News / TV

A.D. Miles departs as head writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

A.D. Miles, Jimmy Fallon’s first and only head writer for both Late Night and The Tonight Show, is stepping out.

“Riding Jimmy Fallon’s coattails for the past eight years has given me all the confidence I need to strike out on my own and work on a movie with Jimmy Fallon,” Miles said in a statement.

Fallon added: “Miles was there for the launch of Late Night as well as the launch of The Tonight Show. He is one of the funniest, most creative people I’ve ever met and I can’t wait to work on this next project with him. He’s family to us, and we are gonna miss him.”

Miles joined Fallon from the outset of his Late Night era in 2009, not only as head writer but also frequently seen on camera as a sketch performer over the years. Miles also sparked the impetus for Fallon’s barbershop quartet/quintet performances. Here he was last fall as Barb from Stranger Things:

As a writer/creator/performer outside of The Tonight Show, Miles has appeared as Gary in the Wet Hot American Summer movie and Netflix series, writer and performer on Comedy Central’s fake news satire Dog Bites Man, the creator/writer/star of the My Damn Channel webseries Horrible People, as well as the Atom.com webseries Hot Sluts.

So yes, Miles and Fallon are working together on an animated film. The transition to a new head writer for Fallon hasn’t been announced yet.

And as every other trade publication has noted, the transition comes just as Stephen Colbert has surged ahead of Fallon in terms of overall viewership numbers.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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