Anne Hathaway’s ‘Tonight Show’ Interview Hits An Awkward Snag After The Audience Reacts In Silence To Her Question

By Samantha Nungesser @samjnungesser
Published May 1, 2024, 2:26 p.m. ET

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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

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They don’t read books over at The Tonight Show — at least according to host Jimmy Fallon, who’s being praised on social media for turning an awkward moment with Anne Hathaway into a hilarious bit.

The Oscar-winning actress appeared on Monday night’s (April 29) broadcast of the long-running late show to promote her upcoming Prime Video film The Idea of You, in which she plays a 40-year-old single mom who falls in love with a 24-year-old boy band singer.

However, their chat took a cringey turn when Hathaway asked the audience if anyone had read the book on which the film is based — only for silence to fill the room.

“No, we don’t read. This is The Tonight Show,” Fallon quipped when it became clear that no one was going to say anything. “You want to go to Stephen Colbert if you want to get people to read books. Lame!”

He added, “We do Audible here.”

When Fallon attempted to steer the conversation back on track, Hathaway jokingly asked, “What’s a book?”

Meanwhile, social media users expressed mixed feelings about the bit on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“This is seriously so funny I can’t stop thinking about it,” one wrote. “Anne is fighting for her life up there and handling it like a pro.”

Another added, “Anne Hathaway got Jimmy Fallon to [actually] be funny and banter for 10 seconds. Her fucking power,” while a third person said, “Jimmy actually was a great host in this situation!”

But not everyone was loving the interaction.

“It landed! He nailed it! Then he dragged it for way too long,” one person claimed.

Another fumed, “I felt it was funny but a put down of his show and his audience. Very self-deprecating to say that they don’t read—or really that no one reads books anymore. A punch in the gut. However, no Anne Hathaways were injured in the making of that comment.”

The Tonight Show airs on weeknights. Check the website for local listings.