If you’ve been anywhere near TikTok – or basically any other social media app – lately, you’ve likely seen The Costco Guys. The guys have amassed a huge fanbase, but Jimmy Fallon may not be one of them.
For those not in the know, The Costco Guys are A.J. (Andrew Befumo) and Big Justice — a Florida-based father and son with a big passion for the big-box warehouse store and everything it has to offer, helping them amass hundreds of millions of views on TikTok. The pair, often with other family members in tow, have some big appetites, too – often seen downing Costco chicken bakes and hot dogs, as well as their personal favorite, the chocolate chunk cookies.
The boys also have their own sidekick – The Rizzler, a third-grade boy of no relation, famous in his own right for his bags of charm and energy, and of course, his signature “rizz face”. Now, the fame of the Costco Guys, alongside The Rizzler, has propelled them to late-night ratings giant The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
While the internet sensations got some giggles out of the late-night host, especially when Fallon and his band tried the signature rizz face, fans of the food fanatics think that Fallon was faking his amusement with the Costco Guys, getting increasingly annoyed with the boys the longer the segment went on.
Social media users were quick to point out Fallon’s smile falling from his face, especially when A.J, Big Justice, and The Rizzler kept repeating “BOOM!” — the rating system they use when reviewing food, with five BOOM!s being the highest, of course. Talk shows packed with guests and various segments are tight for time at the best of times, but the new stars were not used to the scheduling in the world of television.
During one segment, A.J. whipped out their signature catchphrase — one that the guys wrote an entire song about — while directed at the audience, “WE BRING THE BOOM!”, leaving a seemingly exasperated Fallon saying “alright yes…the boom,” in a quiet voice.
At another moment, Big Justice wanted to bring out his five-star rating, yelling “FIVE BIG BOOMS! BOO-” before being interrupted by Fallon, raising his hand. “Okay, yep. Five big booms, yes,” Fallon said flatly, before moving on to a segment on Halloween.
Twitter (or X, depending on your enjoyment of Elon Musk) was having none of Fallon’s disrespect for Costco Guys. “He was kinder to Trump than he was to The Rizzler….” one user posted in response, including a photo of the highly-criticized moment in 2016 when Fallon ruffled Trump’s hair when the future President was interviewed on his show.
“Did anyone else notice Jimmy Fallon’s barely contained contempt for the Costco Guys and their BOOM Meter?” entertainment channel WatchMojo asked.
Others thought this was a rare case of Fallon’s TV host personality slipping. “Watching Fallon let the mask slip every now and then is the funniest s*** ever,” darobrobber tweeted. “I need to see this man become The Joker.”
This wasn’t the last Joker comparison – others posted memes comparing the interview to the 2019 film Joker (2019), in which the titular character is invited on a talk show and gets into a huge argument with the host and fellow guests, eventually causing a city-wide outbreak of anti-authoritarian violence.
Others felt that the lighthearted whimsy of the Costco lovers just wasn’t right for late night. “I don’t feel right watching the Costco guys on Fallon because they should’ve been on Ellen,” one fan wrote. “This isn’t right.”