“The Muhammad Ali of Comedy”: Late-Night Hosts Pay Tribute to Robin Williams

Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Conan O'Brien shared memories of the late comedian.

On Tuesday, late-night hosts paid tribute to Robin Williams after the iconic actor and comedian was found dead in a bedroom at his home by his personal assistant on Monday.

"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"


On “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon choked back tears and praised Williams’ improvisational skills.

“His brain was always thinking 10 steps ahead of what he was saying. He was like the Muhammad Ali of comedy,” Fallon said.

Then, a clip played of Williams' first “Tonight Show” appearance with Johnny Carson, showing the comedian racing around the stage and talking to audience members.

After the video, Fallon stood on his desk and said, “Oh captain, my captain, you will be missed.”

[[271051411, C]]

"Late Night With Seth Meyers"

Seth Meyers took time out of “Late Night” to thank Williams for the joy he brought him with his films. He also talked about the issue of depression.

"If there's anything we can do to honor his memory, I would hope it would be to educate us more about this terrible affliction," Meyers said.

“We were very luck to have had him at all,” Meyers said.

[[271051571, C]]

"Conan"

Conan O’Brien, who broke the news to his audience on Monday, took time to tell a funny story about Williams. Apparently, the late comedian once bought him a bicycle “out of the blue.”

“I was kind of low and he bought me this bicycle,” O’Brien said. “It was bright orange, bright green and it had shamrocks on it. I called him up and I said I’m floored by this bike. He said ‘is it ridiculous? Do you look stupid riding in it?’ Good!”

“It was courageous to be that generous in spirit in the face of that depression,” O’Brien said. “Such a lovely, special man.”

Finally, O’Brien showed a compilation of clips from Williams’ appearances during O’Brien’s tenure on “The Tonight Show.”

Contact Us