Pete Hegseth Narrowly Avoids Impeachment | with Jessica Chastain, Taylor Kinney, Kyle Larson | Wednesday, November 11

0:05From Studio 6, being Rockabella Center in the heart of New York City, it's the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Tonight, join Jimmy and his guests, Jessica Chastain, Taylor Kinney, Mad Star Champion, Al O 'Marcin, featuring Beast, Legendary Roots. 23-7-Dance! And now, here he is, Jimmy Fallon!

0:39Thank you very much! How you're with it? Nice to meet you, welcome! Welcome, welcome, welcome! Thank you very much! Hey! I love you! Thank you very much! Hey! Oh, my goodness. That's... That's a great crowd. Thank you, everybody, much. Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome to The Tonight Show. This is it. Well, guys, today is Veterans Day. I just want to say... I just want to say thank you to all of those who have bravely served this country. We are so thankful for you. Thank you very much.

1:23And now, from those who have served to those who have been over-served, Pete Hegseth is in the news. Last night, House Republicans blocked an effort to impeach him as defense secretary. After the vote, he let out such a huge sigh of relief, he set off every breathalyzer in the five-block radio. Hegseth was thrilled. He immediately texted his wife, his kids, and 20 reporters by mistake. Meanwhile, Hegseth could still get impeached by Democrats in January, and a lot of people think he'll be fired before then. Well, lucky for him, he's already got his next gig lined up. Check this out. Do you want to get ripped, shredded, and swole?

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2:45That's right. Hegseth could face impeachment again in January, but Trump has pledged to stand by him no matter what. For more on this, we're joined by a member of the Trump administration, Phil Joseph. Welcome to the show, Phil. Thank you, Jimmy. It's great to be here. So is it true that if Pete Hegseth eventually gets impeached, Trump will really stand by him? Definitely, Jimmy. 100%. I mean, it's not even a question.

3:11Sorry, you just winked when you said that. I did? Weird. Look, anyway, President Trump will not end up throwing Pete Hegseth under the bus. He will always have Trump's full support. You just did it again. Do you actually believe what you're saying? Yes, I do. I probably, I don't know, I have something in my eye. You know what? Let me just put on some sunglasses, okay? Okay, sure. You don't think Trump is just saying this stuff now, but will eventually turn on him? Let me be clear, Jimmy. Trump is sticking by his side no matter what. All right. You had to feel that one. You lowered your sunglasses.

3:55I don't even know what you're talking about, okay? But just to be safe, I'll get rid of the sunglasses. Thank you. And, oh, you know what? Maybe I'll just cover my eyes with my hands, all right? Perfect. Ugh. President Trump will not turn his back on Pete Hegseth. You winked. You winked. He will not abandon Pete Hegseth once things get tough. You winked. You're winking. And he will never, I mean never, fire Pete Hegseth. Okay. You didn't wink that time. I guess you are telling the truth. This is really informative. Thank you. There we go. Thank you, Jimmy. And I got to say, I actually... I really enjoyed speaking with you.

4:41All right, come on now. A member of the Trump administration, everybody. Yeah, leave it on. Meanwhile, I read that Stephen Miller wants to use his new role as chief of staff to win back young men. Can we see Stephen Miller again? Yeah. Miller said... Miller said he's going to do it by luring them to dinner with fava beans and a nice Chianti. Well, according to a new report, White House officials are destroying documents ahead of the Democratic takeover of Congress. Melania was like, Don't touch the prenup.

5:17Have you guys seen this? Apparently, even Republicans are debating whether the plastic surgery trend, known as Mar-a-Lago face, has gone too far. Here to comment from Mar-a-Lago is a Republican spokesperson, Leslie Peters. Welcome to the show, Leslie. Thanks for having me, Jimmy. Uh, okay. Uh... What do you think about the Republicans saying that Mar-a-Lago face has gone too far? Well, I completely agree, Jimmy. And I'm here to remind everyone that we are not all like that. Some of us prefer a natural look. Right. Have you ever gotten any work done? Absolutely not. It's not for me. Never has been.

6:02I'm a natural woman. It's the only way. Yeah. Not even a little something around the lips or anything? No, no, no. I just got stung by a bunch of bees a few seconds ago. Okay, okay, yeah, yeah. I was thinking maybe the cheeks or... Oh, these? I'm a half-balloon animal on my father's side. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Leslie, you don't have to lie. We can all tell that you've had a little work done. No one cares. Of course they care, Jimmy. Everyone cares. Do you think I'd be talking to you right now if I let myself age naturally? They never let a 67-year-old woman on television unless it was for a plaque psoriasis commercial.

