Jimmy Fallon says people were rightfully mad at him over his infamous Donald Trump interview last year, but insists he didn't try to "humanise" the current US president.
The Tonight Show host received criticism for 'fawning over' the real estate tycoon in a September 2016 episode, which ended with a playful tussling of Trump's notoriously bouffant hair.
Fallon's ratings have suffered since and while he hasn't apologised, he tells the New York Times he accepts why viewers weren't happy.
"They have a right to be mad… If I let anyone down, it hurt my feelings that they didn't like it. I got it," he says, adding he should've addressed the controversy earlier.
"I didn't talk about it, and I should have talked about it. I regret that."
Fallon told reporter Dave Itzkoff messing up Trump's hair was meant to "minimise him" rather than "humanise him".
"I'm a people pleaser. If there's one bad thing on Twitter about me, it will make me upset. So, after this happened, I was devastated," he says.
"I was just trying to have fun."
Fallon isn't the only comedian remorseful over being soft on Trump.
Dave Chapelle told an audience this week that he "f**ked up" by asking people to give the former Celebrity Apprentice host "a chance" as president.
Newshub.
