Fighting back tears, Jimmy Fallon opened Monday’s Tonight Show addressing the events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
As NBC‘s “Today Show” reports, “Funnyman Jimmy Fallon put the laughs on hold Monday as he stepped onto ‘The Tonight Show‘ stage to deliver a serious monologue in the wake of the horrific events in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend.”
Fallon took to the stage, not as a late-night host or performer, but as concerned father.
Holding back tears, Fallon told the audience it was his “responsibility to stand up against intolerance and extremism as a human being.”
“What happened in Charlottesville, Virginia was just disgusing,” Fallon continued.
“I was watching the news like everyone else, and you’re seeing Nazi flags and torches and white supremacists, and I was sick to my stomach,” he said, adding: “My daughters are in the next room playing and I’m thinking, ‘How can I explain to them that there’s so much hatred in this world?’ They’re 2-years-old and 4-years-old. They don’t know what hate is. They go to the playground, and they have friends of all races and backgrounds, and they just play, and they laugh, and they have fun.”
“But as kids grow up, they need people to look up to, to show them what’s right, and good,” he stated, adding: “They need parents and teachers, and they need leaders who appeal to the best in us.”
Turning his attention to Trump, Fallon continued:
“The fact that it took the president two days to come out and clearly denounce racism and white supremacists is shameful,” he stated.
“And I think he finally spoke out because people everywhere stood up and said something. It’s important for everyone, especially white people in this country, to speak out against this,” Fallon continued. “Ignoring it is just as bad as supporting it.”
Pointing out that people have “given their lives to make sure this kind of hate doesn’t spread,” Fallon turned his attention to 32-year-old protester Heather Heyer, who died in the tragedy.
“One brave woman in Charlottesville, Heather Heyer, died standing up for what’s right at the age of 32.”
“I can’t look at my beautiful, growing, curious daughters and say nothing when this kind of thing is happening,” he continued. “We all need to stand against what is wrong, acknowledge racism exists, and stand up for what is right and civil and kind, and to show the next generation that we haven’t forgotten how hard people have fought for human rights.”
He concludes saying: “We can’t do this. We can’t go backwards. Thank you all for watching and listening.”
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