Late-night television is no stranger to elaborate cold opens, but viewers of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” were treated to a uniquely surreal sketch on Wednesday night. Host Jimmy Fallon transformed into a deadpan caricature of comedian Nathan Fielder, while guest Jamie Lee Curtis took on the persona of disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. The segment served as a sharp, deadpan spoof of A24’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful documentary “You Can See Everything,” which has been generating massive buzz since its theatrical release.
The sketch immediately leaned into the awkward, hyper-analytical style that has become Fielder’s trademark across his various comedy projects.
“Now, be honest. Do you really want to be on the show tonight?” Fallon asked, doing his absolute best impression of Fielder’s signature cautious and probing cadence.
Curtis, donning a blonde wig and fixing the late-night host with an unblinkingly intense stare, responded in her best approximation of Holmes’ famously deep, calculated voice.
“Of course I do. I love talking to you,” she said.
Continuing the interrogation-style banter, Fallon pressed further, asking, “So, you’re not just here to promote your new show, ‘Newlyweds’?”
Maintaining the deadpan composure of the convicted tech entrepreneur, Curtis replied, “No, I’m engaging with you as a human being. Why would I deceive you? There’s no reason for me to do that. There’s nothing for me to deceive you on.”
The awkward exchange wrapped up with Fallon offering a characteristically hesitant “Good chat,” before pausing for one final, suspicious inquiry: “You’re being real right now?”
Without missing a beat, Curtis assured him, “I’m always being real.” However, the comedic punchline landed the moment Fallon turned around and began to walk away. Breaking her Holmes persona just enough, Curtis yelled out to the retreating host, “Thank God! Fuck, what an asshole!”
While the comedic framing of the sketch poked fun at the intense psychological probing made famous by Fielder’s style of documentary filmmaking, Curtis’s appearance on the late-night program had a very real promotional purpose. She was genuinely on the broadcast to discuss “Newlyweds,” her new NBC sitcom that officially premiered on October 23.
The new series, which stars Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, has been described in its official logline as a later-in-life romantic story that follows a free-spirited woman and a much more buttoned-up professor who make the impulsive decision to marry after enduring a whirlwind courtship.
Curtis’s involvement with “Newlyweds” extends beyond her acting duties. In addition to stepping into a recurring guest star role on the program, she also helped co-create the series alongside Gail Lerner. However, the show’s rollout has not been without behind-the-scenes drama. Earlier this month, Lerner was fired from her position on the show due to what network representatives described as “creative differences.”
Despite the abrupt departure, Lerner released a public statement when the news first broke, reflecting positively on her time developing the project. She described the overall experience of working on the show as “the most joyous TV experience of my life.”
The inspiration for Fallon and Curtis’s late-night parody, A24’s “You Can See Everything,” has emerged as a major cultural talking point since it debuted in movie theaters earlier this month on October 16. The documentary has resonated strongly with audiences and critics alike, pulling in an impressive $45.1 million at the domestic box office to date.
The project was quietly developed over the course of more than three years by Fielder and his co-director, Lance Oppenheim. The resulting film provides viewers with an unhinged, deeply intimate look at Elizabeth Holmes during the crucial month leading up to the start of her 11-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme against investors of her blood-testing startup, Theranos.
By blending Fielder’s signature brand of cringe-inducing social experiments with the chillingly polished corporate facade of Holmes, Wednesday night’s cold open offered a timely and layered piece of satire that capitalized on the massive public interest surrounding A24’s latest cinematic success.
