Skip To Content
  • Viral badge

Here's Why "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Is Facing Backlash For Its TikTok Dance Segment With Addison Rae

"Addison has been catapulted to being the face of viral dances created by mostly Black TikTokers."

A clip from The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is going viral for a segment where Addison Rae teaches Jimmy a series of TikTok dances.

8 Tik Tok dances with @whoisaddison!!

Twitter: @jimmyfallon

People took to Twitter to call out the show for not properly crediting the creators of the dances, many of whom are Black.

Some highlighted the missed opportunity for the original Black creators:

@jimmyfallon @whoisaddison This would have been the perfect opportunity for you to lead by example and in giving Black creators their due credit. This opportunity could have been huge for them. But no, you chose to display a white girl who's already got a damn career doing this shit. This sucks, do better

Twitter: @ginfueledbrat

@jimmyfallon @whoisaddison Stealing from black entertainers and having white "creators" regurgitate it to the masses is american history 101.

Twitter: @fancycatxo

This is why I bang on EVERYBODY about the economics and race of social media “Tik tok dances” the names of the artists not there The actual choreographers not there She’s on national television but where are the Black kids who actually made these https://t.co/jSdMMBbQu0

Twitter: @Blackamazon

This is cringey. But what’s worse is that Addison has been catapulted to being the face of viral dances created by mostly black tiktokers https://t.co/t4cDsoTQ8l

Twitter: @tanyachen

And others did what the show didn't, and stressed the names of the choreographers:

If people are wanting to know the creators of each: Noah Schnapp - do it again Keara Wilson - savage yvnggprince - corvette corvette Jason Derulo - savage love 2flyymy - Laffy taffy macdaddyz - blinding lights https://t.co/DVb982cFwm

Twitter: @55mmbae

The YouTube video of the segment currently has the TikTok handles of the creators in the description — although it's not clear whether the list has always been attached to the video or whether it was a reactionary move — but some criticized Fallon for not featuring them on the show:

@jimmyfallon @whoisaddison Why didn’t you invite the original Black creators to show you and highlight them?

Twitter: @bitty_boop

So I’m guessing all of the black creators who made these dances up were busy huh? https://t.co/RS6boMNZH8

Twitter: @KoolestKidOut

This is the second time Fallon has done the segment, with Charli D'Amelio previously showing Jimmy the dances.

Black creators not getting credit for their dances on TikTok is unfortunately not a new problem. A viral video can be what launches your career, but it's often white creators who get the fame and money for dances that were not created by them. Addison reportedly earns around $5 million a year and was on the show promoting her debut single.

Scene from the Fallon show with Jimmy holding up a sign that says "Savage" standing onstage with Addison Rae

Here's the full list of the TikTok creators — be sure to check 'em out!

"Do It Again" — DC: @noahschnapp

"Corvette Corvette" — DC: @yvnggprince

"Laffy Taffy" — DC: @flyboyfu

"Savage" — DC: @keke.janjah

"Blinding Lights" — DC: @macdaddyz

"Up" — DC: @theemyanicole

"Fergalicious" — DC: @thegilberttwins

BuzzFeed is working to verify the creator of the "Savage Love" dance.