Jimmy Fallon battled a rare injury to make ‘drunk’ Thanksgiving Parade appearance, but everyone’s wishing he hadn’t

Jimmy Fallon is no stranger to being the center of attention, but his antics at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took that further and made him the internet’s biggest meme. And get this? He did it at the risk of injuring himself.

The late-night host stumbled into the yearly parade on Thursday looking more “day-after-party” than “holiday cheer” as he rocked a pair of sunglasses despite the gloomy, overcast weather and the event happening very early in the morning.

Social media immediately lit up the moment Fallon entered the scene, with many users questioning whether his parade appearance was fueled by more than just turkey and stuffing and if he had a bender hours before his working commitment.

“Jimmy Fallon wearing sunglasses in the rain is the big hangover energy America can relate to today,” one viewer quipped on X. Another chimed in, “I am holding space for drunk Jimmy Fallon this Thanksgiving morning”. Another wrote, “Painfully hungover at work is the most relatable Jimmy Fallon has ever been.”

And then came the performance. While perched on a parade float alongside his band The Roots, Fallon delivered what can only be described as a painfully lip-synced set. While some viewers were miffed about the lack of live vocals, others pointed out the long-standing tradition of pre-recorded performances at the parade. “Macy’s Parade is the lip sync battle competition! So what?” one fan wrote.

All in all, the internet did not miss a beat in making Fallon the unofficial mascot of the Thanksgiving hangover, with many users sharing creative ways of expressing how relatable and funny the television personality was during the parade.

Fallon himself seemed to take the jabs in stride. Hours after his appearance at Macy’s Parade, he hopped onto X to lean into the chaos and share a cheeky nod to “Drinksgiving” while plugging his new song “Thanksgiving Eve.”

“This ‘Drinksgiving,’ while you are at your mini high school reunion at your hometown bar, feel free to converse, laugh, and silently judge old friends but also feel free to play ‘Thanksgiving Eve’ from my new album,” Fallon wrote.

While his hungover behavior stole the spotlight, Fallon previously shared that covering the parade is more demanding than it looks. Speaking to People ahead of this year’s event, he revealed that he’d developed an injury he jokingly dubbed “waver’s elbow” after years of relentless hand-flapping at the Turkey Day event.

“I think I got it from waving on the float,” he told the outlet, describing how the repetitive motion left him with persistent elbow pain. Fallon even compared himself to royalty, saying, “I think maybe the Queen [of England] has had this ailment. I’m one of the few people that have waver’s elbow, but I’ve had it for a year and I still have it. It still hurts.”

Fallon also admitted in the interview that he would not let the injury stop him from showing up at this year’s celebration. “You can’t stop me from waving. When you see me waving this year, just know that I’m giving 110%. You don’t even have to wave back. I don’t care. It’s my job — in fact, I’d rather you not. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

Fallon’s history with the parade dates back to 2009 when he first appeared on the Gibson Guitars float. Over the years, he’s become a recurring face at the event, though this year’s sunglasses-and-lip-sync combo has secured his place as an internet legend — for better or worse.