" where La Bamba was forced to drink Tofurkey & Gravy Soda:
--> '''Conan''': Oh, La Bamba, it says right here: "May cause ''death''."
* SpiritualSuccessor: "Before Photoshop" is a successor to "What in the World?" from ''Series/LateNightWithConanOBrien''.
* TheSwearJar: When Newark mayor Cory Booker was a guest, Conan said there might be a time in the future when he makes another Newark joke in the monologue, so he unveils a giant jar that he will put money in every time he makes one. He puts it to use right away.
* TabloidMelodrama: When Creator/JenniferAniston was a guest, Conan remarked how, being in the public eye due to her fame on ''Series/{{Friends}}'', there were often rumors made up about her by the tabloids. He then said he was surprised they never said he and she were in a relationship. Aniston replied, "Not yet."
* TakeThat: Conan decided to exploit his loopholes by buying outrageously-expensive items, such as a Bugatti Veyron dressed up as a mouse with the master recording of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" as its theme song; it cost NBC $1.5M. He followed up the next night by buying out the winning horse and jockey from the 2009 Kentucky Derby. The horse was wearing a mink Snuggie, and both were watching NFL Super Bowl footage restricted from the public. The cost? $4.8M on NBC's tab.
** Conan pointed out on his GrandFinale that those things were fake (except the Veyron, which was loaned from a museum) and didn't really cost millions of dollars...except for the Rolling Stones song, which really cost a lot of money. (Even on the Stones song, there is a loophole in US copyright law that states that song recordings can be played for free over broadcast television as long as their writers are compensated, so it didn't cost as much it could have.)
** Later in that same episode, Creator/TomHanks came out to the tune of "Lovely Rita" by the Beatles, ostensibly a tribute to his wife Rita Wilson. According to Questlove, [[Series/LateNight Jimmy Fallon's]] band leader and drummer for The Roots, the song cost NBC up to $500,000 in royalty fees.
* {{Unperson}}: Shortly after the end of Conan's run, NBC erased just about every single trace of him from their website even going back to before his ''Late Night'' run, including his picture from the mural at 30 Rockefeller Center (replacing it with '''Leno'''). Pretty much the '''only''' things involving Conan still on the NBC and Hulu websites are the episode of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' he guest hosted in 2001, and the ''[[Series/ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'' episode "Tracy Does Conan" in which he guests and plays an important role in the plot. Even the "''Tonight Show'' Experience" website, a grand multimedia salute to the LongRunner show's history, was yanked out of existence.
** Referenced in a mock audition/comedy skit on Conan. Andy is "auditioning" for the announcer position on the show when Conan asks about his previous work experience. After Andy stated he was the announcer on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Conan asks if there is any video to prove this. Andy sadly replies no.
* WidgetSeries: Perhaps the only major late night show to become one, ever. That's saying something.
* WorstWhateverEver: An early episode featured a parody of [[AttackOfThePoliticalAd attack ads]]: Barack Obama making minor mistakes (forgetting a staffer's name; re-reading text on a malfunctioning teleprompter, etc.) and the ominous narrator already declaring that Obama, after only six months on the job, is the "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER.]]"
* {{Zeerust}}: Deliberately invoked by "In The Year 3000", a continuation of his "In The Year 2000" bits on ''Late Night''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jimmy Fallon (2014-present)]]
* AccentOnTheWrongSyllable: Jimmy's made a RunningGag out of pronouncing the word "controversy" as "con-TRO-ver-sy" instead of the expected "CON-tro-ver-sy". While this ''is'' the legitimate pronunciation of the word across the pond, it always gets chuckles from the American audience.
* AdamWesting: The local NBC news anchors play themselves for "I've Got Good News and Good News".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Sara's stepdad Gary in "Ew!"
* AntiHumor: Demonstrated in one edition of "Kid Letters"; one kid sent in some jokes:
--> "Q: If you go to the ham contest wat ''(sic)'' will the man say; A: you won last year you are not alowed. ''(sic)''"\\
"Q: What do you call a dinosaur with no eyes?; A: shut up"\\
"Q: What do you call a tiger with glasses on?; A: A scientist tiger"\\
"Q: gess ''(sic)'' how many snakes there are; A: 13"
* AnvilOnHead: Or rather, anvil on crotch. A pratfall (along with a random dog that bites his crotch) that frequently occurs to Patrick the writer.
* BewareOfViciousDog: Patrick the writer is always mauled by a stray dog. Often lampshaded by Fallon, who is confused why there are random dogs wandering the studio.
