Jimmy Fallon's road to fatherhood wasn't easy. In a interview with the TODAY show airing Tuesday, Aug. 13, The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon host reveals that he and wife Nancy Fallon struggled with fertility for five years before welcoming daughter Winnie via a surrogate on July 23.
"We've tried a bunch of things," Fallon, 38, told Savannah Guthrie. "Anyone who's tried will know, it's just awful."
The comedian and his wife, who wed in 2007, decided to keep their most recent attempt at getting pregnant a secret from their family and friends. "We tried before, we told people and then it didn't happen," Fallon explained. "And it's just really depressing. It's really hard on everybody."
"We said, 'We're not going to tell anybody,'" he recalled. "It'd be just more fun if it's just private between me and my wife. And then we get to introduce her to everybody."
When their daughter, Winnie Rose, arrived on July 23, Fallon said their struggle was more than worth it.
"We tried for a long time, for five years. I know people have tried much longer, but if there's anyone out there who is trying and they're just losing hope . . . just hang in there," he said. "Try every avenue; try anything you can do, 'cause you'll get there. You'll end up with a family, and it's so worth it. It is the most 'worth it' thing. I'm just so happy right now. I'm freaking out."
As for the inspiration behind his daughter's name, the late night TV host addressed speculation that her moniker comes from Winnie-the-Pooh or The Wonder Year's Winnie Cooper character. "It's not Winnie-the-Pooh at all . . . though I do love Winnie-the-Pooh," he said. "My wife and I got engaged in New Hampshire at this lake house that her family's had forever, and it's on Lake Winnipesaukee. And so we went there every summer as we were dating."
"And yeah, Winnie from The Wonder Years is the coolest girl in any TV show ever," he added of Danica McKellar's unforgettable character. "And also, she's a 'win' for us."
