In his instantly viral comments on the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon yet again showed why he is the most beloved late show host in America.
Rather than politicizing the tragedy, Fallon responded in his opening monolog Monday with sincerity, humanity and compassion, addressing his vast audience as a father and fellow American struggling to make sense of the evil, rather than a celebrity with a political agenda.
“As you certainly know by now early Sunday morning there was another senseless shooting, this time at a dance club in Orlando, Florida. A dance club. It left 49 people dead, which is the largest loss of life due to a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11,” he began.
“I know everyone is angry right now and not really knowing how to react. But this is a time where people are looking to us and how we will react,” he continued.
“This country was built on an idea that we don’t agree on everything; that we are a tolerant, free nation that encourages debate, free-thinking, believing, or not, in what you choose. I, as a new father, am thinking, ‘What do I tell my kids? What do I tell them about this? What can we learn from this? What if my kids are gay? What do I tell them?’ Maybe there’s a lesson from all this. A lesson in tolerance,” he said.
“We need to support each other’s differences and worry less about our own opinions,” he said, adding later, “We need to get back to being brave enough to accept that we have different opinions and that’s OK, because that is what America is built on. The idea that we can stand up and speak our minds and live our lives and not be punished for that, or mocked on the Internet, or killed by someone you don’t know.”
He concluded by declaring that “there will always be more good than evil” and called on people to respond to the tragedy with love and respect.
“This was just one bad guy here,” he said. “Forty-nine good people and one bad guy, and there will always be more good than evil. When I think of Orlando, I think of nothing but fun and joy and families. If anyone can do it, you can. Keep loving each other. Keep respecting each other. And keep on dancing.”
Here is the full transcript of his statement:
As you certainly know by now early Sunday morning there was another senseless shooting, this time at a dance club in Orlando, Florida. A dance club. It left 49 people dead, which is the largest loss of life due to a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11. I know everyone is angry right now and not really knowing how to react. But this is a time where people are looking to us and how we will react.
This country was built on an idea that we don’t agree on everything; that we are a tolerant, free nation that encourages debate, free-thinking, believing, or not, in what you choose. I, as a new father, am thinking, “What do I tell my kids? What do I tell them about this? What can we learn from this? What if my kids are gay? What do I tell them?”
Maybe there’s a lesson from all this. A lesson in tolerance.
We need to support each other’s differences and worry less about our own opinions. Get back to debate and away from believing or supporting the idea that if someone doesn’t live the way you want them to live, you just buy a gun and kill them. Bomb them up. That is not OK. We need to get back to being brave enough to accept that we have different opinions and that’s OK, because that is what America is built on. The idea that we can stand up and speak our minds and live our lives and not be punished for that, or mocked on the Internet, or killed by someone you don’t know.
This was just one bad guy here. Forty-nine good people and one bad guy, and there will always be more good than evil. When I think of Orlando, I think of nothing but fun and joy and families. If anyone can do it, you can. Keep loving each other. Keep respecting each other. And keep on dancing.