* BigApplesauce: Production of the show returned to New York when Fallon took over.
* BlatantLies: The premise of "Box of Lies", where the object is to trick the other player about the contents of a box.
* UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion: PlayedForLaughs in one "Do Not Play": Fallon said the British Invasion was happening again, and the proof was an album by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Food_Song The Fast Food Rockers.]]
* BrokenRecord: In the 11/14/15 episode, Jimmy played a clip of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump commenting on a story from Ben Carson's past about his friend's belt buckle saving him from a stabbing attack. In the clip, Trump raised and lowered his own belt buckle to illustrate why he thought it was a ludicrous story. Cut back to Jimmy, who, in Trump impression mode, said "This way, that way" over and over, eventually causing the band to join in.
* TheBusCameBack: After being banned from ''Tonight'' since falling out with Johnny Carson nearly 30 years earlier, Creator/JoanRivers finally reappeared on Fallon's first episode.
* ButtMonkey: Chris Christie. If the New Jersey governor's name comes up at some point during the show, you can bet Jimmy will make the obvious fat joke every single time. Even to Christie's face.
* CallBack: In one monologue, Jimmy discussed Rob Ford, and he and Steve came up with the joke "Want some crack with that?" Later, during #Hashtags, Steve pretended to call Jimmy on an imaginary cell phone and asked him, "Want some crack with that?"
** Steve and Jimmy do this a lot with whatever InherentlyFunnyWords come up during the monologue or the pre-guest sketches such as Hashtags.
* TheCameo: During his first episode as host, Fallon thanked all the people who'd supported him, then said, "To my buddy who said that I'd never be the host of the ''Tonight Show'' -- and you know who you are -- you owe me a hundred bucks, buddy." Then began a parade of people coming onstage and walking up to Fallon's desk to hand him a $100 bill, including Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/TinaFey, Joe Namath, Rudolph Giuliani (who thanked Fallon for returning the show to NYC), Music/MariahCarey, Tracy Morgan, Joan Rivers, Creator/KimKardashian, Creator/SethRogen, Creator/LindsayLohan, Creator/SarahJessicaParker, Mike Tyson (who also gives him a gift certificate for an Indian restaurant), Music/LadyGaga, and finally Creator/StephenColbert (the heir-apparent to Creator/DavidLetterman on CBS when he retires from the ''Late Show'' in 2015)...who dumped a bucket of pennies on the desk and down Fallon's shirt before shouting, "[[TheRival Welcome]] to 11:30, bitch!" in his face. (Watch the whole thing [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN4kHmhz90U here]].)
* CatchPhrase: Fallon almost always opens his first monologue joke with: "Here's what everyone's talking about..." or a variant.
** "Hashtags" always features Fallon mentioning that this week's Twitter discussion became a "world-wide trending topic" (or, if a topic isn't as universal, it will be a "trending topic in the U.S."). He also always asks the audience, "You guys are on Twitter, right?" (audience cheers)
** Steve Higgins frequently says "Come on!" (as in "Come on, how awesome is that?") when Jimmy announces one of the guests.
** Fallon frequently says "Hot crowd!" and/or "I feel the love!" during audience cheers/applause at the top of the show.
** At the start of "Thank You Notes", Jimmy says a variant of this: "Guys, today's Friday, that's usually when I catch up on some personal stuff. I check my emails, I return some calls, and I make thank-you notes. I'm running a little behind today, I was wondering if I could write my thank-you notes right now." Then he asks, "James, can I get some thank-you note writing music, please?"
** "It's time to look at the stories making headlines today and weigh the good with the bad. It's time for "Pros and Cons", here we go."
** "As you know, we're always looking for ways to make ''The Tonight Show'' better. [[Music/DaftPunk Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger.]]"
** Gary, in "Ew!": "Catch you on the flippity-flop!"
* {{Cliffhanger}}: Parodied in one "Thank You Notes":
--> '''Jimmy''': Thank you, cliffhangers, for... ''(looks up and freezes in place)''
* ClusterFBomb / SoundEffectBleep: When Jimmy fires Rose the Camerawoman, Rose leaves while cursing up a storm.
* {{Corpsing}}:
** Jimmy is infamous for doing a lot of this in general. He was frequently criticized for it during his time on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', but it arguably works in his favor in his role as a talk show host, when he can just be himself for most of the show or when it adds StylisticSuck to an already ridiculous sketch.