6:43You're 67? Allegedly. Let's be honest. Mar-a-Lago Face has gotten out of control. But who are you going to blame? The women doing it or the men who make us feel like it's necessary?

6:59We need a change, Jimmy. That's right. That's really well said. So, in that case, what do you want to see changed? Well, there are two things, actually. Go ahead. One and two! All right, hey, come on, get out of here. Leslie Peters, everyone. Come on now. No, no. Come on, all right, come on. All right, all right, all right. I love you. And finally, ahead of Thanksgiving, whipped cream sold at Costco has been recalled because it may contain a small amount of cleaning chemical. Costco said, we're sorry the chemicals are meant for the hot dogs. We have a great show. Jessica Chastain is here tonight.

7:39Heartland. Taylor Kinney is joining us. NASCAR champion Kyle Larson is here. Stick around. We'll be right back with Jessica Chastain, everybody.

7:54It ain't it, ain't it, money, money. Our first guest is an Oscar-winning actor who stars in the new movie Heartland, which is coming to Netflix this Friday. Everyone, please welcome Jessica Chastain!

8:18Jessica! Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back to the show. Loving the beat. Yeah, we love you here. Big news was announced today. You're coming back to Broadway. Yes, give my regards. Yes, of course. Thank you. Give my regards to Broadway. Stage. Yes. And you're also reuniting with your pal. My dear friend, Michael Urie. You guys watch Shrinking and I can say. Yes, Shrinking is fantastic. Yeah, he's amazing. So we went to Juilliard together. We were in Group 32. We did every play together. I was the Ophelia to his Hamlet. No way. He was the Trep-Liv to my Arcadena. Ah! And it's been 25 years, and now we will find ourselves on Broadway together in a play called Lost Lear.

9:04Come on. I cannot wait for this. Thank you. And tickets are going on sale now. Tickets are going on sale now for Lost Lear. Lost Lear. And last time you were on Broadway, I think you were Tony-nominated. Just saying. What a big... No big. You guys have known each other for long. Here's you and Michael Urie. These are SAG Awards in 2007. Oh, my gosh. Babies. Babies. And you know what's so sweet about that? He was on Ugly Betty. He asked me to go with him to the SAG Awards. I bought that dress. I didn't have anything. I mean, it's not really appropriate as a red carpet gown. I think it's gorgeous.

9:37I think I got it off of eBay. You know? And then afterwards, sadly, they lost their award. But then we all went to the Roosevelt Hotel and we jumped in the pool with the cast of Grey's Anatomy. Yes! Why not? Have fun! Party! It was so much fun. I ruined my eBay dress. Oh, my gosh. Backstage, you were telling me that you... Did you teach him this trick? Oh, my gosh. You're talking to... This is a big, big trick. I don't even know if this is... It's a hack. We're going to try it. We're going to see it live on TV, you guys. So, there's a hack that I taught Michael Urie. He was at my house once. We were all drinking wine.

10:16He spilled red wine on the floor, on the carpet. Okay. And I was like, Don't worry, I have white wine in my fridge. And I went and got white wine, and that's the trick to get red wine out of a carpet. I know, it sounds crazy, but it works. White wine gets red wine out of the carpet? Yes, this is a college student trick. I want to see if this works, because I've never heard this. But this is fantastic. I feel like I'm doing an infomercial. This is like... We could just bottle white wine. So you're telling me that this stained carpet can get fixed? All right, wait. Sorry. Are you gonna... I'll stain it with, like, oops.

10:54Oh, you're in college. Dude, this is so fun, man. I love this song. It's my favorite. Oh, my God. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What do I do? Don't worry. I have white wine. But, Jessica, that won't work.

11:14You got... Wow, you really soaked it in there. Yeah, that's... You're going to smell like a... It works. It's just wet. There it is, folks.

11:34I don't know, man. Or you can drink it. Or you can just drink it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know if that really works, but I think it looks cool. Wow, it smells like wine. It works when you're 25 and had a lot to drink. I love it. Thank you for more hacks. We want more hacks like that. Yeah. I want to talk to you about Heartland, by the way. Look how cool you look. Come on! It's out this Friday. Very cool movie. You play a country music star in this. And this is... I think I've heard you sing in, like, the last three things you've done. Are you getting used to it now? Well, I guess I'm getting more used to it.

