Jimmy Fallon's friends fight back over Tonight Show comedian's drinking

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NBC star has been hit by claims network is concerned about his drinking
Questions also raised about strength of his marriage to Nancy Juvonen
But friends fired back today and told Daily Mail Online: 'No one is worried.'
Three injuries he has suffered in recent months 'not drink-related' - source
'He does like to grab a beer after long hours of work... he enjoys life.'
Fallon, 41, put in assured performance last night on show

Published: 15:55 EST, 3 November 2015 | Updated: 21:31 EST, 3 November 2015

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Friends of Jimmy Fallon today mounted a fightback on behalf of the embattled Tonight Show comedian insisting he does not have a drinking problem and that his marriage is robust.

Sources close to The Tonight Show star exclusively told Daily Mail Online that concerns he was off the rails were unwarranted and he was completely focused on the job.

A friend said: 'Reports of Jimmy's out-of-control drinking are simply not true. No one is 'worried.'

'He works 12-15 hours a day and is involved in every aspect of production. He learns songs, dances, comedy routines, skits and he is involved in the daily writing of the monologue.

'All of this work takes enormous focus and he puts on an exceptional show each night. It would be impossible to do this work if he were partying all the time.'

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Family: Jimmy Fallon and wife Nancy Juvonen were seen yesterday as questioned surfaced over the strength of their marriage amid claims he is drinking excessively. Friends today said their marriage is strong

Assured: This host put on an assured performance last night, although his injured hand was visible. Last week Fallon fell and cut his finger on a broken Jagermeister bottle at Harvard University

On with the show: Jimmy Fallon made a fresh-faced appearance on The Tonight Show on Monday amid widespread reports of excessive drinking and an uncertain future at NBC

Concerns had been raised after Fallon injured himself last weekend for the third time in fourth months when he fell and cut his finger on a smashed Jagermeister bottle at a college event. The accident left him with stitches in his hand.

The comedian, 41, refused to comment on rumors of his hard-partying ways to Daily Mail Online on Monday near his New York home.

He appeared downcast and disheveled when he arrived at his Gramercy apartment with wife, Nancy Juvonen, and daughter in a Chevrolet Suburban SUV at around 11am.

His marriage is strong and solid and he is very much in love with his wife. He spends all his spare time with her and their young daughters.'

Source tells Daily Mail Online

About 30 minutes later, the couple left the building all smiles as photographers gathered.

Fallon appeared to have trouble moving his left arm and shoulder as he followed his film producer wife, 48, who was carrying the couple's two-year-old daughter Winnie. The couple have a second daughter, Frances, who will turn one in December.

The friend also denied that the star's eight-year marriage was in trouble - a claim raised in the wake of the questions over his drinking.

'His marriage is strong and solid and he is very much in love with his wife,' a source told Daily Mail Online. 'He spends all his spare time with her and their young daughters.'

On Monday night, Fallon gave a polished performance on the live broadcast of The Tonight Show, his injured finger visible as he ran through skits and interviewed guests Bryan Cranston and Rachel Maddow.

Fallon was injured while celebrating at a party in his honor on October 24 after he was awarded The National Lampoon Elmer Award for Excellence in Humor by Harvard University's legendary comedy magazine.

Jimmy Fallon was seen arriving at his New York home on Monday with his wife and daughter amid concerns that his marriage is in trouble over his excessive drinking. Jimmy refused to comment on the reports to Daily Mail Online

Just a few hours before the show a tired and slightly disheveled Fallon was seen arriving at NBC Studios

He had been seen the evening before dining at Italian restaurant Scalinatella in the Upper East Side, sipping wine and posing for photos with fans (pictured)

A fan posted video to Instagram of the incident where Fallon can be seen holding a beer as he greets fans on the street. As he turned away, he tripped over a woman who had knelt down behind him.

He was rushed to Massachusetts General but soon returned to Harvard, where photos showed he continued partying with his hand wrapped in bandages.

The comedian posted a photo of his injury to social media the following day, writing 'nothing that a few band aids couldn't fix'.

The source close to Fallon told Daily Mail Online: 'When he was in Boston, the Jaigermeister bottle was handed to him as part of the Harvard Lampoon planned ceremony. A young woman abruptly appeared at his feet as he was turning and he fell over her.

'It was not his fault and sadly comes on the heels of his accident when he tripped over a rug during home renovations.'

The friend described Fallon as 'clumsy', adding: 'None of these accidents were alcohol-related.'

But the source said that the star does sometimes like to blow off steam after long work days.

'He does like to grab a beer after long hours of work with the writers sometimes and he enjoys life.'

An NBC insider told Daily Mail Online: ‘It’s no secret that Jimmy likes to have fun… but he couldn’t do what this job requires if he was partying all the time.’

The source said The Tonight Show has an ‘ambitious schedule’ - taping Monday to Friday for at least 12 hours every day.

It was also false that Fallon had missed two weeks of the show following his serious finger injury in July – and in fact had only been absent once, the insider said.

‘That two-week hiatus was previously planned and outside of his girls being born, he’s only missed one show. He’s in every meeting for monologues, segments, talent interviews and creative.’

Fallon's Harvard incident followed a more serious injury in June. He was rushed to hospital after nearly severing a finger when he caught his wedding ring on a table corner during a freak fall at home.

He had been seen the evening before dining at Italian restaurant Scalinatella on the Upper East Side, sipping wine and posing for photos with fans.

