Jimmy Fallon Gives TikTok Dancers Credit on The Tonight Show
Jimmy Fallon *Finally* Gives TikTok Dancers Credit Following Addison Rae Controversy
Jimmy Fallon is finally giving credit where it's due. Ten days after stirring up backlash for inviting Addison Rae on The Tonight Show to perform TikTok choreography she had no hand in creating, the late-night host redirected the spotlight to shine on those who originated the popular dances. During Monday night's episode, Fallon interviewed the talented TikTok entertainers behind five dances that have gone viral on the app and had them show off the moves from their own homes. The featured creators included:
- Mya Johnson (@theemyanicole) and Chris Cotter (@cchrvs): "Up"
- Dorien Scott (@yvnggprince): "Corvette Corvette"
- Fur-Quan Powell (@flyboyfu) and Camyra Franklin (@17slumz): "Laffy Taffy"
- Adam Snyder, Nate Nale, and Greg Dahl (@macdaddyz): "Blinding Lights"
- Keara Wilson (@keke.janajah): "Savage"
At the start of the segment, Fallon briefly acknowledged the controversy he and Rae drummed up last week, stating, "On our last show before break, we did a bit with Addison Rae where she taught me eight viral TikTok dances. Now we recognise that the creators of those dances deserve to have their own spotlight." Rae has yet to apologise for co-opting the work of those Black creators, although she did say "it's kind of hard to credit during the show" and she supports "all of them so much." After Fallon's latest segment aired, she shared a screenshot of it on her Instagram Stories and wrote, "so happy these creators were able to be highlighted, I hope we can all dance soon . . . show them love!"
When POPSUGAR spoke with "Up" challenge creator Mya Johnson prior to her appearance on The Tonight Show, she told us, "This isn't the first time this has happened, and I don't want it to continue. I feel like it is very important for us to get our credit because we are very good creators that are very overlooked in what we do." Let's hope Fallon's fumble and subsequent correction breaks the cycle and starts a new trend of giving original creators their flowers from the get-go.
