The head writer of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” has confirmed that he will be leaving the show in the coming weeks to pursue other opportunities in Los Angeles.
A.D. Miles has been one of Fallon’s closest and longest-lasting collaborators since the former “Saturday Night Live” star made the jump to late-night television back in 2009. Miles was with Fallon for the very first episode of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and went on to help him write hundreds and hundreds of episodes of television.
In a statement, Fallon extended his gratitude to Miles for all he has done for the NBC host during his time at 30 Rock.
“Miles was there for the launch of ‘Late Night’ as well as the launch of ‘The Tonight Show,’” Fallon said. “He is one of the funniest, most creative people I’ve ever met and I can’t wait to work on this next project with him. He’s family to us, and we are gonna miss him.”
The move comes at an awkward time for “The Tonight Show.” After a long run of winning the ratings war against CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Fallon has failed to beat out Colbert in total viewership for eight straight weeks and seen his lead in the key 18-to-49-year-old demographic dwindle as well. Critics of Fallon have pointed to his apolitical bent as a key reason for his recent struggles, especially his playful interview last September with Donald Trump.
There appears to be no bad blood between Fallon and Miles, however. In fact, they are going to work on an animated feature film together, according to Variety.
Miles joked in a statement, “Riding Jimmy Fallon’s coattails for the past eight years has given me all the confidence I need to strike out on my own and work on a movie with Jimmy Fallon.”
It’s also been more than eight years since the first episode of “Late Night.” Whatever the money, that’s quite a grind.
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