The comedian was forced to undergo surgery to save his finger, and spent 10 days in intensive car, forcing the Tonight Show to go on a two-week hiatus.

He later shared a photo of his cast on Twitter, writing: 'Tripped and caught my fall (good thing)! Ring caught on side of table almost ripped my finger off (bad thing).'

The funnyman lamented that he was 'tweeting with one hand', also adding that he was 'drugged' and 'blessed'.

Interacting and partying with fans is nothing new for Fallon, making his night out on Thursday par for the course for the popular host (pictured on a segment with Fergie)

The star took a tumble last week - the third time he's been hurt and sources say NBC are worried about the party-loving comedian's drinking (file picture)

Fallon then chipped his tooth while trying to tend to his injured finger eight weeks later. He later posted a selfie to Instagram of his trip to the dentist for an emergency procedure to fix his smile.

'Chipped front tooth trying to open tube of scar tissue repair gel for recovering finger injury. Thank you Dr. Jobe DDS! #BestSummerEver,' he wrote with a sarcastic nod to his June finger injury.

Interacting and partying with fans is nothing new for Fallon. He is frequently seen at restaurants and bars around New York City and is always happy to pose with fans and have a few drinks.

The friend told Daily Mail Online: 'He is very accommodating to his fans when they ask for selfies or photos.'

A restaurant manager at a popular seafood joint where Fallon and his family ate this weekend described him as extremely approachable.

On Sunday, the TV star had tweeted his thanks to Claudio's restaurant in Greenport, New York, which is close to his other home in Sagaponack.

The star wrote: 'Thank you Claudio's in Greenport!! Best chowder, best people. #familyowned'

Claudio's confirmed to Daily Mail Online that Jimmy and his family had come to the restaurant for Sunday lunch.

A manager said: 'He's a very nice man, very sociable.

'He didn't try to push anyone away and a lot of people came up to them.

'I said 'so much for having a quiet lunch at Claudio's' and he said he really didn't mind and he had been there in the summer when it was much busier.'

Rumors of marriage trouble go hand in hand with reports of the NBC star's out-of-control drinking

Jimmy fallen: He was forced to cancel that night's episode of his show as he required minor surgery

The manager said that there were no alcoholic drinks ordered and added: 'They were lovely people.'

An NBC spokesperson said: 'Jimmy Fallon is a highly valued member of the NBC family who is both a tireless worker and an extraordinarily gifted performer.

'His dedication in putting on a great show each and every night is unparalleled, and that is reflected in the large amount of viewers who tune in - he frequently outrates the broadcast competition combined.

'We are proud of his accomplishments on and off camera and look forward to working with him for many years to come.'

In August, Fallon's Tonight Show contract was extended until 2021.

The network announced last week that a Jimmy Fallon Universal Park ride will be ready in 2017.

However a source from NBC had told Daily Mail Online on Monday that 'there was something to worry about' over the star's drinking.

Fallon's family refused to be drawn on the rumored concerns.

At her home in the well-heeled suburb of Larchmont, New York, his sister Gloria, 42, slammed the door in a Daily Mail Online reporter's face when asked about her brother's drinking.

Gloria, who writes a blog about growing up with her one-year younger sibling for the Tonight Show website, claimed not to know about press reports of Jimmy's out-of-control behavior.

In a 2014 Vanity Fair article about her brother, Gloria said her parents- also called James and Gloria -were very protective of young Jimmy as he grew up in Saugerties, NY. 'We weren't even allowed to cross the street on our own until we were 10 or 12,' she said.

But Jimmy said the one uncharacteristic thing his parents allowed him to do was sit and drink beer as he watched Saturday Night Live.

'As long as I wasn't doing anything at night, I'd just sit by myself, and I would have a six-pack of Pabst,' he told the magazine. 'I don't know if I made it through the six, but I'd just sit there and watch the show. And tape it.'

Childhood drinking: Fallon said 'As long as I wasn't doing anything at night, I'd just sit by myself, and I would have a six-pack of Pabst.'

Fallon chipped his tooth over the summer while trying to tend to his injured finger and posted a selfie on Instagram

In a 2014 profile in New York, Fallon even admitted to enjoying the time he gets with some of his more inebriated fans after being approached by a few, saying: 'In L.A. you wouldn't get those two drunk people coming up to me.'

In January, an inebriated Fallon was filmed drinking shots and singing at the West Village gay bar Marie's Crisis.

He even got on top of the piano at one point and sang 'Theme from Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)'.

Last year, the star narrowly escaped a bar room brawl at the East Village of Manhattan's Niagara.

The New York Post's Page Six reported that the television host along with a group of friends and co-workers headed to the bar after work to a rather cold reception.

One source told the gossip site: 'There was some hostility from some people at the bar. Jimmy was not the aggressor, but he was caught up in it. It was broken up and Jimmy and his friends immediately left.'

The comedian did not let his near-brush with violence get in the way of his show hosting duties as he continued taping his show the next day.

One New York bartender told the New York Post she had served him numerous times over the years and remembered him partying late into the night.

'He's a mess,' she told the New York Post. 'Everything you've heard [about his behavior] is true.'

Last year, Fallon's former Saturday Night Live co-star, Horatio Sanz, told New York magazine they had both been 'superfunctioning alcoholics' to blow off steam from the stresses of the job.