Norm Macdonald’s Cancelled ‘Tonight Show’ Visit Is More Proof That Jimmy Fallon Doesn’t Get It

Listen, we know that Jimmy Fallon isn’t too concerned with politics and trying to pick apart current events on his version of The Tonight Show. We get it; he just wants the show to be a light and fun way to end your day, with bits designed to go viral thrown into the mix.

But, just like when he tousled Donald Trump’s hair instead of asking him pointed questions during the 2016 presidential campaign, when the real world invades Fallon’s playhouse, he generally has no idea how to handle it.

Norm Macdonald’s appearance on the show Monday night was abruptly cancelled after he mentioned in his interview with The Hollywood Reporter that, in reference to his friends Louis C.K. and Roseanne Barr, “There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day. Of course, people will go, “What about the victims?” But you know what? The victims didn’t have to go through that.”

The show made the following statement, according to Variety: “Out of sensitivity to our audience and in light of Norm Macdonald’s comments in the press today, The Tonight Show has decided to cancel his appearance on Tuesday’s telecast.”

And with that, Fallon has proven once again that he just doesn’t get it. Out of an abundance of sensitivity, he cancelled Norm’s appearance, promoting his hilarious Netflix talk show Norm Macdonald Has A Show, because he said things that were, well, completely in line with what you’d expect Norm Macdonald to say.

Norm has never pretended to be anything but himself, which has gotten him in hot water a few times over the years. Remember, he got fired from SNL 20 years ago because he couldn’t resist calling O.J. Simpson a murderer before, during and after his notorious trial. He’s never been a knee-jerk liberal or conservative, considering each issue through the filter of his own experience and beliefs. And, like most human beings, when he says something that comes out wrong, whether it’s in private or to a reporter with a digital recorder, he considers what he said and makes sincere amends.

Instead of taking a golden opportunity to talk to Norm about his remarks, his friendship with C.K. and Barr, how he got the former in touch with the latter to talk about the controversies that sidelined their careers —or maybe even holding Norm’s feet to the fire for what some perceived to be insensitivity towards the #MeToo movement and the women who have spoken out— Fallon decided to punt instead.

This morning, Macdonald talked to Howard Stern, a host who of course takes controversial guests and issues head on, and addressed what happened when he got to 30 Rock to do Tonight. After some back and forth with a concerned Fallon about how to address the remarks, Fallon took the feelings of some of his crew into account and told him it just wouldn’t work out that night.

“He was very broken up about it, he didn’t want this,” he told Howard. “Jimmy said, ‘Come back whenever you want, but I think it will hurt the show tonight.’ I said, ‘Jimmy, that’s the last thing I want to do, is hurt your show.’ ” He then went on to tell Howard that his remarks in THR were read the wrong way. “I wasn’t saying that was way worse than what victims went through. What the victims went through is horrible.”

If he had been scheduled for any other late night show, Norm would have gone on without an issue. (Remember, James Franco appeared on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show in January to address some #MeToo/#TimesUp allegations that had been leveled against him.) The interview would have been a viral bonanza online and would have probably given the show’s traditional ratings a boost. But the real world is Fallon’s kryptonite; he neither has the depth nor the desire to get serious when he’d rather play Password or games where he and a guest smash eggs on their heads.

If Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show want to survive in this current era, where Trump and #MeToo make constant huge headlines, he needs to at least address what’s going on in the real world. It’s not 2014 anymore; the fun and games that shot him to the top of late night can’t be done while what’s going on outside 30 Rock has been so monumental. He doesn’t need to become Stephen Colbert, but without occasionally courting controversial topics and guests, his show is going to continue to sink. And by the time we’re ready for wall-to-wall fun-and-games, it may be too late for him.

(UPDATE: A previous version of this article stated that Fallon cancelled Macdonald’s appearance after Norm had apologized, but in fact, Macdonald apologized a few hours after being told he would not appear on The Tonight Show.)

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, Fast Company’s Co.Create and elsewhere.