12:15I used to, you know, survive on hot toddies. I would call them my medicinal tea at work. You know, singing Stand By Your Man live in front of hundreds of people is not a calm experience. No. But this is the first time. But you crushed it as Tammy Wynette. Thanks, bud. I mean, you loved it, yeah. Thanks. Well, the funny thing, this is the first time I'm not mimicking someone else's voice. Yeah. So maybe when I sing in real life, I sound like, you know, a faded country legend. No, you have three songs on the soundtrack. I know. I sing with Jennifer Nettles, the great Jennifer Nettles. By the way, she is Sugar Land.

12:51I love Jennifer Nettles. She is beyond talented. And Carter Faith sings, I know. Carter Faith is my jam. Carter Faith is... She's kind of everyone's jam, right? She is, like, fantastic. I did a comedy song with her last holiday. It was called Ugly Sweater, and it's a joke. It's a joke song, yeah. But when she sang her part, it was so beautiful that I'm like, that's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life. Like, I start crying. Yeah, she's amazing. She's amazing. And she has a song called Still the Sparrow Sings that makes me very emotional. It's very beautiful. She's phenomenal. Do you have pressure when you're singing in front of those people?

13:27Yes. I kind of feel like... I mean, legend. Legend. I mean, Jennifer, though, is just cool. And I found out she lived in New York. And it's a strange thing to make friends as an adult. She's like, I want to be her friend once I... And I was just like, would you like to go to dinner with me sometime? That's so funny. It's good to be adult friends. And we became friends. You did? Yes. Oh, my God. See, I love that. She's cool, man. Really cool. The movie is set in Nashville, and you have a great look, by the way. Look how cool you are. Look at that. Look at that. Everything. Everything. The truck is cool.

14:01Do you get right into character as soon as you put on wardrobe? Yeah. Well, I mean, come on. Leather pants, boots, the hat, the Johnny Cash. Ensemble. I walk out of hair and makeup, and I'm like, who wants to go? Let's fight. Yeah, let's do it. Do you rock a cowboy hat? Because you look so good in it. I would think that... Does this become your move? Thanks, man. When I'm on location somewhere, I tend to shop for the area I'm in. So when I'm in Santa Fe or Austin, are you like that, too? On vacation, I purposely don't buy clothing on vacation. Can you imagine wearing that in New York? Exactly right.

14:37Because you buy some crazy, like, flowy linen pants, and you're like, that's what everyone wears on the beach. This is what people wear. And then you walk down Fifth Avenue, and people are like, no, no, you don't wear the floppy hat or something. I mean, it could be cool, though, actually. Now that I'm thinking about you wearing a floppy hat and linen pants walking down Fifth Avenue. That would be amazing. I'll try. But the cowboy hat, you could rock it pretty well. Next time, we'll walk side by side on Fifth Avenue. You're great in the film. Uh, you, you, uh, your character lives on a pecan farm.

15:11Yes. Oh, sorry. A pecan farm. A pecan... What did I say? So we had a conversation about... Yeah. You said a pecan farm. A pecan. So there's two different ways. How do you guys say it? One, two, three, go. Pecan. So they say pecan. I mean, my character says she lives on a pecan farm. Yeah, pecan farm. In Vienna, Georgia. So I think it depends on where... Pecan. I think pecan. See, you say it like Misty Jones. Yes, like you. Yes, you do. I do. Pecan farm. But not like your audience. No, no, we said pecan. Yes. They're educated. No, they're all... They all went to Juilliard. So here we are, reunited again.

15:46But I was going to ask you if there are any slang or Southern phrase... Yes. Oh, my gosh. I love playing character. It's the best. When I did The Help, I remember I was talking to... interviewing someone, because I wanted to copy her voice for it, because, you know, I pitch my voice up real hot. Yeah. And she said at one point, we were talking, she goes, You're just so sweet. I could eat you with a spoon. And I was like, I mean, that expression, I must say it in New York every day of my life. Is that right? Yes. And then I also got to improv a little bit in this. And I love this expression of someone sure made it easy for you not to think.

16:24Ooh. Yeah. And I got to say that in this movie. I just threw it out there and the director kept it. Yeah! That's the way to do it! Chester Chester. How do we tell everyone what Heartland is about? All right. I play Misty Jones. She's called back to Nashville in search for her missing niece. And she discovers the underbelly of that city where no one, including her, is who they appear to be. Oof! That is how you do it! Jessica Chastain, everyone! Heartland is on Netflix this Friday. Stick around. Don't change the channel. Come on back. This is just a conversation, yeah.

