Taylor Swift’s emotional performance on “The Tonight Show” left Jimmy Fallon in tears as the late-night host mourned the loss of his mother.
Jimmy returned to the show Monday night after taking some time off to focus on family after his mother passed away.
“As some of you know, my mother Gloria passed away recently and I canceled our shows last week to be with my family and make arrangements,” he told the audience. “She was such a fan of the show and everything I did.”
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The 43-year-old host fought back tears as he shared an emotional memory from his childhood.
“When we were little … she would squeeze my hand three times and say, ‘I love you,’ and I would squeeze back, ‘I love you, too.’ Last week I was in the hospital, at her side. I grabbed her hand and I squeezed, ‘I love you,’ and I just knew we were in trouble,” he said.
Taylor later took to the stage for a somber performance of “New Year’s Day” off her new album “reputation.” Sitting alone at a piano, the 27-year-old superstar’s beautiful performance hit close to home for Jimmy.
“You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi / I can tell that it’s gonna be a long road,” she sang. “I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe / Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home.”
The lyrics were eerily similar to the story Jimmy shared in his opening monologue, leaving “Tonight Show” staff and audience members speechless.
WATCH: Taylor Swift’s Huge ‘Reputation’ Weekend!
Taylor later took to the stage for a somber performance of “New Year’s Day” off her new album “reputation.” Sitting alone at a piano, the 27-year-old superstar’s beautiful performance hit close to home for Jimmy.
“You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi / I can tell that it’s gonna be a long road,” she sang. “I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe / Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home.”
The lyrics were eerily similar to the story Jimmy shared in his opening monologue, leaving “Tonight Show” staff and audience members speechless.
“I’m just realizing Taylor didn’t readjust the song’s lyrics for tonight’s performance. But the narrative literally applies to the words Jimmy spoke of his mother. Wow. You can’t plan these things,” musician Questlove tweeted.
I’m just realizing Taylor didn’t readjust the song’s lyrics for tonight’s performance. But the narrative literally applies to the words Jimmy spoke of his mother. Wow. You can’t plan these things @taylorswift13 @FallonTonight
— Lavondrius Meagle (@questlove) November 14, 2017
Mike DiCenzo – a writer and producer at “The Tonight Show” – revealed on Twitter that Taylor wasn’t originally scheduled to perform, but wanted to support a grieving Jimmy.
“A quick word about Taylor Swift. She was not scheduled to do our show today. But we wanted something special for this first show back, so we asked her on a complete whim, since she had been in town doing SNL,” he tweeted. “She said yes with zero hesitation.”
“I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue. We all lost it. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance,” he added.
Watch Taylor’s touching performance of “New Year’s Day” below.
— Oscar Gracey
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