Martin Short called The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon a late-night host ‘who pretends to care’ in resurfaced 2019 clip… amid allegations of a toxic workplace: ‘No one captures phoniness like you’

A clip from a 2019 episode of The Tonight Show has surfaced after Jimmy Fallon apologized to his staff amid allegations of a toxic workplace.

Four years ago on The Tonight Show, Martin Short told Jimmy, “This is the best show on television because there isn’t a late night host who pretends to care as much as you do.”

Adding: ‘No one catches fakes like you.’

The 73-year-old actor guested on the show with Steve Martin, 78.

Jimmy, 48, laughed and thanked him at the time for the apparently sarcastic compliments.

On Thursday, Jimmy apologized to his staff via a Zoom call after being accused by 16 of his current and former employees of creating a “toxic” work environment.

“I feel so bad I can’t even tell you,” he reportedly told his staff during the phone call Rolling stone.

The magazine broke the story about his “erratic” behavior on set and named two people at the meeting.

The staffers on the phone said the late host’s words “felt quite serious.”

“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad,” Fallon is said to have said. “Sorry if I’ve embarrassed you and your family and friends…I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”

“I want the show to be fun, inclusive for everyone,” Fallon is said to have added. “It should be the best show.”

The newspaper claimed he would cause ‘hissy fits’ and force staff to sob in ‘crying rooms’, ‘make their hair fall out’ and induce ‘suicidal thoughts’.

He had ‘outbursts’ towards his staff and created a ‘pretty somber atmosphere’.

While the talk show host is known for his hilarious on-screen anecdotes featuring a series of games, challenges and tidbits that garner millions of views online every week, Fallon has been rumored to have unexpected mood swings.

Throwback: Addition: ‘No one captures fakes like you.’ The 73-year-old actor guested on the show with Steve Martin, 78

The latest: Jimmy, 48, laughed and thanked him at the time for the apparently sarcastic compliments

“It was like, if Jimmy is in a bad mood, everyone’s day is ruined,” a former employee told Rolling Stone.

“People weren’t joking in the office, and they weren’t talking to each other. It was a lot like, concentrate on whatever you have to do, because Jimmy’s in a bad mood, and if he sees that, he might fly off.”

His inconsistent and snappy attitude is said to seep down the hierarchy of the program, which has seen nine showrunners in nine years.

“I just don’t think they’ve found a leader who can hold things together,” a former employee told Rolling Stone.

None of the nine showrunners chose to speak about the show in a negative — or positive — light.

The publication approached more than 50 current and former Tonight Show employees for the story. While many praised Fallon for his ability to crack a joke, no one raised their hand to say anything official or had anything good to say about the work environment. The sixteen who did speak up, under the condition of anonymity, worked in a range of different roles, from production crews to the writers’ room.

But a source close to the Tonight Show told DailyMail.com, “The things reported in this article happened years ago and just don’t reflect the mood of today.

Accusations: Jimmy apologized to his staff via a Zoom call on Thursday after being accused by 16 of his current and former employees of creating a “toxic” work environment. “I feel so bad I can’t even tell you,” he reportedly told his staff during the phone call, according to Rolling Stone;” seen on May 1, 2023

“No one denies that things happened in the past, but all the previous issues have been resolved and everyone has moved on since then.

Many of these are old anecdotes that have already been told and it is unclear to anyone why they are brought up again years later.

“So many current employees have positive things to say about the show, but don’t get a chance.

“This is not who Jimmy is and in no way is this what the show is like today.”

Among the allegations, a former employee said the environment changed during the transition from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to The Tonight Show.

“The producers felt this pressure and that translated to all of their employees. People who worked under them then felt the pressure that if you made one mistake you were gone and easily replaced,” said a former employee.

“You have all these NBC pages in the building ready, willing and waiting to take your job.”

Many of the staffers said they left the show due to mental health issues, with seven saying their overall well-being was affected by their alleged experiences.