17:11Our next guest is a talented actor who just celebrated the 300th episode of his hit show, Chicago Fire. Wow, 300. Chicago Fire airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. Please welcome Taylor Kinney!

17:38Welcome back to the show. Nice to see you, buddy. Thanks for being here on Veterans Day. No, yeah. Thank you for having me. Please. And kudos to all the veterans out there. Yeah, of course.

17:52We just had Jessica Chastain out here, and you guys starred in Zero Dark Thirty together. Yeah. Did you spend a lot of time with Jessica? I didn't. In the comments, like, lunch. But it was mostly guys, and she has a line in the film. He's like, you military guys with your dip and your spit. And that was pretty much us, but... So you didn't really just see her at the commissary. Yeah. Did you say hi to her backstage? Uh, no. All right, perfect. All right, great. Let's keep it that way. You got to keep that chemistry going. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it was... We shot all night. Well, I didn't have anything with her in the film.

18:27Yeah. Why start now? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. We'll figure it out later. Taylor, you're from Pennsylvania originally, right? Yes, Lancaster. Lancaster, yeah, yeah. Hey, cool. Yeah. Did I read somewhere that you were a caddy or a... I started caddying when I was 12 or, you know, 13. And... That's a good job, isn't it? Yeah, I love it. You're outside, you know, that's your office. And I wouldn't... They wouldn't... I wasn't able to double bag, so you had to work your way up. And I wasn't reading greens. And I remember my first... They wouldn't let you double? No, so, like, the Honor Catties would get that gig, and then maybe in the evenings or something like that, they'd be like, hey, Taylor, Mrs.

19:07Cogwasher and her friend want to go out. And I'd go out, and it would take, like, seven hours. But I loved it. I loved it. Yeah, and you golf now? Yeah. Did you get the bug from when you were a Cattie? I did, and I watched your stuff on YouTube with DJ Khaled and your bunker shot that you hold out. Oh, yeah, dude. That's a whole thing. That's a... I was so nervous. No, that's some talent. Right. You know, we did a fun thing, me and DJ Khaled, who's great. We played this thing. It was a three-hole thing. But I'm playing, and it's goofy, and it's fun. We're in Tahoe, and everyone's, like, kind of partying and drinking there.

19:42Like, yeah! And they go, here goes Jimmy Fallon. I go up, and I go, and then everyone gets quiet. And they go, no, don't get quiet. This is a joke. I'm not really good. Like, until my heart started beating, I felt like Tiger Woods. I'm like, I'm not good at golf. It's terrible. Were you there for the... Wasn't the Pro-Am? Yeah. For that? I went for the... But I went in and out with me and Caled. Yeah. We just did our bit and split. I didn't get in the way. You got to do the whole... Yeah, that was not that good. That would be my worry. Like... Oh, really? Well, it's like, Pro-Am, it's like, I don't want to mess up these guys.

20:11I want to go, like... Me, too. Yeah. I stay out of their eyesight. I don't want to mess up anyone's game. I feel like that when I go to a football game or anything. I just don't want to meet. Or a basketball game. Like, you do your thing, man. I'll say that. Like, sunglasses at the football game. No, I don't look at anything, yeah. But I'll play with you, though, for fun. Let's go out sometime. Let's do it. I love it. I do a little... I started carrying a wedge around at work. Like, I always carry around a baseball or a football. I don't like to sit still. And so a lot of the... Carry a golf club around with you at work?

20:40Yeah. Yeah. And so, you know, whether it's a team service... Tough set over there. Yeah, yeah. You got to teach them a lesson. Show them who's boss, man. Yeah. Ended up throwing this little... Started with posters and then got an event and got, like... It's like 130 of us who got out and raised money for the 100 Club. Is that right? Yeah. For a big tournament. Yeah, just from, just from, uh, thank you. Just from walking around, goofing around. Yeah, just from everybody talking smack. Like, oh, we'll get out sometime. It's like, yeah, we'll go out, we'll go out. And then you did it. Yeah. And you're raising money.

