Jimmy Fallon loves a good prank. The late night talk show host is known for playing tricks on his fans and famous friends, and most recently made his way into The Voice auditions.
On March 7, Fallon pretended to blind audition for the NBC singing competition’s coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper, delivering a performance of Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near).”
Clarkson, Horan and Chance all turn around to take a peek at who the mysterious singer is, but Shelton remained unfazed by the prank. Saturday Night Live alum then walks offstage and presses the country star’s button for him. “You broke the rules!” Shelton jokingly scolds him, grinning when he sees Fallon’s face.
However, The Voice mischief is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Fallon’s pranks. We’ve rounded up five of our favorites, which you can check out below.
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The Switch of the Jimmys
When April Fool’s Day came around in 2022, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel knew exactly what to do. The two late-night hosts took inspiration from The Parent Trap, as Fallon went over to the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio in Los Angeles and Kimmel when to the Tonight Show studio in New York City for the day’s show.
“This is something we’ve been planning for years, it was a top secret operation,” Kimmel said of the Jimmy-themed prank.
Watch it go down here.
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Accidental ‘Game of Thrones’ Spoiler
When Fallon had Maisie Williams as a guest on The Tonight Show, the duo began talking about the final season of Game of Thrones, in which the actress plays Arya Stark.
While chatting, Williams seems to accidentally reveal that her character dies in the second episode of the final season — which, we now know, isn’t true. She then looks shocked and covers her mouth with her hands. Fallon assures the visibly upset actress, telling her that they can re-film the segment. She then storms offstage, before the duo reveal that the whole scene was a big April Fool’s Day prank.
Watch it here.
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Paul McCartney Elevator Prank
Fallon and Beatles legend Paul McCartney surprised people who thought they were taking a run-of-the-mill tour of 30 Rockefeller Plaza by setting up scenes to appear in when the elevator doors opened on their floor.
The unsuspecting tourists caught hilarious glimpses of the celebs lounging around in smoking jackets, performing magic or battling in ping pong.
Watch it at the three-minute mark here.
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Dua Lipa Superfan
OK, so this one isn’t technically a “prank,” but it’s too cute to not include. Papa Richy, an 80-year-old grandfather who loves Dua Lipa went viral on TikTok after his family gave him tickets to the Future Nostalgia singer’s concert.
So, when Lipa appeared on the Tonight Show, Fallon put together a surprise for Richy — meeting the pop star in person. The tricked the grandpa by making him believe he was going on a radio show when he was actually walking out onto the talk-show host’s stage with his granddaughter Kadie Bernstein.
“I got to dance with Dua!” Papa Richy shouted to the audience after it all went down.
Watch the sweet moment here.
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‘Ben & Jerry’s’ Surprise
To celebrate the release of his “Tonight Dough” ice cream flavor, Fallon played a fun prank on fans who were testing the treat down in 30 Rock’s Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop.
Employees at the shop encouraged fans to try to ice cream from a robotic arm attached to the wall. Little did they know, Fallon was inside the robot operating the arm, and he later surprised the customers when he began talking to them through a hole in the wall.
Watch it here.
