Jimmy Fallon has sparked a parenting debate after revealing what he bought his two daughters for Christmas.
The 49-year-old TV host opened up about his dynamic with his wife, Nancy Juvonent, and their two daughters – Winnie, 10, and Franny, nine – during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, which aired on 5 December. During the conversation, The Tonight Show host shared that while he wasn’t necessarily sure what his children wanted for Christmas, he knew that their friends had asked their parents for phones.
In response, couple Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who share three teenage children, encouraged Fallon not to buy phone for his daughters.
“Don’t do it,” the two hosts of Live said in agreement. Ripa then emphasised that the gift may not be a good idea, adding: “No, no no!”
However, Fallon said that the situation is out of his hands, before revealing that he’s already planned on giving his daughters phones for the holidays. “I know, but it’s happening,” he said. “It’s out of my control!”
Consuelos continued to disagree with Fallon’s gift, before encouraging the comedian to get his daughters “flip phones” instead. Fallon went on to confirm once again that he’d already bought the present for his children. “It’s already done!” he shouted. “I got them a phone!”
Over the years, Fallon has spoken candidly about being a parent to two daughters. During an interview with Fatherly in 2020, he revealed that the “biggest revelation” he’s had since becoming a father is seeing how much he cares for “other people’s kids”.
“You get it more,” he explained. “When I didn’t have kids, if I heard a crying baby in the restaurant, I would think: ‘Can you stop the crying and go around the block?’ Now I would be like: ‘Just give me the baby — how can I help? I’ve been there,” he explained during the interview at the time, shared via Today.
Earlier this year, he shared a rare photo of his daughters on his Instagram, which included a snap of his vacation with them and his wife. In the photo, the family of four could be seen smiling while standing on a dock, with the comedian sharing a quip in the caption about why he posed for these pictures. “I agreed to take this photo only if I could stand on the dry side of the dock. Happy 2nd of July!” he wrote.
Elsewhere in the conversation with Ripa and Consuelo, Fallon also recalled how he just hosted a party for his youngest child’s birthday.
“She had a little birthday party with little nine-year-old kids. Man, boys are just animals. I’m so happy to have girls,” he explained. “They’re great. And it’s just cute — we had cotton candy and they were dancing to Taylor Swift and it was beautiful.”