** At the start of "Thank You Notes", James Poyser plays some piano music to accompany it, and Jimmy and Steve Higgins often comment on his facial expressions as he plays. This often causes Poyser to crack a smile, even if he's trying to maintain a serious look.
** When he and Carol Burnett were doing a skit for "Tensions", Jimmy Fallon was visibly corpsing on the second clip when the cappuccino foam didn't come off properly. Earlier, Carol was giving him tips on how to prevent corpsing.
** Jimmy tried to couch Chris Pine about avoiding corpsing when Pine visited to promote his ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' debut, but Pine was quick to point out that Fallon himself corpsed all the time when he was on ''[=SNL=]'', although Pine admitted Fallon's uncontrollable laughter often made his skits funnier.
* CouchGag / OnceAnEpisode: Towards the end of the opening theme song, The Roots will shout which episode number it is.
** When the episodes started numbering 200+, Questlove started referencing U.S. area codes (for telephone dialing), such as shouting "216 Cleveland!" for episode #216
** Occasionally overshadowed by other things, such as Questlove shouting "Nanu Nanu!" in lieu of the episode number after Creator/RobinWilliams' death (a reference to Williams' breakout role in ''Series/MorkandMindy'')
* ADateWithRosiePalms: In the 4/28/15 "Pros and Cons" of buying an Apple Watch, the pro was "It tracks your wrist's movement to calculate how much you've walked." The con was: "Apparently teenage boys walk a LOT."
--> '''Fallon''': Don't come in here, mom, I'm walking!\\
'''Steve''': [[{{Pun}} Beat it!]]\\
'''Fallon''': Honey, Harold walked 6,000 miles yesterday.\\
'''Steve''': You serious? I'm gonna have to get him some new shoes!
** When Chevy Chase helped out on a segment of "Audience Suggestion Box", he came out sporting a cast. When asked how he got it, he said he was whacking off to old episodes of ''Series/TheMaryTylerMooreShow''.
* DescriptionPorn: The gag of "The Big Question", where Arthur sets up a really simple question like "Wassup?" with an overly long set-up. One example, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSQXb8PwRMk about Groundhog Day.]]
* DramaticUnmask: Hashtag the Panda unmasked in a June 2014 episode. Turns out it was Creator/BenStiller all along.
* DroneOfDread: An ominous held note is heard in "Water War" and "Box of Lies".
** Occasionally in the monologue, if Jimmy is smiling about something, his expression will slowly turn to severely unhappy while an ominous drone plays in the background. And then he [[MoodWhiplash snaps out of it like nothing happened.]]
* EarWorm: Invoked; Jimmy couldn't stop singing "Too Much Time on My Hands" by Music/{{Styx}} during the last week of shows in April 2016.
* FlippingTheBird: When Jimmy fired Rose the camerawoman, she repeatedly flipped him off when leaving.
* GargleBlaster: A possible outcome of the "Drinko" game, which is based on "Plinko" from ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', but which requires contestants to drink a cocktail of whatever two beverages the chips fall into. The potential combinations aren't dangerous, but they can certainly be disgusting, considering that the lineup typically includes several alcoholic beverages alongside things like pickle juice or gravy.
* GetOut: Shouted repeatedly when Jimmy fired Rose the camerawoman.
** In "Ew!", Sara shouts this at her stepdad Gary after he thoroughly embarrasses her.
* GoodNewsBadNews: "Pros and Cons". [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with "I've Got Good News and Good News"
* HappyBirthdayToYou: Due to the announcement that "Happy Birthday to You" was finally put in public domain, The Roots took full advantage on 9/23/15 by playing the song numerous times in the show, including Jimmy's walk to the desk and going to/coming back from commercials.
* HeliumSpeech: Jimmy sucked some helium with several of his guests to talk like this, including Creator/MorganFreeman and Creator/AlanRickman.
* HurricaneOfPuns: This tends to happen whenever Jimmy makes a pun, Steve pipes up with one of his own, and the two go completely off-script trying to out-pun each other. These are frequently of the biological and/or scatological variety.
* IdenticalStranger: A RunningGag on "Screengrabs" is how viewers point out an actor in an old movie that looks ''a lot'' like Jimmy Fallon, and a side-by-side comparison naturally follows. It's both hilarious and kinda creepy just how ''many'' of them there are.
* InnerMonologue: An occasional monologue gag involves Jimmy talking about a subject that bores one of the Roots band members because they don't understand it; when Jimmy asks the band member what they think, they start talking about it, and Jimmy has his ''own'' inner monologue where he's concerned how much smarter the band member is than he.
