Jimmy Fallon's Real Name: James Thomas Fallon

Quick answer: Jimmy Fallon's documented full name is James Thomas Fallon. Encyclopedia.com records that form and gives his birth date as September 19, 1974, in Brooklyn, New York. Encyclopaedia Britannica gives the same date, lists the birthplace as New York, New York, and uses the form James Thomas Fallon, Jr. (Encyclopaedia Britannica; Encyclopedia.com).

Real name and early life

Britannica's "In full" line includes "Jr."; Encyclopedia.com does not. This page uses James Thomas Fallon in the title and notes the difference. Encyclopedia.com names his parents as Jim and Gloria Fallon. Britannica says he attended the College of St. Rose in Albany, New York, but left before completing a degree to pursue comedy in Los Angeles. Encyclopedia.com instead lists a degree in computer science from the College of Saint Rose and later study with The Groundlings from 1996 to 1998. This page records that conflict rather than choosing silently.

Career highlights

Britannica says he first gained wide attention on Saturday Night Live (1998–2004), where his impressions and characters included Jarret and the patronizing computer expert Nick Burns, and that he cohosted "Weekend Update" with Tina Fey in his last four seasons. After leaving to make films such as Taxi (2004) and Fever Pitch (2005), he turned back to television. In March 2009 he succeeded Conan O'Brien as host of Late Night. In February 2014 he succeeded Jay Leno as the sixth host of The Tonight Show, returning the program from Burbank to Rockefeller Center in New York at his request, with Lorne Michaels as executive producer and the Roots as the house band. Besides hosting, he established a large social-media following, and he wrote children's books including Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada (2015) and 5 More Sleeps 'til Halloween (2024). Britannica notes Emmy Awards in 2012 and 2014 for outstanding guest actor for hosting Saturday Night Live, later film cameos such as Spirited (2022), and a Broadway debut in 2025 in All In: Comedy About Love. On Late Night he was known for offbeat sketches, including "Slow Jam the News" with President Barack Obama.

Name notes for searchers

James Thomas Fallon is the documented full name; Britannica also lists James Thomas Fallon, Jr. He is known professionally as Jimmy Fallon. Searchers looking for the host of The Tonight Show or a former Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update" anchor are usually aiming at the same person.