Taylor Swift’s sweet surprise leaves Jimmy Fallon fighting back tears on ‘The Tonight Show’
Jimmy Fallon went through an emotional phase following the death of his mother, Gloria Fallon, who died at the age of 68 in 2017. During that time, the host of 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' took a week off to mourn the loss of his beloved mother. When he returned to the show, Fallon opened the episode with a heartfelt tribute to her, delivering an emotional speech and updating his fans on what had happened. “It’s good to be back, guys. As some of you know my mother, Gloria, passed away recently. I canceled our shows last week to be with my family and make arrangements. She was the best audience, she was the one I was always trying to make laugh, and she was such a fan of the show and everything I did," Fallon shared, according to The Things.
Fallon further reflected on his mother's final moments, revealing why he squeezed her hand till the end. “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? I feel so grateful to be able to do this every single night and I’m very appreciative of all the support from all of you that my family received over the past week," he explained.
During the same episode, the 14-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift also paid a surprise beautiful tribute to Fallon's mother. While appearing on the talk show, Swift sang 'New Year's Day' from her album 'Reputation'. Swift included a new verse in her song, referencing the moment when Jimmy and his mother Gloria squeezed each other's hands. "You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi / I can tell that it's gonna be a long road / I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe / Or if you strike out and you're crawling home," Swift sang as per E! News. After Swift's performance, Fallon was visibly emotional, holding back tears. It was a touching moment that fans still remember fondly.
'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' producer Mike DiCenzo revealed Mike DiCenzo, producer of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, shared that Swift was brought in for the episode at the last minute. At that time, Swift was in town for 'Saturday Night Live'. DiCenzo shared, "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."
DiCenzo gushed over Swift, saying, “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. 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.” It was such an emotional moment, one none of us will forget anytime soon, and we’re all grateful to Swift for that!