After becoming the first Italian comedian guest of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Francesco De Carlo will present his debut novel “I Malviventi” on June 1 at the Rizzoli Bookstore in New York, historical Italian library in the heart of Manhattan
Let’s start with the novel: when did you realize that this story couldn’t be inside a monologue and it had to become a book? A monologue exists only in the present, only when the comedian speaks from a stage. Then it vanishes. I felt the need to tell a story that survives the show and that definitively imprisoned on the pages of a book the plot and the characters of this story I have reconstructed.
Presenting your first novel at the New York Rizzoli makes you more effect than the Tonight Show or are completely different emotions? Completely different. Because they are two different languages and in Italian I feel more comfortable. That said, I feel very lucky, I am really happy and honored to have debuted on American TV and to present my first novel in such a prestigious place.
Is there more Francesco De Carlo in the protagonist or more imagination? And above all: what story did you decide to tell? There is the memory of Francis, what I spent in the neighborhood where I grew up. It is a story that tells more than 30 years of life, two generations that intertwine in the criminal context of a city where they meet mortars with the gun and mischiefs with the tie.
Are you more afraid of the white page or a joke that doesn’t work in front of an American audience? The jokes that don’t work a comedian is used to, so I’d say white page. Although the problem is perhaps transforming the many things I want to say in a literary form that likes me and the reader.
Before you get on stage from Fallon you thought “this can be very good” or “here I can die terrible”? Neither. In situations like that you have to remain lucid, be present and look for a connection with the public. You have to remind yourself that you’ve been on the stage almost every day for several years and that you’ve been in that situation because you’ve decided. Of course the adrenaline is almost incontensible.
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 2283 — Pictured: (l-r) on Tuesday, April 26, 2026 — (Photo by: Todd Owyoung/NBC)
Be the first guest Italian comedian of the Tonight Show made you feel a special responsibility? I guess so. I am happy to have created a precedent and to have shown that you can do it. I hope it’s inspired by younger comedians. And let me say that I am happy with the great affection received both by the Italian public and by my colleagues.
Americans laugh in Italy… or do they laugh because they now look more and more like Italians? They do not laugh in Italy. They respect us, love us, worship our lifestyle, our history, our culture. He’d like to look like us. We have our problems, for charity, but I have discovered that they are attracted by our country, not because of the role that Italians have played over the centuries in building American society.
You started when the stand-up in Italy seemed like something for a few fans. Did you expect this evolution? No. I wouldn’t have started a career in English. I assumed she would never come to us, and instead..
Are social media helping comedy or making it faster and more superficial? I’m a fundamental tool and I think they’re turning: lately quality is rewarded and in the midst of so many useless things I see more and more interesting content.
New York has become a piece of your life now or is it still the place where you go to the test? Both. A difficult but extremely fascinating city. Exhibiting me with the best comedians in the world continues to be a fundamental stimulus for my human and artistic growth.
After the Tonight Show, did you feel a change of attention from Italy? Definitely. I was especially pleased with the comments on social media, such as ‘National Honour’, ‘National Festival’ or ‘Italy’s best to the world.
Do you feel more comic, author or storyteller today? Comic. But it must be said that I have always been very eclectic. I like to tell stories because I think it’s a habit that helps the human being to understand his nature, his dreams and his fears. Writing a book is a truly unique experience.
Do you feel like living a moment of your career? I don’t know. I’m more focused on finding space in the calendar and having a few days of vacation. In recent months I have pushed a lot and I need to reflame, rest and live a little. Otherwise, I don’t have anything to say.
After the Tonight Show and the novel, what do you feel you haven’t done yet? Sleep.
L’articolo Francesco De Carlo, after the <i>Tonight Show</i> the debut novel <i>I Malviventi</i> comes from IlNewyorkese.
