The Internet Won't Let Jimmy Fallon Forget His Conor McGregor Interview

Content note: the following contains sexually violent details.

Jimmy Fallon’s recent interview with MMA fighter Conor McGregor has received backlash from viewers, including The Addams Family star Christina Ricci.

The host of The Tonight Show brought McGregor on as a guest to discuss his return to UFC. 

This comes two years after the fighter was found liable by 12 jurors in a civil case after Nikita Hand accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel back in 2018.

He was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages, though McGregor denies that he raped Hand, saying they had “fully consensual sex”. 

Before the civil case, Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions made the decision not to bring criminal charges to McGregor due to insufficient evidence. Two later appeals weredismissed.

Now, fans have noticed that no clips of the McGregor interview have appeared on Kimmel’s Instagram page, even though it took place days ago. 

A comment under the talk show host’s Instagram clip, which showed his interview with Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney, reads: “Don’t want to post McGregor @jimmyfallon? Why not?” 

It has racked up over 13,000 likes as of the time of writing.

In fact, the entire comment section under the McCartney video is filled with references to the McGregor appearance. 

“Rehabilitating McGregor. I hope you’re proud of yourself,” a comment reads. 

“Jimmy Fallon supports [grape emoji]ists [calling someone a “grapist” is a way of alluding to rapists online] and then hides behind other guests when called out,” another said.

Still more simply wrote Nikita Hand’s name over and over.

Similar responses have been shared under his more recent Trump, “password” game, and Milly Alcock videos on social media.

“I’m struggling to find the clips of the predator on @jimmyfallon Was it deleted? It should be acknowledged and there should be an apology!” an Instagram user opined under his most recent Instagram upload.

Others say they used to be fans but have changed their mind since the McGregor interview.

“We loved you. We thought you were one of the good ones,” a former fan said.

Comments also included the mention of tampons – “Tampon. Surgically. Removed,” one reads.

During the 2024 trial, gynaecologist and forensic examiner, Dr Daniel Kane, said he had had to remove Kane’s “wedged” tampon with forceps.

HuffPost UK has reached out to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for comment.

Help and support: