Jimmy Fallon Lines Up Sunday Takeovers, Olympics and a 75th Anniversary for 'Tonight'

Ariana Grande, Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller will take over NBC's "Tonight Show" this Sunday night, straight after "Sunday Night Football," with Lil Baby performing. It is the opening move in a slate of event programming that stretches to 2029.

The Sunday telecast follows the Tampa Bay Buccaneers–Chicago Bears game. A second Sunday show, after the Pittsburgh Steelers–Cincinnati Bengals matchup the following week, will bring Jennifer Lopez and Anthony Mackie, plus a performance by Quavo.

"I think there is a little more energy to it," Fallon says of the Sunday broadcasts. "We know we have that many more eyeballs" coming in from the NFL game.

Showrunner Chris Miller says the Sunday shows are one item on a longer list. Producers are discussing a Thanksgiving-night program, events tied to NBC's 100th anniversary this year, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the 75th anniversary of "Tonight" in 2029. "We're absolutely talking about it," Miller says of the anniversary, set for September 2029. "We are sort of next in line for a big tentpole type of anniversary. Yes, we are actively thinking about it and talking about it and hope we will have fun news for that soon."

What does the planning signal?

The short- and long-term slate signals NBC's confidence in the program at a moment of retreat elsewhere. CBS has exited traditional late night, canceling "The Late Show," and Disney has signaled ambivalence about keeping "Jimmy Kimmel Live" beyond the host's 2027 contract without cutting production costs. NBC's interest in a 2029 anniversary carries particular weight: the current contracts of both Fallon and "Late Night" host Seth Meyers are believed to lapse in 2028. Miller says "Tonight" is already discussing guest bookings for March 2027.

The economics remain demanding. Spending on late-night television hit $209 million in 2025, according to ad tracker Guideline, down from $519.7 million in 2017. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" drew $83.8 million in 2024 — 34% of all late-night spend, a share significantly ahead of Kimmel's and the now-defunct "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's" combined standing.

How the show reaches viewers now

Linear ratings have ebbed, but Fallon argues the audience has grown elsewhere. "We are being seen by more people than, I think, in the history of 'The Tonight Show,'" he says. "People are watching in different ways." NBC tracks more than 127 million followers and subscribers to "Tonight" digital and social platforms.

Sports lead-ins prove the point. An October 20 telecast after NBC's NBA opening night drew an 80% increase among viewers aged 18 to 49 — the demographic advertisers covet most — against the season-to-date average, with overall viewership up 30% over the comparable telecast a year earlier.

"It's a big number," Fallon says of sports audiences. "The days of 'Seinfeld' are gone. You don't have that lead-in anymore. Anything where you get a big number, I'll take it. We are always ready to work."

CBS's exit is also helping. The overall "Tonight" audience is up 5% season to date, with viewing among 18-to-49-year-olds up 16%. Kimmel's program has seen similar gains.

Guests, viral bits and Sunday expansion

Fallon credits guests who now trust the show's play-based formats — impressions, skits, games, musical numbers. "After doing this for so many years, our guests are kind to trust us," he says. Last week he asked Jamie Lee Curtis to spoof the Nathan Fielder–Elizabeth Holmes interactions in the hit documentary "You Can See Everything." The bit went viral. Fallon did not make the ask until 1 in the afternoon; the vignette taped at 4, close to showtime. "You can't do it too late, but if you do it right," he says, a digital sensation may follow.

Miller says Sunday windows reach viewers lost on weeknights. "They're working and they come home and they're feeding the kids. They're getting ready for bed, and a lot of people are well in bed before 11:35 when we come on. So I think Sunday feels different. People are home. It's a different vibe and I think there's an opportunity to get eyeballs on the show." The Sunday shows tape on Sundays before more relaxed studio audiences.

More Sundays would require NBC to seek time from its affiliates. "It's a big night for those guys," Fallon says. "They have been very generous to us." He is also developing game shows including "Password" and "Wordle" for NBC through his production company, Electric Hot Dog, and says network executives "have faith in me and let me take swings." Several more, it appears, are in store.