Jimmy Fallon Surprised Marjory Stoneman Douglas Students at Their Graduation
Jimmy Fallon loves to pull off surprises on TheTonight Show, and on Sunday, he made a pretty special one happen for the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida.
The late-night host showed up to deliver a surprise commencement speech to the graduating students at the school that, in February, suffered a horrific mass shooting that killed 17 people.
“Today you’re graduating from high school,” he said in his speech, according to CNN. “You should feel incredibly proud of yourselves. That doesn’t mean you should rest on your laurels — or your yannys.”
The comedian made sure to keep things light with his trademark goofy humor, and some students even thanked him for a “good laugh.” But Fallon also included moments of sweet sincerity as he spoke to the students about their “courage and bravery,” and about moving forward. “When something feels hard, remember that it gets better,” Fallon continued. “Choose to move forward. Don’t let anything stop you.”
The SNL alum stuck around for the duration of the ceremony, posing for photos afterward and meeting the new grads. Fallon previously praised the Marjory Stoneman Douglas students for their activism in the weeks following the horrific February 14 shooting, and also appeared at the March For Our Lives demonstration with his wife and two kids.
“You’re not the future, you’re the present,” Fallon said in his surprise graduation speech. “You are the present. You are succeeding. You are making us proud. You are changing the world, so keep changing the world and keep making us proud.”
What do you think of Jimmy Fallon’s surprise graduation speech? Let us know @BritandCo.
(photo via Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage)