Nicole Kidman dodged a bullet.

The nicest guy on late-night TV might not be... that nice.

Jimmy Fallon built his brand around being a fun-loving and inoffensive goof, portraying himself as the antithesis to the snarky hosts that once populated evening programming, like David Letterman and Jay Leno. 

But now former and current employees at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon are claiming they experienced a toxic environment working on the set in a bombshell report by Rolling Stone. 

According to 14 ex-staff members and two current employees, a combination of a chaotic staff atmosphere and Fallon's alleged erratic temperament left employees in a “constant state of fear” and staff even had allocated “crying rooms”.

Some ex-staffers went as far as to claim that the 48-year-old's behaviour led to nightmares, anxiety and, in three cases, suicidal ideations. 

“Nobody told Jimmy, ‘No.’ Everybody walked on eggshells, especially showrunners,” a former employee claimed.

“You never knew which Jimmy we were going to get and when he was going to throw a hissy fit. Look how many showrunners went so quickly. We know they didn’t last long.”

For the last nine seasons, the show hired a new showrunner each year.

One staffer said that the host’s remarks were often “passive-aggressive” and unnecessarily personal. Rolling Stone acquired feedback that an employee had received from Fallon, which read: “Ugh, lame. What is going on with you? You’ve outdone yourself.”

Read a full rundown of all the allegations here. 

With all these nasty claims circulating, it made us think about an old interview between Jimmy and Nicole Kidman, which sent the internet spiralling back in 2015. 

In the chat, Nicole revealed that they almost started dating, long before she married Keith Urban and Fallon got hitched to film producer, Nancy Juvonen.

The interview got derailed when Jimmy spoke about first meeting Nicole in the early '00s, and the actress admitted "I liked you," much to the confusion of the talk-show host. 

"Rick, our mutual friend, was like 'Jimmy wants to meet you. You can go over to his apartment.' And I'm single and I'm like 'Okay'," Nicole recalled. 

Jimmy obviously starts freaking out, shouting "Did I date Nicole Kidman?!"

But alas, it sounds like the date was over before it even began. "You wouldn't talk! You wouldn't say anything," she said. "And then you put a video game on or something, and I'm like 'This is so bad!'"

Watch the brutal moment here. Post continues after video. 

The Moulin Rogue actor was left confused over the encounter with Jimmy. "I left and said 'No chemistry'. I thought 'Maybe he's gay'," she laughed. 

Fallon later reflected on the moment on The Howard Stern Show in 2017. He said he thought Nicole wanted to connect over a potential movie role, playing opposite her in 2005 remake of Bewitched.

"I don't think I would have had a chance," he said. "I don't even know what I was doing. I taught her how to play the video game." 

In light of the allegations against Jimmy... maybe it was for the best for our gal, Nicole, who has been happily married to her country singer hubby for 16 years. 

In response to the allegations detailed in Rolling Stone, a spokesperson for NBC defended the programme. 

“We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority,” the spokesperson said. “As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate.

“As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behaviour inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”

Jerry Seinfeld has come out to defend Jimmy after a segment he featured in was mentioned in the report. In one section, a staffer alleged that Jimmy once admonished a worker holding his cue cards in front of the comedian.  

“It was very awkward, and Jerry [Seinfeld] was like, ‘You should apologise to him,’ almost trying to make it a joke," they claimed. 

However, Jerry told the music magazine that “This is so stupid. I remember this moment quite well," he said. 

"I teased Jimmy about a flub, and we all had a fun laugh about how rarely Jimmy is thrown off. It was not uncomfortable at all. Jimmy and I still occasionally recall it and laugh. Idiotic twisting of events.”

Jimmy Fallon took the reins of The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2014. Prior to the gig, he hosted NBC’s Late Night for five years and spent six years on Saturday Night Live. 

This isn't Fallon's first taste of controversy. He received heavy criticism for his light touch interviewing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016. Jimmy's interview style is commonly mocked on platforms like TikTok and Twitter for often bending to the whims of his guests and laughing constantly at everything they say. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fallon has since apologised to the The Tonight Show staff in light of the Rolling Stone report. 

Fallon and showrunner Chris Miller held a Zoom meeting to apologise. “It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends,” Fallon said.

“I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”

Feature image: NBC/The Tonight Show.