Jimmy Fallon is facing criticism online after viewers accused him of reusing one of “South Park‘s” most iconic jokes during the latest episode of “The Tonight Show.” The late-night host’s opening monologue quickly sparked debate on social media, with many fans claiming the punchline was far too similar to the animated comedy’s famous “Fishsticks” gag.
Jimmy Fallon under fire from fans for allegedly ripping off ‘South Park’ joke in monologue
The controversy began during Tuesday night’s opening monologue. Fallon introduced a news story about a man in the United Kingdom who reportedly set a world record by swallowing 15 fish sticks in one minute.
The setup immediately prompted a humorous reaction from announcer Steve Higgins. “Gross! How’d you even find him?” Higgins joked. “Geez. That’s disgusting. This is a family show, I thought.”
Fallon quickly clarified that he meant fish sticks, not what Higgins initially believed he had heard. Higgins then replied, “I feel like a fool,” completing the comedic exchange. While the audience laughed, many viewers online were less impressed.
Users spread a clip from the monologue across X after the entertainment account @latenightercom shared it. Soon, the replies filled with comparisons to “South Park’s” famous 2009 episode titled “Fishsticks.”
In that episode, Eric Cartman develops a joke built around the similar sound of the words “fish sticks” and another phrase. The gag later became one of the animated show’s most memorable jokes and even inspired an entire storyline involving Kanye West.
Several fans argued that Fallon’s monologue relied on essentially the same wordplay. One user claimed that South Park had already perfected the joke, while others questioned whether Fallon or his writing team intentionally reused the premise.
The joke’s origins have long been discussed by its creators. During the New Yorker Festival in 2014, Fishsticks co-writer Bill Hader recalled brainstorming with “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker.
Hader said the pair realized the phrase sounded like another expression and searched online to see whether anyone had used the joke before. After finding nothing similar, they built the now-iconic episode around it.
It remains unclear whether Jimmy Fallon intentionally referenced the classic “South Park” bit or simply arrived at a similar punchline independently. Neither Fallon nor NBC has publicly addressed the criticism.
The online reaction has reignited discussion around a “South Park” joke. Many fans insist the resemblance to Jimmy Fallon was too obvious to ignore.
Originally reported by Samridhi Goel on Mandatory.
