Jimmy Fallon Celebrates Steve Higgins’ Birthday With Drinks And Surprise High School Memories

Jimmy Fallon took time out of the August 13, 2015, show to wish Steve Higgins a happy birthday, eliciting roaring applause from the audience. Steve is an integral part of The Tonight Show, always standing by as Jimmy’s right-hand man.

Jimmy Fallon and Steve Higgins went out to a Red Lobster for dinner, then proceeded to have drinks at a restaurant that the two raved about: Eleven Madison Park Restaurant. Both Jimmy and Steve agreed that every dish is delicious, and Jimmy even said that “every dish is like a trick or something.”

Jimmy Fallon unveiled an adorably hilarious anecdote about the drinks they were made at Eleven Madison Park: the owner of the establishment went out of his way to give Steve a gigantic Manhattan, while making an incredibly small gin and tonic for Jimmy. Steve described his drink as being housed in a “vase” with a huge cucumber sticking out of it.

As a surprise, Jimmy Fallon pulled out Steve’s high school yearbook, the “Roosevelt Round-up.” Jimmy assured there was “nothing that bad” or “embarrassing” in the book, but highlighted some pictures of a far younger Steve Higgins. Lastly, Jimmy pointed out that Steve had acted in a play where he was labeled as a “TV Announcer” — Jimmy then yelled, “You did it, dude! High school to reality!”

While the show for that evening was originally to host Tatiana Maslay, the line-up was shifted at the last minute, as Headline Planet noted.

“NBC has issued a revised lineup for the August 13 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and it no longer includes Tatiana Maslany. In addition to previously announced guests Paul Giamatti and Robin Thicke, the episode will now feature Alicia Vikander. NBC has yet to confirm a replacement date for the Orphan Black star.”

Still, there were plenty of great visitors on the show that evening. Higgins got to enjoy some fantastic guests visiting him and Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show – specifically, Paul Giamatti, Alicia Vikander, and Robin Thicke.

Tonight: Paul Giamatti, Alicia Vikander, music from @robinthicke and your #BummerCamp tweets! #FallonTonight

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) August 13, 2015

This show closely followed up the news that Jimmy Fallon’s contract was renewed for at least another six years. Variety noted a few things about NBC’s announcement.

“NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt announced the deal Thursday morning as part of the network’s Television Critics Assn. press tour presentation. ‘We have locked him in as host of The Tonight Show for six more years,’ Greenblatt said. He praised the work that Fallon has done since taking over the show in February 2014… Fallon’s deal also includes some other programming components with NBC and Universal TV although Greenblatt declined to elaborate. Greenblatt said he would love to have Fallon host a primetime special or two for NBC but there are no immediate plans on the horizon.”

Jimmy Fallon and Steve Higgins have a faithful audience, and are glad for all the time they’ve been able to spend with both of the comedians, but they’re even more thrilled to know they’ll be spending many more years celebrating the humor and laughter they bring to TV every weeknight on The Tonight Show.

[Photo: Larry Busacca, Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images]