Lloyd Bishop/NBCLadies and gentlemen: Here's your new Tonight Show host!
After illustrious stints on Saturday Night Live and, of course, as the current host of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, we now know that Jimmy Fallon will be the host of The Tonight Show after the 2014 Olympics.
And after making us laugh for so many years, Jimmy's at the absolute top of his game right now—but he didn't get there without a years-long climb toward the ultimate domination of multiple media platforms since he first came on the scene in the ‘90s.
How We First Met Him and SNL:
Like so many funny guys before him, New York-native Jimmy got his start in standup. He had minor screen roles, too, before he got his huge break on SNL, where he eventually became a major cast member in 1999, with memorable roles like co-anchor of "Weekend Update" with Tina Fey.
He eventually left the show, but we still bust up laughing every time we think of his Jarret stoner character, Jeffrey's store clerk and so many others.
Late Night:
Fallon took the reins of Late Night in 2009. On the show, he's had so many slam dunks go viral, we hardly know where to start.
How about his beloved rendition of "All I Want for Christmas" with Mariah Carey and The Roots (almost 10 million views and counting)? Or his "evolution of mom dancing" bit with none other than Michelle Obama (game, set, match: FLOTUS), with close to 16 million views? Or the beyond amazing lip-sync battle with John Krasinski (which we admit we might have watched a million times ourselves)?
Other Media Roles:
This guy's been around. Maybe you even saw him in a Pepsi TV ad. Or on TV shows like Spin City and 30 Rock. Or in movies like Taxi, Whip It, Almost Famous and Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore—all before his current level of mega-stardom.
He also released a comedy album a decade ago called The Bathroom Wall—which was even nominated for a Grammy—plus another one last year, Blow Your Pants Off, which did win that prize. He's written a book with his sister, I Hate This Place: The Pessimist's Guide to Life, plus a children's book, Snowball Fight.
He's hosted awards shows like the MTV Movie Awards several times—and the 62nd Primetime Emmys in 2010, where his presence helped give the show a major ratings boost.
And he's the creator and one of the executive producers of NBC's Guys With Kids to boot.
Why He's an Innovator:
Jimmy dominate multiple media platforms, plus we think what he's doing with comedy is so special, so unique—so once-in-a-generation—that we just can't wait to see what he does when he helms The Tonight Show next year. Go Jimmy!
For more on Jimmy, tune in to E! News Wednesday at 7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
The new original E! series Pop Innovators celebrating multifaceted musician, entertainer and imaginer will.i.am premieres Sunday, July 14 at 8 p.m. only on E!