Condolences Pour In as Fallon’s Memories of Gary Resurface—and Debate Over His Recent Performances Reignites

Within hours, Fallon’s comments filled with sympathy and recognition of what many consider family grief. Actress Chrissy Metz wrote, “I am so sorry to you and your family, Jimmy.💔Sure sounds like you were all beautifully changed by one another.✨🫶🏼.” Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman added, “So very sorry for your loss Jimmy [sic]. Dogs are family. Sending thoughts and prayers.” Al Roker shared, “We lost our fur baby last year and [sic] it still hurts. But what love!” Cheri Oteri offered, “I know that Love and loss and I’m so sorry. We only get them for a short time but they come to open our hearts🐾❤️ [sic].” Fans echoed the sentiment: “🐾❤️ Gary will continue to watch over all his Fallon Family forever smiling ❤️ [sic].” Others thanked him for sharing Gary during at-home broadcasts: “Thinking of you and your family during this difficult time. I loved seeing clips of Gary over the years especially during your Covid show thanks for sharing Gary with us too. 🌈🐾❤️‍🩹💔 [sic].” One message summed up the bond: “🌈🐾💔🙏. She’ll be watching and waiting for you. You gave her a beautiful life. Sweet condolences,” while another reflected on memory’s comfort: “It’s always so sad to say goodbye when you think they’ve given you some beautiful memories and a lot of good times ….💔 times together you’ll never forget.”

His community remembrance also revived favorite posts: a sun-drenched poolside clip captioned, “This summer is gonna be GOLDEN,” and a playful snapshot of Gary with a newspaper—”My dog Gary reads all my press and only tells me when it’s good news,”—followed by a nod to a career milestone: “She couldn’t believe I had a two-page, ‘above the fold’ spread […] She also noticed that even SHE got a mention. She considers this a ‘rave!'”

The loss arrives months after a different kind of spotlight. Following his “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” performance, viewers were split. Critics posted, “Wow way to ruin a classic,” “Dan Aykroyd and John’s brother Jim couldn’t make it? Why is Fallon up there?” “Terrible.” and “Worst part of this great concert.” Others praised the energy: “Awesome.” “This is incredible!!!” “Great job. Jimmy’s so talented!”

Debate similarly trailed his 2024 Thanksgiving Parade set—some quipped, “It’s raining at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Why is Jimmy Fallon wearing these sunglasses lol.” and “Jimmy Fallon ruined it,” alongside, “Can’t say who was worse Jimmy Fallon or Al Roker with their choice of attire in front of the whole world!? [sic].” Detractors said, “Jimmy Fallon is so embarrassing,” and “Such second hand [sic] embarrassment for Jimmy Fallon.” Supporters countered: “Jimmy Fallon looks cool in sunglasses! Good seeing him and The Roots perform in the rain at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024!” “Jimmy Fallon is doing the most at this parade but [sic] it’s hilarious too.” “No idea that Jimmy sang until today!” and “U slayed it with ur song!! Get well soon! [sic].”

In this moment, however, the conversation is simpler and more human. The shared condolences form a digital vigil, honoring a dog whose presence stitched together ordinary days—and whose memory now does the same.