Joe Biden to appear on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'

White House representative confirmed president will appear via video link

Jimmy Fallon is known for funny, light-hearted interviews. Invision / AP

US President Joe Biden will make his first late-night guest appearance on Friday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

After Fallon announced the president's appearance in a video shared on Twitter, a White House representative confirmed he would appear via video link

Mr Biden is no stranger to late night, having appeared on The Tonight Show during his presidential campaign and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015 when he was vice president.

While Fallon is known for funny, light-hearted interviews, Colbert leaned into Mr Biden, tackling tough issues including the death of his son, Beau, a few months before.

During his appearance on Fallon's show, Mr Biden is expected to tout his accomplishments, as he continues to battle the pandemic and its economic fallout.

The late-night circuit has become a regular stop for US presidential candidates and sometimes for sitting presidents, including Barack Obama.

However, Mr Biden is the first sitting president to appear on a late show since 2016, as his predecessor, Donald Trump, studiously avoided them, though he did visit Fallon before winning his election.

Afterwards, Fallon was subjected to backlash and even boycotts after he playfully fluffed Mr Trump’s hair during the appearance two months before the 2016 election. He later apologised, saying he never intended to “normalise” Mr Trump.

“It was definitely a down time,” Fallon told The Hollywood Reporter. “You go, ‘Alright, we get it. I heard you. You made me feel bad. So, now what? Are you happy? I'm depressed.'"

The episode featuring Mr Biden will air at 11.35pm EST on December 10.

Agencies contributed to this report