“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Loses Its Head Writer
The Tonight Show’s head writer, Rebecca Drysdale, is leaving after just six months on the job. To be fair, six months in pandemic/election-times is roughly 15 years, so I hope Jimmy Fallon presents her with a nice gold watch. Initially, news outlets were reporting that Rebecca was departing because she was done writing Trump jokes. They were reporting that, in a private Facebook post, Rebecca shared that NBC told her she wasn’t a good fit, and she agreed. She allegedly went on to write that she believed making fun of Trump only added to his power, that she’d never write another comedy sketch about him again, and writing about Trump had led to division and pain in the writers’ rooms she’d worked in. But PLOT TWIST: Rebecca went on Twitter to say, “NUH UH.” She says her statements in the Facebook post were taken out of context, and that the media should retract their stories.
Rebecca tweeted:
This was all based on a PRIVATE Facebook post that was cut up and taken out of context. I do believe that making fun of Trump is not a good use of comedy, and only gives him more of what he wants.
— Rebecca Drysdale (@beckdrys) November 6, 2020
My departure from the show However is unrelated. This has been spun into something it isn’t. One part is something that happened professionally. The other is a personal creative choice based on many experiences over the past several years.
— Rebecca Drysdale (@beckdrys) November 6, 2020
The fact that a private Facebook message was mined and twisted in this way is disgusting, and I have learned a great deal about the levels people will go to for a story that just isn’t there.
— Rebecca Drysdale (@beckdrys) November 6, 2020
We are all scared and unsure and dealing with enough right now. Please leave me and my friends alone and maybe focus on the actual real shit that is happening in this country.
— Rebecca Drysdale (@beckdrys) November 6, 2020
And, yes, she’s well aware this is too many tweets:
Now if you’ll excuse me I have an adult diaper to buy and an election to watch.
— Rebecca Drysdale (@beckdrys) November 6, 2020
Yeah, shut up, media, and let the woman free-poop in peace!
Earlier this week, Trump-hair-tousler Jimmy Fallon had his Tonight Show contract renewed until 2021. But his showrunner, Gavin Purcell, is also stepping down. He’ll be replaced by longtime producer Jamie Granet-Bederman.
The dearly departed Rebecca has previously written for shows like Key and Peele, High Maintenance, and The Big Gay Sketch Show (that’s the one Kate McKinnon was on pre-SNL). She has a pretty impressive resumé, so I don’t think she’ll have much trouble finding any new work. But it’s not like she needs to! If she’s anything like the rest of Americans, she can live off that one-time $1,200 stimulus check until her dying day. Got it maaade in the shaaade!
Pics: YouTube