25 best award show hosts
By Reed Gaudens
17. Jimmy Fallon
Show: 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2010), 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2017)
Memorable Moments: As a host and television personality, Jimmy Fallon has been inescapable since he first broke out on Saturday Night Live in 1998. Apart from hosting two late-night talk shows (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), he’s also lent his comedy to the Emmys and Golden Globes.
When he hosted the Emmys in 2010, his musical opening poked fun at Glee and featured many of its cast members, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, and other famous faces. Similarly, his 2017 Golden Globes opening paid homage to the opening sequence of La La Land and boasted cameos from everyone from Nicole Kidman to Justin Timberlake.
Public Reception: Fallon’s turn as the Golden Globes host, which arrived at the end of pals Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s three-year residency, undoubtedly earned its fair share of criticism. But the committed showman lived up to the challenge of balancing lighthearted humor with the requisite barbs thrown at the president. Likewise, his first time hosting a major award show, after hosting the MTV Movie Awards in 2001 and 2005 and the VMAs in 2002, garnered universal acclaim.
Why They’re One of the Best: When it comes to lighting up a room and making the masses laugh, it’s hard to beat Jimmy Fallon. His brand of humor is one size fits all, and that’s not to say it’s basic. Few can truly meld together the worlds of music and comedy so seamlessly, and even though he’s tries to keep it inoffensive, he’s still among the most relevant voices in comedy today. As a host and comic, he’s a crowd-pleaser, and there’s no stages more suited for Jimmy Fallon than the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes.