(Billboard)
When Justin Bieber appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” earlier this month, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. Not so, says Fallon.
In his new Billboard cover story, Fallon actually reveals that Bieber pulled out of a sketch at the last minute. As Gossip Cop reported, Bieber sat down with the host for a chat, in which he spoke about crying at the MTV Video Music Awards and more. He also performed a new version of “What Do You Mean?” with The Roots.
But Fallon and his team had initially planned for Bieber to participate in a comedy bit. And according to the host, the singer and his camp agreed. It wasn’t until show day that Bieber allegedly bailed.
Billboard was actually on the scene the day of the taping, and describes Fallon as “frustrated, to the degree the famously unflappable ‘Tonight Show’ host ever gets frustrated.” The magazine says that sometime between the comedian’s morning tweet that Bieber “would do something fun” and midday, Bieber “changed his mind.” A “resigned” Fallon is quoted as saying, “It’s like, I don’t care.”
“I mean, I wish they’d told me weeks ago because today’s the day, and now we have to crunch and think of an idea to do. And I have to apologize to the crew guys who built the set and the wardrobe people and everyone,” continues Fallon.
He goes on to offer an a defense of the pop star backing out, saying, “But it’s not what he does. He’s here to sing, so as long as he’s comfortable and it sounds good then we did our job. And if I talk to him and make him funny and make him look good, that’s my job. That’s all I have to do.”
From what aired that night on NBC, it certainly didn’t look like there were any lingering issues between host and guest. Gossip Cop has reached out to Bieber’s rep for their side of the story. TELL US: What do you think of Fallon’s claims?
