As a comedian, host, and writer for both “Saturday Night Live” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Jimmy Fallon discusses many other people’s lives and backgrounds. However, his own background, including where he was born or grew up, is definitely an interesting point that many people may not know about.
Jimmy Fallon, born James Thomas Fallon Jr., was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was born in 1974 and grew up in Saugerties, New York until he moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue his career. His latest living arrangements are a mix between a Manhattan apartment and a home in the Hamptons.
To learn more about Jimmy Fallon and his childhood growing up in Saugerties, read the rest of his story below.
Location is Everything
Saugerties, New York is where Fallon moved shortly after he was born when his family followed his father to his job as machine repairman for IBM. Saugerties is in the south of New York, partially contained in the Catskill Park.
It is centered right between the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River. It is not a very large town, but was the site of the 1994 Woodstock Music Festival at its 25th anniversary.
Jimmy Fallon attended Saugerties High School and began his big strides there. He was elected twice to be the class social director.
His eighth grade yearbook photo said “Most likely to replace David Letterman” beneath it. This surely fueled a lot of fire within Fallon to only prove them right.
He was also heavily involved in stage shows and lip sync competitions, and got involved with stand-up and won a comedy competition at the age of 17.
His senior year of high school when he won this competition, he was given a troll doll that he donned as a cap. He made a comedic commercial with multiple celebrities as a troll doll spokesperson.
One such celebrity was Pee Wee Herman. Fallon was known as a class-clown by many, which wound up being for his benefit.
For a unique video-tour of Saugerties, watch the YouTube video below.
Childhood Inspiration
At a mere age of two, Fallon performed his first impression ever. It was of James Cagney.
As a child, Jimmy Fallon was always fascinated by “Saturday Night Live.” His parents would only allow him to watch the “clean parts,” though.
Fallon was lucky enough to have what he dubbed an “idyllic” childhood. He said to Vanity Fair, “Everyone in the family was funny, and there was no divorce, no unemployment – we were lucky.”
Both of his parents’ demeanors and careers also helped to shape Fallon into the individual he was. His mother was a comedy writer and his father shared with him the ability to do things individually.
This was mirrored in the way that Jimmy liked to watch “Saturday Night Live.” He would always watch alone to fully be immersed in the characters, sketches, and angles.
Some of Jimmy Fallon’s biggest inspirations were Jon Lovitz and Dana Carvey, both of which had very successful careers.
To see a video of some of Jimmy Fallon’s childhood inspirations, watch the video below.
Heading into the Future
Clearly all of Jimmy Fallon’s childhood interests and relationships all panned out for a successful career for him. Not only was he part of his favorite “SNL” but also hosts a talk show on NBC.
Despite dropping out of college one semester shy of his degree at first, he went on to get his Bachelor of Arts in communications in 2009 at The College of Saint Rose.
Even his childhood home was popular as it made its rounds on the internet for someone to purchase back in 2012, as Fallon stated, “Great place to grow up!”