40 Of The Most Curious “Real Life Plot Twists”, As Shared By People For Jimmy Fallon’s Challenge
The man, the comedian, the legend, Jimmy Fallon is at it again. This time, the host of The Tonight Show turned to his social media fans and asked them to share their real-life plot twists. They’re hilarious, they’re surprising, and they’re as twisty as a Slytherin’s moral compass and British crinkle-crankle walls.
We’ve collected some of the best #RealLifePlotTwist Twitter tales for you to enjoy, dear Readers, so have a scroll through. Don’t forget to upvote the ones that caught your attention the most. Have your own plot twists to share from your own lives? We can’t wait to hear them! Make sure to leave a comment or two below for us to find.
The very best responses made it on YouTube. And there’s nothing like seeing something that you posted on social media making it to the big leagues to make you feel special inside. Bored Panda had a friendly chat with entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity expert Mike Sington about late-night TV shows like Fallon's and what we can all do to get our posts noticed and featured. Read on for his full insights.
Image credits: jimmyfallon
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"The late-night shows have been adapting well to the now year-long pandemic, and continue to do so now that restrictions and lockdowns are being eased," Hollywood's Ultimate Insider Mike told Bored Panda that things are changing for the better in the entertainment industry now that there are multiple Covid vaccines being rolled out.
One great bit of news is that New York City will be allowing audiences of up to 100 in April! "I’m sure the shows will take advantage of that. My prediction is the late-night shows will be back to where they were pre-Covid this summer," Mike said.
We also spoke to Mike about what people can do to get their tweets and social media posts noticed by Fallon, other hosts, and their teams. "All the shows have social media teams that are writing and monitoring content. To grab the late-night hosts’ attention, tag the show! They will see it, they monitor every post they are tagged in."
He continued: "If the post particularly stands out, they will forward it to the writing team for the show. Other than that, it’s just a matter of luck, or a story gaining traction on social media. The writers are monitoring social media in general, combing it for content to use. You never know when something will catch their eye, and a great story is likely to pop and catch their attention." So don't lose faith if your story didn't get noticed. Try again, keep at it, and soon enough Fallon himself will feature it!
Some of us know Fallon only as a late-night TV show host. However, the New Yorker is much, much more than ‘just’ a comedian and entertainer. He has very creative aspirations. He’s a successful published author, having written such blockbuster hits like Your Baby’s First Word Will Be DADA, Everything Is MAMA, and This Is BABY.
The reason why Fallon focuses on books for families with children is that he’s a father to two girls, Winnie and Franny. For Fallon, family is everything. However, he sometimes shows his love in weird ways, like forcing them to listen to holiday music all year round. It’s a surprise that his dog, Gary, hasn’t joined Rudolph’s crew yet!
Half your age +7 mate, you're cutting it fine on that old creep line
A former senior executive at NBCUniversal, entertainment expert Mike went in-depth with Bored Panda all about late-night TV shows in an earlier interview as well. We spoke to him about how the Covid-19 pandemic had changed things and how hosts like Fallon have risen to the challenge, adapting and overcoming the endless problems thrown at them.
Mike explained to Bored Panda that TV show hosts like Fallon use social media to get closer to fans. They engage them, connect to them, and lay the foundations for a relationship. “TV hosts are sourcing material directly from social media because it’s a great way to engage with their audiences and stay connected with them.”
According to entertainment expert Mike, each of our favorite shows has a host of writers working on the material. So there’s no lack of content whatsoever. However, “nothing can top the personal, and often very funny, contributions of the fans themselves." The personal experiences that people provide can add that extra oomph that turns a good show into a great one. And fact really is stranger than fiction in some cases.
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic and the endless lockdowns, rules, and regulations have completely rewritten how we function in society. Its effect on the entertainment industry has been powerful as well. Hosts have been forced to adapt as the audiences they knew and loved left the studios and tuned in only remotely.
However, Hollywood’s Ultimate Insider Mike believes that late-night hosts have done an amazing job at coming to terms with the new circumstances, no matter that some people believe that the energy of the shows themselves has changed. Fallon and the other hosts are, in Mike’s opinion, heroes who were forced to adapt to the new normal just like everyone else.