* InnocentInnuendo: A common gag in "Pictionary": The drawer will accidentally draw something phallic, prompting audience laughter and The Roots playing porn music. A particularly good one occurred in the 9/2/16 episode, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDHD5Bkxr_A&t=5m34s when Jimmy tried to draw a phone but he and the audience took it to look like a penis.]]
* InTheStyleOf: "Wheel of Musical Impressions". More often than not, ChewingTheScenery will be involved - specially if the guest is already a LargeHam to begin with (i.e. Jamie Foxx, Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion).
* ItIsPronouncedTropay: A running gag is when Fallon pronounces "controversy" as "con-trah-versy", and defends it by saying the show airs in England.
** A joke during "Screengrabs" involved deliberate mispronunciation: After "retiring" from the business after a successful improvised joke, Steve Higgins briefly stepped off camera, only to return a few seconds later, with an exhausted look. Fallon asked how the real world was, and Higgins said, "Not good. I joined a group called "Is Is..." It took a moment for the joke to sink in with the audience.
* {{Kayfabe}}: When Jimmy and a guest do a skit, they like to pretend they're those characters. It was not broken until Mario Batali mentioned offhandedly.
* LastNameBasis: In one "Kid Letters", one letter began, "Dear Fallon..."
--> '''Jimmy''': Sounds like my bully from high school, yeah.
* LosingHorns: Played in "Pictionary" when the players fail to guess correctly.
* ManipulativeBastard: Creator/VinceVaughn accused Jimmy of being this on the 2/18/16 episode. The interview started out normally but when Jimmy began to gush about a recent role of his, Vince interrupted and said he was catching onto Jimmy's game: He was convinced Jimmy was being nice to him so that he'd let his guard down and reveal his "tell" so he could beat Vince in Box of Lies. Vince even went so far as to say the ''whole show'' was about beating him in Box of Lies.
--> '''Vince''': I think I got an idea of what you're doing here. It's starting to make me uncomfortable.\\
'''Jimmy''': What are you talking about?\\
'''Vince''': Well, I'm not gonna lie to you; it feels good to have those high beams on me, and saying all these nice things. As a plant, I love that energy, it makes me wanna grow strong and tall... ''(Jimmy laughs)'' ...but I also know that there's a game called "Box of Lies" that's coming later. And I think what you're doing is, you're poking the big guy with some soft stuff, 'cause your mind is gettin' intel: "Do the eyes go left, do they go right?" And I see how you do it. You have an almost undefeated record at "Box of Lies". (...) You're nearly an undefeated champion, so you're giving me the niceties, 'cause really, you're a sick man who's tracking me. You are!\\
'''Jimmy''': Unbelivable.\\
'''Vince''': And by the way, as a gamer, I love it. No, I love that you would go to that depth, but these people get what's going on. It's uncomfortable.\\
'''Jimmy''': No, no, it's, I want to play a game-\\
'''Vince''': I didn't even know I was playing "Box of Lies", but we're playing- this whole thing is about "Box of Lies"!\\
'''Jimmy''': No, no, I'm not playing now!\\
'''Vince''': It is. Drew Carey was about "Box of Lies". You brought Kareem out.\\
'''Jimmy''': That was not-\\
'''Vince''': You had a camera on me back there, how did I react to Kareem? You've really got, like, your poker read on me.\\
'''Jimmy''': Let's talk about these things that you're doing, 'cause I want to mention these things-\\
'''Vince''': Why? So you can nail me in "Box of Lies"? ''(winks at camera)''
* MicDrop: UsefulNotes/BarackObama did this at the end of "Slow Jam the News".
* MirrorMonologue: Done in the occasional sketch "Interviews Himself in the Mirror", where the special guest is on one side and Fallon, dressed as the guest, is on the other side.
* {{Mondegreen}}: Invoked: In one of the #Hashtags segments about worst fights, one poster said they once had an argument with their girlfriend because she thought the slogan for Little Caesar's was "Eat some pizza". [[note]]Of course, it's actually "Pizza pizza".[[/note]]
** In the 5/21/15 episode, the #Hashtags topic was "misheard lyrics".
** When Jimmy interviewed Brian Williams in 2014, Jimmy and The Roots misheard "second deck" as "suckin' dick", largely because Brian didn't enunciate.
