Jimmy Fallon returned to The Tonight Show on Monday for the first time since the passing of his mother, Gloria, and paid a moving tribute to her during the episode.
Fallon cancelled his show last week to be by the side of his 68-year-old mother, who passed on November 4. After taking a week off to spend time with his family, he returned to The Tonight Show and tearfully addressed her death.
“She was the best audience, she was the one I was always trying to make laugh, and she was such a fan of the show and everything I did,” he said.
Fallon then told a heartbreaking story about his mother that brought him to the verge of tears, describing how when he was a child and his mother would walk him to the store, “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 and I squeezed her hand and said ‘I love you,’” said Fallon, before pausing to hold back tears and shake his head. “I just knew we were in trouble.”
“I feel so grateful to be able to do this every single night, and I’m very appreciative of all the support from all of you that my family received over the past week.”
“Mom, I’ll never stop trying to make you laugh, I love you.”
Watch above, via NBC.
[image via screengrab]
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