Cardigans, Cardi B, and Chaos: The Wild Ride of John Mulaney on The Tonight Show

There are talk show appearances, and then there are talk show moments—the kind that effortlessly stitch themselves into the fabric of pop culture, a blend of randomness, charm, and comedic combustion. John Mulaney’s sit-down with Jimmy Fallon, featuring an unexpected run-in with Cardi B and a hilariously chaotic prom confession, is one such moment.

From the outset, Mulaney—a former Saturday Night Live writer turned celebrated stand-up—oozes gratitude, interrupting himself to gush, “I’m so excited to be on right now.” He’s not just here to promote an appearance or hawk a special. He’s here bearing gifts—literally. Fallon, a new dad, is handed a gender-neutral baby cardigan from Mulaney and his wife. “It’s a cardigan—or as I call it, a Cardi G,” Mulaney quips.

It’s a joke tailor-made for late-night: silly, slightly offbeat, and effective. Fallon and Cardi B, perched nearby, erupt in laughter. “It’s such a little Cardi G,” Fallon squeals in a cartoonishly high voice, clutching the baby-sized sweater. But the comedic energy only begins to ramp up.

What follows is a cocktail of improvisational brilliance and low-key chaos, emblematic of what makes Mulaney a beloved comedic figure. When Cardi B turns to Mulaney and says, “You look British,” the room combusts again. It’s hard to say whether it’s the randomness of the comment or the sincerity in her voice that hits hardest. Mulaney, without missing a beat, responds, “I think thank you.” And when she follows up with “like one of the Pet Shop Boys,” the audience loses it.

It’s a moment that encapsulates Cardi B’s eccentric charm and Mulaney’s ability to roll with any jab and spin it into gold.

Of Shuffle Playlists and Tom Jones Madness

The conversation soon veers into Mulaney’s musical tastes—or rather, the wild company Cardi B keeps on his shuffle playlist. Between clips of his own comedy albums, Steely Dan, and Tom Jones, Cardi’s name pops up. This segues into one of Mulaney’s most viral anecdotes: the legendary “What’s New Pussycat?” prank.

At age 11, Mulaney and his friends pumped $7 into a diner jukebox, selecting Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat?” 21 times in a row. “They lost their minds,” he says, his eyes sparkling with mischievous pride. The staff eventually unplugged the jukebox after 11 consecutive plays.

This might sound like the definitive apex of musical trolling—until Mulaney reveals he’s been bested. A high school student named Gabe recently snuck into his school’s intercom system and played the same song 22 times in a row, for 45 full minutes, leading to the cancellation of school for the day. “He got suspended for three days and couldn’t go to prom,” Mulaney says, clearly both impressed and a little envious. Fallon is left nearly breathless in laughter.

Prom Night: Limos, Lies, and Lost Love

And just like that, prom night is on the table.

The conversation veers unexpectedly into Cardi B’s own prom saga—an experience that starts with heartbreak and ends in a tantalizingly vague mystery. She recalls being dumped two weeks before prom, theorizing that her then-boyfriend just didn’t want to spring for the limo.

“But then that night…” she teases, trailing off, eyes twinkling with implication. Fallon pushes for more. “Did someone pay for the limo?” he asks. “Was someone in the limo?” Cardi eventually admits, “Yeah.” But the full story? Sealed under celebrity lock and key. “I can’t get into it,” she deflects. “Kids watch me now.”

The crowd howls. Fallon teases her gently, “You already got us 90% of the way there,” but Cardi’s lips are sealed. Her laughter, however, tells its own story.

Meanwhile, Mulaney offers a far more wholesome prom image: “My Nana drove me to prom,” he shares, prompting another round of laughter. The contrast between their experiences couldn’t be more striking—Cardi’s shrouded in cheeky secrecy, Mulaney’s drenched in dorky charm.

From Spy to Star: Hosting Saturday Night Live

Eventually, the conversation pivots toward Mulaney’s big week: he’s back at Saturday Night Live, not as a writer, but as host. “I worked behind the scenes for so long, it’s like I was a spy. And now they’re like, ‘Hey, you should run for president.’ I’m like, ‘I know too much to do that.’”

It’s a classic Mulaney-ism: dry, self-aware, and infused with modesty. His comedic timing and cadence suggest he could probably read a cereal box and have a studio audience in stitches.

Fallon praises Mulaney’s previous SNL episodes as “fantastic,” a sentiment most fans would agree with. Mulaney has hosted multiple times before, each outing featuring eccentric sketches like “Diner Lobster” and “Cha Cha Slide,” earning him a spot in the show’s unofficial “host hall of fame.”

Radio City Revelations and Nervous Trills

Before signing off, Fallon highlights Mulaney’s recent stand-up special at Radio City Music Hall. “They have a room specifically for giraffes,” Mulaney marvels, referencing the venue’s nativity scene preparations. “It was nicer than my dressing room.”

The randomness continues: Were giraffes really in the nativity scene? “No—camels! Not giraffes,” he corrects himself. But the visual of a gospel-infused giraffe peeking around the corner of the Christmas set lingers in the collective imagination.

When Fallon asks if he was nervous performing at such an iconic venue, Mulaney answers candidly: “I’ve been nervous for 35 years.” But he calms himself with a bizarre technique: trilling. A high-pitched, vibrating tongue sound that Fallon and Cardi attempt to mimic, resulting in a trio of semi-successful, semi-embarrassing trills that leave the audience in stitches.

The Takeaway: Unfiltered, Unscripted Joy

John Mulaney’s Tonight Show appearance wasn’t just a promotional pit stop—it was a perfect storm of unscripted brilliance. Between Cardi B’s limo confession, Mulaney’s jukebox chaos, and the giraffe room at Radio City, it was the kind of segment that transcends celebrity interviews and becomes a cultural moment.

It’s a reminder that live television, when done right, still has the power to delight, disarm, and deliver the unexpected. Whether you came for the jokes, the cardigan, or the prom tea Cardi almost spilled, this was late-night TV at its chaotic best.