* MoodWhiplash: Occurred during one of the songs featured in "Do Not Play". The rap song started out normal, with the singer talking about a childhood friend. Then the song takes a sharp left turn with these lyrics: "But anyway he left for summer and then he came back. / But something was different: He was hooked on crack." Lampshaded by Jimmy and Steve.
* NewscasterCameo: Has local NBC anchors submit parody videos of themselves doing (fictional) good news for "I've Got Good News and Good News."
* NonindicativeName: One bit in a February 2017 monologue had UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump giving a tour of the White House. When the China Room was shown, he said the plates reminded him of a ''Music/BarenakedLadies'' song, "which were neither bare-naked or ladies. [[CatchPhrase Fake news.]]"
* NoThemeTune: The episode that aired after the tragic events in Charlottesville had no intro sequence for obvious reasons. The same went for the episode after the Las Vegas shooting.
* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Before every "Do Not Play", Jimmy has to mention that the bands featured are real. Questlove doesn't believe him regardless.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Done deliberately by Steve Higgins for comedy during "Good Name, Bad Name, Great Name": Steve won't understand the concept of the sketch, and even after Jimmy shows multiple examples, he's still unclear and needs more examples to get it.
* ObligatoryJoke: When the subject of sailboats came up, Jimmy told guest Morgan Freeman that he'd love to take a boat ride with him, because then he could call him "Captain Morgan".
* OverlyLongGag: Whenever Fallon and co-host Steve Higgins banter back and forth during a comedy bit, sometimes to the point of completely derailing the current joke Jimmy is trying to tell because one of them thought of another pun to add to their banter on the previous one.
** The above-mentioned "You owe me a hundred bucks, buddy" scene.
** Seeing how long The Roots can keep Hashtag the Panda dancing (by repeating his theme music over and over) is definitely this.
* PandaingToTheAudience: Hashtag the Panda, a performer in a full-body panda suit, dances about -- to the point of OverlyLongGag -- in the wake of particularly corny monologue jokes. Introduced as a temporary RunningGag in response to a news story about a Chinese zoo that put a television in a panda's pen to help with its ''depression'', the faux panda quickly became an audience favorite; its name was the winner in a fan suggestion contest on Twitter. Hashtag has since only been brought out sporadically, such as during the week the show spent at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Orlando]] in June 2014 -- and Creator/BenStiller turned out to be in the suit, claiming to have been Hashtag all along in an effort to promote a new project, to Fallon's perplexment.
* PreciousPuppies: A sketch introduced on the 9/17/15 episode was called "Pup Quiz", with the gimmick that every time a contestant got a question correct, they were given a puppy.
* ProductPlacement: A sly one. Fallon has expressed a desire to get a truck, and on the 3/31/14 episode, he finally announced that he would be buying a Ford F-150. Guess what one of the sponsors for the show is? Ford.
** The various items that were given away to the audience during the "12 Days of Christmas" certainly counts as a plug.
* RagingStiffie: In the 6/8/15 "Screengrabs", a doctor's name was "Dr. Richard D. Stiff". Naturally, this led Jimmy and Steve to [[HurricaneOfPuns exchange penis puns.]]
* RearrangeTheSong / WithLyrics: On the 10/31/14 episode, The Roots did a cover of the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' theme music, and adding rap lyrics to it.
* ReunionShow: An occasional special event:
** In the week of L.A. shows, Fallon participated in a sketch featuring most of the original cast of ''Series/SavedByTheBell''.
** On the 9/23/15 episode, Fallon teamed up with Kel Mitchell to work at [[Series/AllThat Good Burger]], with frequent collaborator Kenan Thompson as a customer.
** On the 2/16/16 episode, UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump (Fallon) has anxiety about his presidential campaign. He's given advice by the cast of ''Series/FullerHouse'', which contained many of the same cast members as its first series, ''Series/FullHouse''.
* RunningGag: Fallon and Higgins saying "DVD!" in a jock tone.
** If there's a musical guest, Fallon will play a brief snippet of the song they're going to perform on his laptop and then stop it, saying that the audience has to wait until the end of the show to hear the rest.
** Steve Higgins "retiring" after a joke.
* ScreamerPrank: One was in a fake Bernie Sanders ad; after pleasant imagery, a demonic Hillary Clinton popped up and screamed.
* ShamelessSelfPromoter: Whenever the subject of books comes up, Jimmy will inevitably plug his children's book, "Dada".
* SoBadItsGood: Invoked; the premise of the "Do Not Play List" segment.
