Dear Jimmy Fallon,
Firstly, I love you. Your quick wit, light-hearted spirit and silly antics make my 11:30pm a little brighter every night. My mom and I even stood in line for hours to watch you rehearse your show at your studio this summer, and you were every bit as charming and lovely as I hoped you would be in person.
The Tonight Show is great. I thoroughly enjoy Higgins as your sidekick and I have a soft spot for Hashtag the Panda. The Roots are incredible. You're a lucky show to have them as your house band. All of these elements make for an entertaining hour every week night.
You invite guests that range from the hilarious to the distinguished. You've had many a head of state and smatterings of superficial reality television personalities. You invited Donald Trump on your show this week. Frankly, I despise this man and what he stands for, but I tuned in anyway. I wanted to see what happened when polar opposites conversed.
You were chipper and courteous, congenial and friendly to this man many Americans hate. I found this to be typical of you, an act of rising above and meeting in the middle, of showing kindness in the face of evil because evil hasn't done anything mean to you personally. I suppose I'm going out on a limb when I assume that you're not a Trump supporter, but I have this crazy feeling that you don't own any Make America Great Again swag. You're in tune with our global world, you're a thinking, feeling, artsy performer guy, a husband and a father of two baby girls. I think you're aware of the dangers of America on Trump. But you had him on your show and you were nice to him. You joked with him in a way that presented him in a positive light. I saw him be nice to my friend Jimmy Fallon and he looked a little less menacing.
But that's the thing, he's not any less malicious even though you were kind to him in your classic Jimmy fashion. I can appreciate what you were doing in treating him as a human being. He is that, but he's a human being who's dangerous and hateful and racist. Sure, he hasn't done anything terrible to you personally, but perhaps his congeniality toward you is facilitated by your wealth, your whiteness, and your maleness. I doubt that Trump would have acted with the same bonhomie had this tv slot been with someone like Trevor Noah or Samantha Bee.
I know that you're no Mike Wallace when it comes to hard-hitting interviews, and I don't expect you to be. I could only imagine what corners Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert might back Trump into if he were a guest on their shows, but that's not your style. And that's okay. You didn't have to become the bad guy because that's not you. But I urge you to take a look around you. Look at your band members; accomplished, talented people who happen to be men of color. Look at your beautiful wife and your sweet baby girls. Think about the children and families of Flint, Michigan with their worthy futures, communities you donated money to help their awful water crisis. I know that these are all people you care deeply about. People who society will be less kind to because of their womanhood, or their blackness, or their situation in poverty; circumstances over which they have no control.
Because fortune has dealt you the white male hand and you have worked hard your entire life for your wealth, you have advantages that these people don't. This is not a fault, this is not a flaw. You are a rich white guy and that's okay. You are these things which are not so important, and you are kind, which is of foremost significance. You have been given a good station in life and a platform with which to speak your mind. Speak your compassion. Stand up for your loved ones, for those who you admire, and use your fame to do good. Don't be so nice to Donald Trump, because he's not so nice to those you love. The Jimmy Fallon I know would do his job in fighting for the less fortunate. You will, I believe in you.
Your loyal fan,
Emily.
