Dakota Johnson Strikes Again

Dakota Johnson has been dubbed the "queen of ending talk show careers," thanks to a resurfaced clip of the actor being interviewed by Jimmy Fallon.

The actor was jokingly blamed for causing the downfall of The Ellen DeGeneres Show after her pushback to host Ellen DeGeneres went viral in 2021. Now, fans are suggesting that the Fifty Shades of Grey star's witty clapbacks may have derailed another popular talk show.

In light of the toxic workplace allegations against Fallon's show in Rolling Stone magazine, a clip of Johnson's appearance on The Tonight Show in 2018 has resurfaced. Johnson is attempting to tell a story to Fallon on the show, but the host keeps interrupting her.

Dakota Johnson appearing on the "Tonight Show"
Dakota Johnson (L) appearing on the 'The Tonight Show' in January 2018 with host Jimmy Fallon (R). Johnson has been dubbed the "queen of ending talk show careers," thanks to a resurfaced clip of the... Getty Images Entertainment/Theo Wargo

"Aren't you supposed to let people talk on this show?" Johnson asks Fallon, which causes the comedian to burst into laughter.

Reposting the video to X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, user @mazzypopstar told followers: "And once again Dakota Johnson was right..."

"Dakota is on to something," agreed JalynSanderson.

"She's like the high emperor of the idgaf war," said hunter.

"She's the savior this world needs but not the world deserves," wrote Rohan Choksi.

"Queen of ending talk show careers," said @SimulationOne1.

"She is bringing down talk show hosts one by one," commented K.

"She's always at the scene of the crime," said @AmaraIvey, while edwin joked "Y'all gonna get this woman blacklisted."

In 2021, footage of Johnson's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show went viral, after the comedian announced that she would be ending the talk show after 19 seasons.

DeGeneres hosted the show from 2003 to 2022, but towards the end, the series was blighted by claims of bullying and a hostile work environment.

The TV star apologized during the opening of her 18th season, but the damage appeared to be done, with a 43 percent decline in viewership after the allegations came to light.

Dakota Johnson, January 2018
Dakota Johnson during her January 2018 appearance on 'The Tonight Show'. The star has been jokingly blamed for bringing down the careers of talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon and Ellen DeGeneres. Getty Images Entertainment/Theo Wargo

During Johnson's December 2019 appearance, DeGeneres said she had not been invited to the movie star's recent 30th birthday celebration.

"How was the party? I wasn't invited," she jokingly asked Johnson. In response, the actor told DeGeneres, "I did invite you, and you didn't come."

"Ask anybody. Ask Jonathan, your producer," Johnson said. DeGeneres' producer then shouted that the comedian was "out of town" at the time.

When news broke that The Ellen DeGeneres Show run was coming to a close, fans began to repost the awkward exchange, jokingly crediting Johnson with getting DeGeneres canceled.

"Dakota Johnson has done more for society by ending Ellen DeGeneres than most of your faves have in their careers and it shows," said one X user, while another offered to buy the star a drink "immediately."

Newsweek has reached out to Dakota Johnson and Jimmy Fallon for comment via email.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more

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