* SoreLoser: On the 11/21/14 episode, Michael Cera whupped Jimmy in both ''Mario Kart'' (played before the show) and ''Catch Phrase''. When it came time for the interview, Jimmy started out trying to be congenial, but eventually he "snapped" and [[PlayedForLaughs lashed out at Michael for beating him twice.]]
--> '''Fallon''': Because I wanted to BE NICE TO MY GUESTS ON MY SHOW AND LET YOU WIN A GAME!!! WHEN YOU PLAY A GAME, YOU LET SOMEONE WIN!!! AND YOU BEAT ME OUT THERE, AND THEN YOU BEAT ME OUT HERE!!! AND NOW I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT YOUR PLAY, AND HOW EVERYONE SHOULD GO SEE IT, IT'S AT THE COURT THEATER, JANUARY FOURTH!!! HE'S THE BEST ACTOR IN THE ''WHOLE WILD WORLD''!!! MICHAEL CERA, EVERYBODY!!!
* SpinOff: In 2017, [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Studios Florida]] opened up a simulator ride based off of Jimmy's tenure of the show (while also containing references to past hosts) called ''Ride/RaceThroughNewYorkStarringJimmyFallon''.
* StalkerWithACrush: One "Hashtags" featured the subject of "Why I'm Single". One of the submissions was "One time I told a girl she was beautiful, and after she responded with thank you, I said, "Yeah I've been watching you a lot."" Then Jimmy gave a creepy stare into the camera while a DroneOfDread played.
* StealthPun: Listen closely to the songs that The Roots play when a guest is introduced. The lyrics are often slightly tweaked to make a pun on the celebrity's name, current project, or something else they're known for.
* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: In the "Ew!" sketch with Music/DemiLovato:
--> '''Gary''': First, you put 'em [fishsticks] in the oven for a little while, / then you take 'em out and eat 'em and they make you smile! / A crunch, crunch, crunch, and a yum, yum, yum / Eatin' fishsticks is so much ''pleasure''!
* TagTeam: In one of the L.A. shows in 2016, Jimmy pretended to be injured after a monologue joke, and asked someone off-camera if they'd stand in for him. That person turned out to be Jay Leno, who did about four minutes of monologue jokes before tagging Jimmy back in. This seems like it will be a regular thing whenever Leno is a guest, as it happened again on the 6/15/16 and 10/31/16 episodes.
* TakeThat: When NBC anchor Brian Williams was a guest, he delivered quite a few good-natured take thats to Fallon, mostly claiming that his newscast is supporting Fallon's show and that he's doing something that actually matters.
* TechMarchesOn: "Screenshots" is a straight carryover of Leno's "Headlines", except that digital screen grabs on a tablet are featured instead of clippings from print publications mounted on cardboard.
* ThatLiarLies: "You lie!" is often shouted during "Box of Lies".
* ThatsWhatSheSaid: A RunningGag in many 2015 episodes after a suggestive line; Jimmy will throw to a clip of Jeb Bush saying, "That's what ''she'' said."[[labelnote:Note]]([[http://www.businessinsider.com/jeb-bush-thats-what-she-said-joke-2015-6 here's the line in context]])[[/labelnote]]
* TimePassesMontage: A gag in the monologue for one of the Orlando Studios episodes: Jimmy showed a time lapse video of the creation of the ''Tonight Show'' ride on the lot; he noticed something odd so he replayed it and discovered that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU2_ru4aOC8&t=6m09s James was standing still for THREE YEARS while the ride was being built.]]
* ToiletHumour: Much mirth has been made over Academy president Cheryl Boone mispronouncing Dick Pope's name as "Dick Poop": Both Jimmy and Steve listed parodies of real movies as other projects Dick Pope has worked on, all with feces-based names.
* TrrrillingRrrs: Steve exaggerates his trilling for comic effect as moderator in "Egg Russian Roulette".
--> '''Steve''': [[LampshadeHanging Rrrrrruffles have rrrrrridges!]]
* VarietyShow: He's expressed interest in having more guests give performances as opposed to simply plugging their latest project.
* VoiceClipSong: A recurring segment on the show (carried over from ''Late Night'') has clips of ''NBC Nightly News'' anchor Brian Williams edited together to make him seem like he's rapping a famous song. Examples have included "Gin & Juice", "Rapper's Delight", and "Baby Got Back"!
[[/folder]]

** Jimmy Kimmel did a devastating parody of Leno on his own Creator/{{ABC}} show, then [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joXYj2IoKXs visited Leno during a Ten At Ten segment]] to call him out.