Tonight Show Books a Run of Big Guests and Plans Events Through 2029
NBC's Tonight Show will air a special Sunday-night telecast featuring Ariana Grande, Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, who star in the movie Focker-in-Law. Lil Baby will also perform, according to Variety.
The show's Sunday schedule is built around Sunday Night Football, the NFL game NBC airs on Sunday evenings. Fallon's late-night show follows that broadcast on those nights. Jennifer Lopez and Anthony Mackie are set for the telecast that airs after the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals game the following week, with Quavo performing. Earlier, Deadline reported that a Sunday episode was scheduled for Nov. 8, after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears game. Sylvester Stallone and Luke Bryan were among the guests lined up for the Sunday episodes, according to NewscastStudio.
The planning goes well beyond this autumn. Variety reports that the team is talking about a Thanksgiving-night program. Producers are also working on events tied to NBC's 100th anniversary, which falls in 2026, and to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The show's 75th anniversary is set for September 2029. Guest bookings for March 2027 are already under discussion.
Fallon and Late Night host Seth Meyers are believed to be under NBC contracts that lapse in 2028, according to Variety. Those contracts have not been publicly renewed or ended, so the next few years are open.
On the audience side, NBC says it tracks more than 127 million followers and subscribers across the show's digital and social platforms. Variety reports that an Oct. 20 telecast, which followed NBA opening-night play, posted an 80% increase among viewers aged 18 to 49. That is the age group advertisers watch most closely.
For viewers, the practical effect is a longer calendar of Sunday-night and holiday editions, with guests named weeks ahead. For the crew, it means more shoots, more planning, and a schedule that runs into 2029. The dates are set for some events and still being discussed for others, and NBC has not shared a full list.
