Jimmy Fallon Surprises Marjory Stoneman Douglas Graduates With Commencement Speech

By Erin Nyren

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon turned up at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s graduation ceremony Sunday, where he gave the commencement address and thanked the students for their activism after the shooting that killed 17 at the Parkland, Fla. school.

While the proceedings were solemn overall, particularly at moments remembering the slain students, Fallon brought some levity to the ceremony as well, and encouraged the students to celebrate their achievements.

“You won’t be classmates anymore. You’ll be adults who Facebook search each other at 2 in the morning for the next 10 years,” he joked.

Fallon pointed out that he met several members of the class of 2018 at the March for Our Lives rally in Washington D.C. this past spring. Several seniors at Marjory Stoneman have become activists agitating for gun control reform and made headlines for their work, including the school’s LGBT club president, Emma Gonzalez.

Fallon also posted a message to Twitter congratulating the class.

The ceremony took place at the Florida Panthers hockey team’s home venue, BB&T Center. The families of the four seniors who were killed in the shooting — Nicholas Dworet, Joaquin Oliver, Carmen Schentrup, and Meadow Pollack — accepted diplomas in their stead, and the graduates wore sashes that read “MSD Strong.”