Jimmy Fallon invites Black creators on ‘Tonight Show’ following backlash

The show's previous segment with Addison Rae was called out for neglecting the Black talent behind various TikTok dances.

Jared Alexander

Apr 7, 2021

Following significant backlash from his segment with TikTok star Addison Rae, Jimmy Fallon invited Black creators on his latest episode of The Tonight Show.

As TheGrio previously reported, Fallon came under fire last week after his Addison Rae Teaches Jimmy 8 TikTok Dances segment on viral TikTok dances hit social media. The second the segment aired, many highlighted that most of the popular dances were choreographed by Black creators, none of whom were mentioned or featured.

"The Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon — “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon (above) invited nine TikTok dance creators to talk about their choreography following a harsh backlash to a recent episode featuring Addison Rae. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Reactions flooded in from fans and famous folk alike. The View co-host Sunny Hostin tweeted “This is a miss @jimmyfallon. Let’s give credit to the black creators……” Many called the entire segment a “missed opportunity.”

Now it appears Fallon has done some course-correcting on his show. On his latest episode, the host invited popular Black TikTok creators to “break down” and perform their viral dances.

Fallon immediately addressed the controversy at the top of the segment. “On our last show before break, we did a bit with Addison Rae, where she taught me eight viral TikTok dances,” he said. “Now, we recognize that the creators of those dances deserve to have their own spotlight, so right now, some of the creators will join me to talk about how their dance went viral and then perform the dance themselves.”

He talked to nine TikTok stars in total, including popular users like Mya Nicole Johnson, Chris Cotter, Dorien Scott, Fur-Quan Powell. Speaking to Johnson and Cotter, who created the hit #UpChallenge to Cardi B‘s popular song, Fallon asked the creators what it’s like to choreograph as a team. Johnson explained to Fallon: “It’s really fun, especially because we’re both really creative, so when we put our dances together, it just makes it even better.”

Cardi B gave them a massive shoutout when the challenge went big, reposting it on her social media platforms. “That was really exciting!” Johnson gushed. “She posted our video two times on her Instagram and one time on her TikTok, so yeah, that was a good experience!”

As theGrio reported, Rae gave comments to TMZ following the segment backlash, telling them at the time that Black creators “definitely deserve all the credit.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast, “Dear Culture?” Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio today!