Jimmy Kimmel And Jimmy Fallon Left ABC And NBC Completely In The Dark When The Pulled Of Their Epic Prank Of Swapping Shows
There is a lot that takes place behind the scenes on late night TV, especially in the case of Jimmy Kimmel and his late show. Kimmel has been through a few peculiar instances, which included being told by ABC to tone down his comedy about Donald Trump, something Kimmel wasn't willing to accept. Kimmel also dealt with some odd guest requests, which included Barbra Streisand asking for a different camera angle during her chat alongside Kimmel.
In the following, we're going to take a look back at perhaps Jimmy Kimmel's most outrageous prank alongside Jimmy Fallon. The two decided to swap shows on April Fools, and kept the process very secretive. We'll take a look back at how it all went down, and how the two late night hosts were able to pull off such a prank. As the late night hosts revealed, it required a lot of planning, while keeping things on the down low.
Let's take a look at how it all went down, and how NBC and ABC felt about it all.
Jimmy Kimmel And Jimmy Fallon Were Very Secretive Of Their Late Show Prank
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Jimmy Kimmel looking uncomfortable
It turned out to be one of the greatest pranks in late show history. On April Fools, Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon made the bold decision to swap shows. In order for this to work, Jimmy Kimmel admitted both hosts had to be very secretive about the process. Fallon was skeptical about it early on, given that he wasn't really a prank guy.
"I’m not really a prank guy, so I didn’t know if we could pull this off. Like, two seconds before they announced me, I was nervous. I was like, “I hope they like me.”
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Fallon would go on to reveal alongside The Hollywood Reporter that once he arrived, it was quite the process to get ready.
"We double-taped our show Wednesday, and then I got on a plane and landed around 1 a.m. Seven hours later, Jimmy and [Kimmel’s wife and show co-head writer] Molly [McNearney] were waiting in the parking lot to greet me. We got into hair and makeup and started filming. After that, they flew immediately to New York."
As for Jimmy Kimmel upon his arrival, his goal was to meet his new peers behind the scenes. Ultimately, the stunt worked to perfection, but keeping it quiet was the biggest reason why.
Jimmy Fallon Revealed That Executives From ABC And NBC Were Not Warned About The Swap Ahead Of Time
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Jimmy Fallon Hosting his show
Speaking alongside Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Jimmy Fallon went into greater detail about how the two were able to pull off such a stunt. Only a select few really knew what was going on, and that did not include executives from ABC and NBC, according to Fallon.
"We've been wanting to do that for seven years. We didn't ask any executives really, ABC or NBC. We just secretly planned it. I flew to LA, he flew to New York, he was actual in LA when I arrived."
"We were talking to each other, we had everything down to the second."
Fallon would go on to reveal that he was taken aback by how different the set looked. Nonetheless, he loved the experience.
"It was a bit surreal. It’s the same job, but also completely different. Everyone there made me feel so welcome. They have a very professional, very funny staff. It’s a beautiful theater. It’s like a TV studio in a theater, whereas ours is pure TV studio. It felt great to be that close to the audience."
Were The Networks Upset About The Prank Pulled By Jimmy Kimmel And Jimmy Fallon?
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Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon
The preparation to pull off such a prank was very intense, especially given that the two hosts planned it as though they were talking to one another. Everything needed to be to the second exact. Both Kimmel and Fallon discussed what the process was like.
"We prepared more for this show than most. What was most important was looking out for the other, sharing the little tricks you pick up over the years," Kimmel revealed.
Fallon also agreed that the prep was intense, as it took a year of planning behind the scenes.
"Tons of planning. Tons. And to keep it a secret. Our producers were talking to each other every day for the past month. But this probably took a year of planning."
Ultimately, Fallon and Kimmel were grateful about the experience, and no, they did not receive any backlash from the networks.
"Really, the only people who knew were me and Jimmy … and Matt Damon. I was surprised on how the networks didn’t really fight us on it. It seems like something we shouldn’t be able to get away with," Fallon revealed.