"I commend the late-night hosts for soldering on during this months-long lockdown. So many people are isolated and alone now, and they are welcome and familiar faces we can safely bring into our homes,” the expert shared.
“I would even say what they have been doing over the past several months has been somewhat heroic because it hasn’t been easy for them. They knew early on though, the need was there, and they stepped up to the challenge," Mike told Bored Panda.
Mike said that, in his personal and professional opinion, the material that the late-night hosts have been putting out has been top-notch. And an improvement over what we saw in pre-pandemic times. We have to agree with him on that! The hosts have been great.
Good thing you have some good karma built up. You've got a wig coming to you no doubt.
I live near Munich and once met my sister with her 2 toddlers at the subway (30 mins from our hometown, she uses the subway like twice a year). She said "Oh great to see you. I hoped I might meet you to help me with the kids on our way home." I also meet family at random places at the Oktoberfest all the time. :D
“I think their material has been better than ever. Over the past year, there’s been a wealth of material in the news to utilize. The energy is there, but it’s a bit different. They’ve had to adjust to trying times and having no audience, but have done so admirably.”
It’s not just wishful thinking, though. Mike pointed out to us that the ratings for the shows have been doing great which means that the new approach had been working. “What they’re doing is paying off in the ratings which have been stronger than ever. They’ve been providing much-needed comfort and familiarity that people are craving now."
Which real-life plot twist was your favorite, dear Pandas? Did any of these genuinely catch you unaware (we know a lot of these got us!)? Got any fun stories with shocking surprises that you’d like to share with us and all of the other Pandas? Well, we can’t wait to hear what you have to say, so reach out to us and the Bored Panda community with a friendly comment.
I still don't get the whole "old enough to serve your country but too young to have a beer" thing. If an 18 year old is mature enough to make major life decisions regarding family (getting married) and career (picking a major or joining the army) then they're mature enough to have a bloody drink.
Lived in Wisconsin. One miserable, cold January, my girlfriend and I escaped winter and took a road trip down to Florida. Living it up in the Florida Keys, and having the time of our lives. She had an another week or so off work, but I had to go back to my job. So we left paradise to go back to the cold wintery hell, only to have my boss tell me when I got back that work was slow, and to take an additional 2 weeks off work..
is Javiera Gotelli going for the record for most disliked person on BP or something? If so, they're doing well.
I guess when she gets banned from the site she’ll understand it isn’t a game. People like that are just pathetic
Load More Replies...In the early 80's my dad, a very, very white man, drove his Dodge Omni with me in the carseat to Detroit to take me to the zoo. He took a wrong turn and ended up in the bad part of town. A Cadillac with tinted windows pulled up next to him, rolled down the window and a large black man said "You in the wrong neighborhood." Then he gave my dad directions to the zoo and handed me a 20 to "Buy something fun." I only know the story second hand, but I have a stuffed tiger from the Detroit Zoo that I bought with my own money.
Similar thing happened to my very white mom, about 20 yrs ago. She got lost in a neighborhood in Detroit. Young black man jumped into the passenger seat and told her "Lady, it ain't safe here." And he gave her directions to get back on a main road.
Load More Replies...A lot of these aren't plot twists, just people being pranked or something a little unusual happenning.
Plot twist: My sister had a gorgeous bridal shower. She died the next day, very suddenly. Oh, that's not the plot twist. The plot twist is that her fiance asked to have title to her car, to remember her by. He then gave her car to his girlfriend. Who then became his wife. Yeah, not really a plot twist, but hey, if he's reading this: Yes, we found out, you massively inadequate twit!
I once went to a casting for a hand model gig. As I walk in, there's a hoard of Karens commenting about wondering when the "hot models" were going to show up as they sipped on wine and ate charcuterie. Me not being a white guy, they didn't even acknowledge me when I came in. I guess the photographer that got hired had the final say because I ended up booking the gig. The look on their faces when I showed up a few days later for the actual shoot was priceless. Smithfield...b17425.jpg
Went to college (NMT) in a small New Mexico town (10,000 people). Ran into my next-door neighbor from the Bay Area. Was traveling through a rural area in Northern California. Stopped at a Chinese place for lunch. Knew the waiter from Santa Cruz. Moved to a street in a semi-rural area near Santa Cruz with 10 houses. Had connections with three people on the street. Many more such stories.
