Jimmy Fallon Lawsuit Accuses Star of Gender Bias... Against Men

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on January 24, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon likes to be bossed around by women. Or so says a lawsuit filed by Paul Tarascio, a former stage manager on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The Jimmy Fallon lawsuit, filed in a Manhattan court, accuses the star of gender bias in the workplace. Tarascio claims he, along with other male staffers, were demoted and replaced with less qualified women.

It also quotes director David Diomedi as saying, "Jimmy just prefers to take direction from a woman."

This isn't the first time Tarascio has accused Fallon and the Late Night crew of discrimination. The former stage manager filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York Division of Human Rights last year.

It's unclear whether either agency found evidence of gender discrimination, as they do not have the resources to file suit in every meritorious case. Instead, the agencies provide each complainant with a Notice of Right-to-Sue, which gives individual plaintiffs the ability to file suit in federal court.

A Notice of Right-to-Sue is also not evidence of discrimination -- such letters are given to all complainants within 180 days of filing. No proof is necessary.

There's thus no way to tell whether the Jimmy Fallon lawsuit is based on true facts or is merely frivolous. NBC and Fallon's attorneys have yet to make a statement. However, they will likely deny the claims, seeing as how they refused to settle when the allegations first arose in July.

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