Jimmy Fallon has checked another item off his bucket list, beating a late-night rival in the process: He got his picture at Sardi’s.
Fallon had his caricature unveiled at the venerated Broadway restaurant last night—an event he had teased during yesterday’s taping of The Tonight Show. Sardi’s has been a staple of the Broadway community since the 1920s, and honors its famous patrons with caricatures. The time-honored tradition has resulted in a collection of some 1,200 portraits adorning its walls.
Ahead of his recent Broadway debut, Fallon voiced his hopes on The Tonight Show that he’d score a Sardi’s portrait. Last month, the host kicked off a six-day run starring in the rotating cast of Simon Rich’s All In: Comedy About Love. His stint in the cast coincided with the show setting a house record for ticket sales.
Fallon faced some competition in the race for getting a portrait from a fellow late-night host. A week after Fallon made his wish, Stephen Colbert coincidentally announced his own desire to be immortalized at Sardi’s on The Late Show. Colbert was interviewing Fallon’s co-star Lin-Manuel Miranda at the time, who promised Colbert he’d “make a call” to Sardi’s.
Fallon’s journey to Sardi’s portraiture came easily, as guest bandleader Paul Shaffer pointed out on last night’s Tonight Show.
“Lionel Barrymore and those classic actors, they went on a whole career, and they’d get their portraits in Sardi’s after, like, 75 years on Broadway,” Shaffer said, setting Fallon up for some self-deprecation. “How long was your run?”
“Almost a week,” said Fallon.
Miranda wound up attending the unveiling ceremony for Fallon’s portrait, which the host signed and captioned “Break a leg!”
Fallon encouraged fans to visit the Broadway eatery themselves, both to support the theatre community and catch a glimpse of the Tonight Show host’s drawing. “Go to Sardi’s, and on your way to the men’s room, look out for someone familiar,” Fallon said.
Fallon is now the fourth Tonight Show host to hang on the restaurant’s walls, joining Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and Johnny Carson.
View photos from last night’s unveiling below:
Looks like they photoshopped all the brown off his nose…