What's with so many comments having huge downvotes lately. I come here from the email (on laptop), and the first comment shown says it's hidden. When I click it there will be anywhere from 40-250 downvotes. Just started recently?
Duh. He did know when he saw her pic. That's how he knew it was one of his teachers.
Didn't Jimmy Fallon do blackface a while ago? Please tell me it was just some dumb article
As I tend to somewhat bitterly joke - If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. I'm really at a point where I either sit back and get wasted and go with the flow or I try to bulldoze my way to get to where I want and have another nervous breakdown. Being wasted is much more enjoyable.
Load More Replies...When me and my sister were in high school or perhaps just after for me, my mom got remarried. My mom was technically the first one to move out. My sister and I paid rent to mom for about a year after.
Or...maybe different women have different views and being an *actual* woman doesn't automatically make you correct in judging all situations involving women.
Load More Replies...is Javiera Gotelli going for the record for most disliked person on BP or something? If so, they're doing well.
I guess when she gets banned from the site she’ll understand it isn’t a game. People like that are just pathetic
Load More Replies...In the early 80's my dad, a very, very white man, drove his Dodge Omni with me in the carseat to Detroit to take me to the zoo. He took a wrong turn and ended up in the bad part of town. A Cadillac with tinted windows pulled up next to him, rolled down the window and a large black man said "You in the wrong neighborhood." Then he gave my dad directions to the zoo and handed me a 20 to "Buy something fun." I only know the story second hand, but I have a stuffed tiger from the Detroit Zoo that I bought with my own money.
Similar thing happened to my very white mom, about 20 yrs ago. She got lost in a neighborhood in Detroit. Young black man jumped into the passenger seat and told her "Lady, it ain't safe here." And he gave her directions to get back on a main road.
Load More Replies...A lot of these aren't plot twists, just people being pranked or something a little unusual happenning.
Plot twist: My sister had a gorgeous bridal shower. She died the next day, very suddenly. Oh, that's not the plot twist. The plot twist is that her fiance asked to have title to her car, to remember her by. He then gave her car to his girlfriend. Who then became his wife. Yeah, not really a plot twist, but hey, if he's reading this: Yes, we found out, you massively inadequate twit!
I once went to a casting for a hand model gig. As I walk in, there's a hoard of Karens commenting about wondering when the "hot models" were going to show up as they sipped on wine and ate charcuterie. Me not being a white guy, they didn't even acknowledge me when I came in. I guess the photographer that got hired had the final say because I ended up booking the gig. The look on their faces when I showed up a few days later for the actual shoot was priceless. Smithfield...b17425.jpg
Went to college (NMT) in a small New Mexico town (10,000 people). Ran into my next-door neighbor from the Bay Area. Was traveling through a rural area in Northern California. Stopped at a Chinese place for lunch. Knew the waiter from Santa Cruz. Moved to a street in a semi-rural area near Santa Cruz with 10 houses. Had connections with three people on the street. Many more such stories.
What's with so many comments having huge downvotes lately. I come here from the email (on laptop), and the first comment shown says it's hidden. When I click it there will be anywhere from 40-250 downvotes. Just started recently?
Duh. He did know when he saw her pic. That's how he knew it was one of his teachers.
Didn't Jimmy Fallon do blackface a while ago? Please tell me it was just some dumb article
As I tend to somewhat bitterly joke - If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. I'm really at a point where I either sit back and get wasted and go with the flow or I try to bulldoze my way to get to where I want and have another nervous breakdown. Being wasted is much more enjoyable.
Load More Replies...When me and my sister were in high school or perhaps just after for me, my mom got remarried. My mom was technically the first one to move out. My sister and I paid rent to mom for about a year after.
Or...maybe different women have different views and being an *actual* woman doesn't automatically make you correct in judging all situations involving women.
Load More Replies...