Jimmy Fallon’s Tribute To The Pope Is Pretty Divisive
“Gonna say ‘I’m glad I made you laugh’ any time a friend dies so people know that, above all else, I was very funny.”
Today in incredibly serious, definitely-the-most-important-issue news: Jimmy Fallon’s reaction to the pope’s death is raising eyebrows.
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Yesterday, Pope Francis (the 266th leader of the Roman Catholic Church) died age 88. But, more importantly, did you know that Jimmy Fallon met him? Yes, the talk show host met him last year as part of a comedy event with 105 comedians at the Vatican.
Vatican Pool / Getty Images
Following the news of the pope’s death, Jimmy wrote on Instagram and X, “It was an honor meeting Pope Francis last summer. I’m glad I made you laugh. Thank you for your encouraging words. Rest in peace.”
Vatican Pool / Getty Images
But it was on the various social media platforms where reactions to this sentiment differed. On Instagram, where people still have the light in their eyes, people commented on how sweet the whole thing was:
Then there’s X, where everyone still on it is a masochist on some level. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jimmy was quickly flamed for the whole “I made you laugh” thing:
For what it’s worth, there is a video of Jimmy making the pope laugh in public — but it’s mainly a series of big gestures while he stands next to Chris Rock.
