On Monday, Jimmy Fallon returned to the set of “The Tonight Show” after taking the week to mourn the sudden death of his mother, Gloria. The 68-year-old had been sick and was in the hospital, but her death still came as a crushing blow to Jimmy.
Despite still grieving the loss of his mom, however, he paid a beautiful tribute to her when he recalled one of his fondest memories of her to his fans on his show:
“When we were little, my mom would walk us to this store, me and my sister, and she would squeeze my hand three times and say, ‘I love you,’ and I would squeeze back, ‘I love you, too.’ And last week I was in the hospital and I grabbed her and squeezed ‘I love you.’ I just knew we were in trouble, you know?”
As a viewer, it was clear Jimmy was struggling to get through his statements about her, let alone a whole show — and that’s something his staff recognized as well.
One of “The Tonight Show’s” writers and producers, Mike DiCenzo, took to Twitter that night to reveal just how hard they knew the show was going to be for Jimmy:
It was a really tough day for our whole staff. A lot of us knew his mom Gloria, and she was the best. The best. She loved the show, she loved all of us, and most of all, she loved Jimmy.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
They talked on the phone every day. As Jimmy said, she was his biggest fan.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
However, DiCenzo knew it would be a tough episode to get through — especially when it came time to talk about his mom:
Jimmy’s words about his mom were beautiful. “Mom, I’ll never stop trying to make you laugh. I love you.” I was crying. We all were.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
The story about his mom squeezing his hand 3 times to say “I love you” when he was a kid, and then him squeezing her hand in the hospital – he hadn’t told any of us that story… More on that in a second.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
He wrote that he and the crew members wanted to make the show a special one for Jimmy, so they decided to ask one of the world’s biggest artists a favor. Luckily, she obliged:
First, a quick word about Taylor Swift. She was not scheduled to do our show today. But we wanted something special for this first show back, so we asked her on a complete whim, since she had been in town doing SNL. She said yes with zero hesitation.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
But no one expected her performance to be so special. In fact, it was seemingly serendipitous:
She sang “New Year’s Day.” No one had heard it. Suddenly she sings the line, “Squeeze my hand 3 times in the back of the taxi.” I nearly gasped. Tears. I think everyone in the audience started sobbing.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
He continued, writing that when Jimmy heard the lyrics, he couldn’t help but cry — nor could anyone else in the room:
I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue. We all lost it. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance. “Hold on to your memories, they will hold on to you,” Taylor sang.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
After her performance, Jimmy embraced Taylor in what DiCenzo described as “real emotion”:
That hug between Jimmy and Taylor after the song was 100% real emotion. Whatever you think of Taylor, she did something beautiful for Jimmy and our show today, and we’re forever grateful.
— Mike DiCenzo (@mikedicenzo) November 14, 2017
And that hug was something fans noticed, too:
@taylornation13 @taylorswift13 @jimmyfallon
This makes me so emotional. I love you both so much. pic.twitter.com/72gypWP25H— Rebecca (@beckbeckboo) November 14, 2017
It’s 10:31 a.m. on a Tuesday and I’m crying over Taylor Swift’s tribute performance for Jimmy Fallon’s mom who even am I
— Katie Kemp (@k_tkemp) November 14, 2017
This was so beautiful, I love them both so much ♥️ @taylorswift13 @jimmyfallon pic.twitter.com/QV908phST9
— Heidi ☀️ (@heidisunshine) November 14, 2017
The hug between @taylorswift13 and @jimmyfallon ? pic.twitter.com/xppBWmfeKw
— Taylor Swift Fan (@swiftiess8) November 15, 2017
It will be hard to ever hear @taylorswift13 sing New Year’s Day without thinking of @jimmyfallon. That hug?? deepest sympathy Jimmy. @taylornation13
— Christie Sassenrath (@csassenrath) November 15, 2017
This hug lasted a lifetime #reputation @taylorswift13 @jimmyfallon pic.twitter.com/J1hc7fPdHN
— reputation killed deanne (@deanneybells) November 15, 2017
This moment was much more than a talk show host and his guest performers; it was two humans sharing the pain of loss — and that is beautiful.
To watch a video of the full performance, check out the video below:
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