Jimmy Fallon Had a Very Weird Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Appearance Last Year

The NBC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been a tradition for nearly a century. But last year, with Jimmy Fallon as one of the first guests on the live broadcast, many viewers were less in a spirit of giving thanks and more confused by his appearance. 

The Tonight Show host was present to promote his Christmas album, Holiday Seasoning. He spoke with hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, but his fashion choices and behavior raised eyebrows.

Despite the gloomy and rainy weather in New York City, he donned dark sunglasses during his interview. He referenced the choice of eyewear, saying, “It’s so bright here.” At another point in the interview, Fallon joked around, dancing around while singing “Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora).”

The segment abruptly ended as the ETSU marching band walked behind the Saturday Night Live alum. As the band played, he couldn’t hear Kotb and Guthrie well. The hosts tried to relay a fan question to him, but the noise got in the way. Fallon commented, “I can’t even hear you,” before exiting. The Today personalities perfectly played off the moment and moved on as Fallon prepared to appear in the parade.

Viewers took to social media wondering what happened. Some classified his appearance as “weird” and “awkward.” Others wondered if he may have been under the influence or hungover from the previous evening because of the sunglasses.

Despite such, Fallon was unbothered. “Jimmy is not embarrassed over people calling out his appearance and performance at the Macy’s parade,” The Daily Mail’s source said. “The only person people seem to be talking about from the parade is him. For Jimmy, he’s hoping the interest will translate into more album sales this holiday season.”

He never acknowledged the Thanksgiving Day Parade incident. Instead, he focused on promoting his Christmas album, and even made a cameo on Saturday Night Live’s final 2024 episode.