Late-night TV hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel swapped talk shows and networks in an elaborate April Fool’s Day prank on Friday.
it was a confusing tale of two Jimmys for audiences after Fallon flew to Hollywood to host “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC, while Kimmel sat in for Fallon on NBC’s “The Tonight Show.”
Fallon and Kimmel sat at each other’s desks and did some of each other’s recurring bits as part of the epic switcheroo, which was a complete surprise to the shocked studio audiences at 30 Rock and the El Capitan Entertainment Centre.
The Roots remained in New York to warm up the crowd for Kimmel, whose sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez stayed in Tinseltown to serve up Fallon with punchlines.
“I love being here in New York. I want to tell you about this crazy thing that happened in LA this week. So um, you know the actor Will Smith? Oh you’ve heard this story? I didn’t know if it made it east, I’ll skip it then,” Kimmel cracked.
“Are you figuring out what’s happening now? You’re noticing what day it is? Or no, maybe … April Fool’s everybody.”
In Los Angeles, Justin Timberlake came out disguised as Matt Damon, and Fallon asked him to leave an autograph.
“Jimmy Kimmel would love it if you signed something. But then I was thinking about it, Jimmy would really want something more from Matt Damon if he was on the show,” Fallon said.
“Can you tag his desk?”
Timberlake, clad in Red Sox apparel with a blond wig, obliged, spray painting “I [heart] Matt Damon on Kimmel’s desk.
In a bewildering musical gag, the Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared on both shows to mark Friday’s release of their first album in six years, playing “These Are the Ways” from the Roosevelt Hotel in LA and “Black Summer” in the 30 Rock studio.
Both programs pretape their nightly shows in front of a live studio audience.