The 2025 TV schedule has been a tumultuous time for the world of late night television, including the quiet cancellation of After Midnight in the spring and the shocking cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show in July. In fact, that latter cancellation caused such massive waves that huge names in pop culture spoke up in solidarity with Colbert. Jimmy Fallon, longtime host of The Tonight Show, expressed support for the Late Show icon… not long before his new show got a premiere date, officially being set to air twice a week on NBC starting in late September.
How Jimmy Fallon Reacted To The Late Show’s Cancellation
Just like Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s Jimmy Kimmel from ABC, NBC’s Jimmy Fallon didn’t hold back from showing support for the CBS host who was technically his competition in late night television. He posted in a since-expired Instagram Story that he was “just as shocked as everyone” about Stephen Colbert’s Late Show and “really thought I’d ride this out with him for years to come.”
He went a little farther when he joined the likes of fellow NBC late night host Seth Meyers as well as Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Adam Sandler, and more celebs for a funny bit on The Late Show in one of the first shots back at CBS for the cancellation.
Basically, there was some serious solidarity between late night TV hosts when one of their own got the worst kind of news. For Fallon, however, his future on NBC is looking pretty good.
Jimmy Fallon’s New Show Gets A Premiere Date
Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show isn’t going anywhere for the time being, and he’s in fact debuting a brand new show starting this fall. In the same announcement that confirmed Law & Order: Organized Crime is returning to NBC, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon received its premiere date(s). The new program’s first night of the week will be Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET, starting on September 30. The second night of the week will be Fridays at 8 p.m. ET, starting on October 3.
The Tonight Show will continue to air Monday – Thursday, as has been the case since NBC cut the Friday night broadcasts last September. So, what is On Brand with Jimmy Fallon? Well, the unscripted series follows Jimmy Fallon after he starts a marketing agency and fills it with the most creative and competitive people he can find, with Bozoma Saint John as the “On Brand Agency’s” Chief Marketing Officer to mentor and evaluate the participants.
In each episode, the participants of the On Brand Agency will work with a major brand that is looking for a new campaign, including Captain Morgan, Dunkin’, KitchenAid, Marshalls, Pillsbury, SONIC, Southwest Airlines, and Therabody. By the end, one creative will be left standing and receive a cash prize as well as the experience gained from competition. Fallon is on board On Brand as host, executive producer, and creator.
What About The Tonight Show?
I don’t want to claim that anything is guaranteed in late night TV after the shocker of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show cancellation, but Jimmy Fallon renewed his deal with NBCUniversal as the host of The Tonight Show through 2028 last summer. It seems that he should be safely on the air for another few years if all goes according to plan. Seth Meyers also renewed his deal with NBCUniversal to continue hosting Late Night through 2028. Late Night follows The Tonight Show on weekday nights.
That may partially explain Meyers’ somewhat optimistic take about the future of late night TV… but then again, he made those comments before The Late Show with Stephen Colbert got the axe. For now, though, there are indeed reasons to be hopeful about the future of late night on at least NBC. Plus, if you’re a fan of his work on The Tonight Show, you can get more of Jimmy Fallon starting this fall on September 30 with the premiere of On Brand with Jimmy Fallon.
