Jimmy Fallon jokes about Melania Trump's 29-day public absence on “Tonight Show”

Late-night host Jimmy Fallon devoted part of his "Tonight Show" monologue on August 17 to jokes about the prolonged public absence of First Lady Melania Trump, culminating in a punchline suggesting she may have left the president for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Fallon began by noting President Donald Trump’s weekend campaign stop on Long Island without his wife. "People have noticed that she’s been laying low. In fact, she hasn’t been seen in public for 29 days," Fallon told his audience. He followed with a joke about the president’s reaction, saying Trump remarked, "Big deal. I haven’t seen her in private for two years." The monologue included further humor about the first lady reportedly being concerned about being "trapped with Trump inside his catering truck," a reference to an incident in July where the president used an airport catering vehicle to discreetly leave Air Force One.

Fallon’s segment concluded with the McConnell speculation. "Yep, no one has seen Melania. All I know is that it’s going to be crazy when we find out she ran off with Mitch McConnell," Fallon said. The host provided no evidence for the claim, and it was delivered as a comedic refrain on...