Jimmy Fallon and his wife, Nancy Juvonen, have been married for 12 years and are dad and mom to two daughters, Winnie and Franny. Since Jimmy has been filming new episodes of The Tonight Show at home, his family has become part of the experience. Viewers are definitely interested in learning more about the family of four — so much so that Jimmy and Nancy have started their own segment, "Ask the Fallons."
Recently, they decided to open up about their struggle with infertility while trying to have children. They said that they both knew they wanted kids from the beginning of their relationship, with Jimmy asking, "That was always the plan, right?"
Nancy quickly agreed and added, "It wasn’t even an ‘Are you ready?’ It was just like, ‘Now how are you going to do this?’ and that was a whole other question."
She then went on to share that it took the couple five years to conceive their oldest daughter, Winnie.
Nancy also said that they didn't want to give up, even though trying to have a child was a challenge:
"At a certain point it had to almost become a job because it’s way too emotional to live emotionally through that. So you just keep going and going and going, and if you really want something, you just make it happen. And you have all of these things where you go, ‘Yeah, but I would never do that. Yes, but I would never to that, but I would never …’ Then, all the sudden, you’re like, ‘Hey, I’ll do that. If it’s for my family, I’ll do anything.’"
She also said that she's learned that you can't give up on what you want: "I think if anyone’s out there having the dream, do not give up. Because I realized, too, that unlike even becoming a multibillionaire, you can stumble upon a lottery ticket and win it and win the lottery — but you will not ever stumble upon a child that you can love and have as your family. So don’t give up!"
Jimmy had previously spoken about what those five years were like. After Winnie's birth, he told Savannah Guthrie, "We've tried a bunch of things. Anyone who's tried will know, it's just awful."
He also added that they had a lot of disappointments along the way: "We tried before, we told people and then it didn't happen. And it's just really depressing. It's really hard on everybody."
Happily, Jimmy and Nancy were able to welcome Winnie into their family with the help of a surrogate. This also allowed them to keep news of the pregnancy under wraps, and Jimmy's coworkers didn't know he was expecting a baby until she was born. "We said, ‘We’re not going to tell anybody. It’d be just more fun if it’s just private between me and my wife. And then we get to introduce her to everybody."
After announcing their daughter's name, Jimmy also had to explain the motivation behind the choice. "It's not Winnie-the-Pooh at all … though I do love Winnie-the-Pooh. My wife and I got engaged in New Hampshire at this lake house that her family's had forever, and it's on Lake Winnipesaukee. And so we went there every summer as we were dating."
The couple decided to add to their family the following year, and their second daughter, Frances, was born via surrogate in December 2014. Jimmy took three days off from this show, and then surprised everyone by sharing photos of the new baby when he came back.
"That’s just a cute little baby, right? I just want to say it’s just a big deal for us and I just want to thank everyone, the nurses and the doctors and our surrogate, who had our baby. There are angels in Dallas, Texas."
Jimmy and Nancy have loved being parents. After Winnie's birth, Jimmy shared, "This has been the craziest year of my life. But being a father is the most exciting, amazing thing that ever happened to me. And everything’s going well on the show. My life has never been this cool."
He also said that the long wait for fatherhood was absolutely worth it: "We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there's anyone out there who is trying and they're just losing hope … just hang in there. Try every avenue; try anything you can do, 'cause you'll get there. You'll end up with a family, and it's so worth it. It is the most 'worth it' thing. I'm just so happy right now. I'm freaking out."
These days, Franny and Winnie have a fan base all of their own. Since they've been showing up on new episodes of their dad's show, people have fallen in love with the girls. Jimmy has said that they like helping him, but they don't really understand exactly what it is they're doing.
"They have no idea. They don't even really realize that they're on a show or anything yet. I just say I'm putting this on The Tonight Show and they're like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.' They don't really quite understand."
He also said that while he's previously been pretty protective of his kids, we're all in unusual times, so it makes sense to include them. "So they know that that's going to get a laugh, if I say, ‘Are you going to laugh at me?' and they go, ‘No.' They're doing it for a laugh. But you get to see how different they are. I've never had my kids on Instagram or any socials but, at this point, desperate times, desperate measures."
He also loves all the extra time they're spending together. "I am getting to spend so much time with my kids, which I really love. They're amazing. I don't know if the feeling's mutual, but I absolutely love hanging out with them. I'm going to be sad when I have to go back to work."
