“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” chose The University of Texas at Austin to tape its first-ever college campus show.
Longhorn Nation, as you might expect, gave the show a proper Texas welcome. Fallon and his crew got special tours of campus including a meeting with President Gregory L. Fenves and behind-the-scenes access to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Welcomed @jimmyfallon to the Forty Acres with a custom @TexasFootball jersey. Looking forward to tonight’s live taping of @FallonTonight on campus #FallonAtUT 🤘 pic.twitter.com/fJkhfwQmFs
— Greg Fenves (@gregfenves) November 7, 2019
The episode was taped in the Bass Concert Hall, decked out in glowing burnt orange and white.
Two thousand five hundred students won tickets in a lottery, and others waited hoping to get in on standby. Those lucky to attend the taping got to enjoy a great show. The lineup included UT professor and Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey, “Fixer Upper” hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines, and rapper Gucci Mane.
The show wasn’t just fun and games. It was fun and life-changing for three UT students.
Alma Zamora and Elizabeth Yun from the Moody College of Communication and Fitzgerald Alan from the College of Fine Arts had been chosen to help “The Tonight Show” with the special taping. They were invited on stage to introduce themselves, and the crew surprised them with a holiday gift bundle from Samsung and selfie shots with Fallon. The students didn’t know that when they huddled together for their star selfie, Fallon would surprise them beyond their dreams.
“Samsung is going to pay for the remainder of your college tuition,” Fallon said. Shocked and excited, the students screamed as confetti and balloons fell from the ceiling and fireworks played on the big screen.
Thank you, Jimmy Fallon, for bringing “The Tonight Show” to UT Austin.
Wrote a few thank you notes today📝… @jimmyfallon @McConaughey @gucci1017 @FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/6ImSnSmO8G
— Greg Fenves (@gregfenves) November 9, 2019
Y’all come back now, you hear?
