Jimmy Fallon Speaks Out Against White Nationalist Rally In Charlottesville

Despite staying away from political matters during his tenure as The Tonight Show host – especially while his contemporaries don’t – Jimmy Fallon spoke poignantly about the recent upheaval in Charlottesville, Virginia, which occurred after white nationalists and supremacists organized a rally with the possible intent to incite violence.

“Even though The Tonight Show is an apolitical show, it’s my responsibility to stand up against intolerance and extremism as a human being,” Fallon began his opening monologue.

He continued, “What happened in Charlottesville, Virginia was just disgusting.”

The host went on to discuss his responsibility as a father to explain to his two young daughters the significance of the event and, more generally, how he should explain “to them that there is so much hatred in this world.”

Visibly saddened and disgusted by the events, Fallon also used part of his monologue to shame President Donald Trump for his inability to rebuke the white nationalist terrorists in the first 48 hours following the rally.

Still speaking from the perspective of a father, he said, “As kids grow up, they need people to look up to, to show them what’s right and good. They need parents and teachers, and they need leaders who appeal to the best in us.”

“The fact that it took the President two days to come out and clearly denounce racists and white supremacist is shameful, and I think he finally spoke out because people everywhere stood up and said something.”

Fallon than urged his viewers, especially his white viewers, to stand up and speak out against the actions of the white nationalists.

“We all need to stand against what is wrong, acknowledge that racism exists and stand up for what is right and civil and kind.”

His voice shaking, he finished, “We cannot do this. We can’t go backward. We can’t go backward.”

Fallon was critsized heavily during the 2016 Presidential race when he had Trump on his show and, for the most part, stayed away from political issues.

The events in Charlottesville began over the weekend when white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and Ku Klux Klan members gathered to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate military leader Robert E. Lee.

The hate groups clashed with protesters following the initial march. During the clash, James Alex Fields, an alleged Nazi sympathizer, drove his car into the crowd, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Fields has been charged with second-degree murder, hit and run, and three counts of malicious wounding.

Watch Fallon’s monologue below.