I can't say I was ever a fan of Jimmy Fallon, and the only reason I've ever watched his show is the Roots. Fallon always reminded me of a goofy boy in high school who tried so hard to be everyone's friend; always yukking it up for a crowd, no matter how deplorable it was, just so he wouldn't get bullied and would get invited to sit at the "cool" kids' table.
This kid in high school even had one friend who was a known racist. Everyone knew it. And although this white kid swore to God he wasn't racist, he was still buddy-buddy with this horrible person. And that's who Fallon reminded me of when he had GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on his show Thursday night.
Sure, I get it. Fallon is a comedian.
His point is to make people laugh. But there comes a time when you need to put down the laughs and get serious about something, especially when this election season is the most important one ever. You don't have fun with a racist. Maybe Fallon took the easy way out of an uncomfortable guest situation, instead of trying to come up with ways to use his "comedic" skills to chide a racist.
Something tells me that if David Letterman were still in that chair, things would have gone down a little differently. And sure, I'm assuming a lot here. Maybe Fallon is a Trump supporter and just plays a liberal on television?
There's nothing wrong with challenging a candidate, even if it's on a "funny" late-night talk show. A racist doesn't need to be humanized. An anti-Semite doesn't need to be humanized. Hell, when Matt Lauer has done a better job of interviewing Trump, you really need to take the time out to ask yourself why you even bothered having him on as a guest.