Irish comedian Joanne McNally refused to give up her American late-night television debut after facing criticism over Jimmy Fallon's decision to host Conor McGregor. The My Therapist Ghosted Me podcaster responded on Instagram on Wednesday, 14 October, declaring: 'He's ruined enough women's lives... I'll be taking the opportunity.'
The backlash followed McGregor's appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in June, despite a Dublin civil jury finding him liable for raping Nikita Hand in 2018. The verdict was delivered in November 2024, and McGregor's attempts to overturn it were unsuccessful. He has maintained that their sexual encounter was consensual.
McNally was scheduled to perform stand-up on the NBC programme on Monday, 19 October, alongside Guardians of the Galaxy actor Chris Pratt and television host Andy Cohen. The appearance came during the US leg of her Pinotphile comedy tour and amid renewed attention from her role in the BBC's The Celebrity Traitors.
Why WasMcNally Criticised for Appearing on Jimmy Fallon?
The dispute gained attention after TikTok creator Holli Breslin questioned why McNally would accept an invitation from a presenter previously criticised for giving McGregor a platform. Breslin said she was delighted for the comedian but uncomfortable with the choice of programme. She recalled viewers condemning Fallon's friendly conversation with the former two-division UFC champion earlier this year.
During his June appearance, McGregor discussed his fighting career and the origins of his 'Notorious' nickname. Fallon faced criticism for an interview that did not address the civil case. The dispute around McNally's booking emerged from that earlier backlash, rather than from anything she had said about McGregor during the programme.
Hand, whose civil case prompted the criticism, also addressed McGregor's continued public visibility in an interview published on Wednesday, 14 October. 'It's really upsetting,' she said, adding: 'I can't understand how he's still given such a huge platform.' Her comments concerned McGregor's appearances, including his interview with Fallon, not McNally's booking.
McNally Rejects Pressure To Sacrifice Her Career Opportunity
McNally shared screenshots of the criticism and challenged the expectation that women should turn down work because of men previously hosted by the same broadcaster. 'Imagine every single woman was expected to deplatform / silence / shrink herself from all and any public platform or professional opportunity cos it had previously had a bad man on it,' she wrote. She followed the statement with her remark that McGregor had already 'ruined enough women's lives'.
Her response focused on refusing to lose a professional opportunity, rather than defending Fallon for interviewing McGregor. McNally did not dispute the criticism directed at the UFC star in her published remarks. Instead, she rejected the idea that accountability for his appearance should require another woman to withdraw from the programme.
Irish Celebrities Rally Behind Joanne McNally
Bestselling Irish author Marian Keyes supported McNally in the Instagram comments, writing: 'If women had to boycott all the shows which have platformed misogynists, we'd never be on ANYTHING.' Television presenter Roz Purcell similarly questioned why a woman should sacrifice a career milestone because of a man's actions. Former Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore called McNally 'the booking we all want to see represent us'.
McNally has already sold out three December performances at Dublin's 3Arena, with a fourth scheduled for 11 December. Her Pinotphile show is also due to be filmed in New York on 7 November for a Netflix special planned for 2027. The US television slot came as part of an international expansion that includes a major streaming debut.
McNally's reply did not ask critics to overlook Fallon's earlier interview with McGregor. She objected to the expectation that she should withdraw because another guest had appeared on the programme. As she put it on Instagram, she would be 'taking the opportunity'.
