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After a week off from his show following his mother’s passing, Jimmy Fallon returned to host The Tonight Show Monday night.
Clearly trying hard to hold back his tears, an emotionally shaken Fallon proceeded the show with first remembering her late mom, Gloria Fallon, and thanking his audience for their love and support.
“She was the one I was always trying to make laugh and she was such a fan of the show, and everything I did,” he said.
Fallon also spoke on how he and Gloria would often squeeze each other’s hands as a gesture of love when he was young – a gesture, when not reciprocated by her mother last week – helped him determine that something wasn’t right.
Later in the show, when Taylor Swift appeared to debut her new song, “New Year’s Day” with a performance, everyone was taken aback by the coincident of the lyric featuring lines similar to the story Fallon shared with the audience.
“You squeeze my hands three times in the back of the taxi.” Swift sang, unknowingly putting more meaning to the song.
Mike DeCenzo, writer and producer of the show, spoke on the incidental similarities between Fallon’s story and Swift’s lyrics and how they hadn’t any idea about the connection before.
“I could see Jimmy silhouetted at his desk dabbing his eyes with a tissue,” DiCenzo said. “We all lost it. It was a beautiful coincidence in a beautiful performance.”
“The story about his mom squeezing his hand 3 times to say “I love you” when he was a kid, and then him squeezing her hand in the hospital – he hadn’t told any of us that story,” DeCenzo wrote on Twitter. “She sang “New Year’s Day.” No one had heard it. Suddenly she sings the line, “Squeeze my hand 3 times in the back of the taxi.” I nearly gasped. Tears. I think everyone in the audience started sobbing.”
Watch Swift perform in tribute to Fallon and his mother below:
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