21:10And it's great fun. Good for you, bud. Yeah. Congrats on Chicago Fire, by the way. It is the biggest hit on television. It is the best thing for us. On NBC, we're so grateful to you and the whole cast And thank you for coming on the show. Season 15, I just said 300 shows. Yeah, we recently shot our 300th episode. Taylor, that's great. Thank you. I remember running into Mariska at Upfronts in New York, maybe season one or two, and she was going into season 15, and I just kind of like... Shook her head. Yeah, you go, wow. But now it's, I don't know, it's stuff like this. It's humbling, so thank you.

21:50I wouldn't have a job if people didn't watch it. Thank you. And speaking of I Look Left, we got you something. I brought something from the cast. Are you kidding me? So it's a signed helmet from the cast. And you could wear it when you golf. You could wear it on the show. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Wow. I'd be intimidated to wear this thing. Can you? This is heavy. Can you believe what... Look at that. You're ready to go. I can wear this down the street. This is kind of... Thank you very much. Wow. I almost can't believe how much... How real firefighters... I mean, they really are heroes.

22:36We've talked about this on the show. But to just wear this and all the gear, how heavy is all the gear that they have to wear? No, it's... This feels like it's 50 pounds. I think it might be. Yeah. But it is a lot. But it'll keep you warm in the winter. But, I mean, getting to work with those guys and women and, I don't know, it's humbling. Like, we tell stories and you can yell cut. We have our fire lines and they can go out. Yeah, your actors. Yeah. But there's a guy on the show, Tony Ferraris, who just retired from Squad 2 in the city. And he's been in close to 300 episodes. He drives Squad.

23:15And he's a real firefighter in the city. So when we started out, he was, you know, I could go to him for any kind of advice or, you know, know-how just to not look like a dingbat, you know? Like, I don't want to walk by a firehouse and get, like, a, you know, a bratwurst thrown at my head. Yeah. In Chicago, that can happen. Yeah, absolutely, yeah. How do we set up what's going on Chicago Fire this season? So going into season 15, there's the... Severide takes on the role of captain. So he's going to lead a firehouse, but he kind of has, I don't know, his side hustle with OFI kind of gets cut short, so he's at a crossroads there.

23:51We have some new faces. And we also have, I don't know, for those who watch, we have a crossover coming out January 13th, I believe. Are you doing another one? Yeah, for a One Chicago thing. And they're a blast to produce, so it's like all... So, MED, PD, it's like... All three Chicago shows have a crossover, and the characters interact. And we'll have a through line, yeah. Do you get along with those other casts? Yeah, it's like... You're the toughest cast. Yeah. Our cast? Like, you know, med, they're always inside. You know, the fluorescent lights and PD, like, Maureen and Patty, they're always running.

24:21I don't want to run all the time. So... You guys are like Animal House. It's how I got to learn the city is, like, locations. We shoot south side, north. We've been out, like, up to Waukegan. We're all over. So I love it. And, you know, you get the seasons, but it's just the... The 20 below stuff will get you. Yeah, it's freezing. Yeah. And, yeah, it's ice cold. But you guys crush it, and you have such great chemistry together, and that's why you make 300 episodes. We love watching you guys together. Keep doing what you're doing. Thank you. I appreciate it. Taylor Kinney, everybody. Chicago Fire airs new episodes every Wednesday at 9 p.m.

24:56on NBC and streams on Peacock. We'll be right back, everybody!

25:04We're doing it! Our next guest is one of the greatest race car drivers in the world who just won his third NASCAR Cup Series title this weekend. Please welcome Kyle Larson!

25:27Thanks for having me. I like, uh... We've done this now two years in a row. I know. We should keep it a tradition. Yeah. We have to congratulations on your third NASCAR Cup champion. You're a legend, bud, but you were telling me backstage now you have one for each kid. I know. I hope that means I'm not done. No, no, no. Because I'm definitely done having kids. No, not at all. Yeah. But here's... I actually have some photos of you here. Look at this. The years that have gone by. but each kid keeps getting a little bit bigger. Yeah, our oldest, he's definitely too big to be sitting in the trophy.

26:02Yeah, that's fantastic. But look at that. Come on, that's fantastic. Thanks. I was talking to Kyle backstage, and I said, that's so cool. I go, that must motivate you to be better at racing. And you told me, yeah, but my daughter actually said something that motivated you this year. What did she say again? Well, we were kind of struggling earlier in the year And she races herself So I was trying to give her some tips and pointers And she's like, Dad, don't talk to me You suck at NASCAR So, yeah You suck at NASCAR It definitely motivated me She finally apologized No, she's the best Are you kidding me?

26:43She's so cool This trophy, by the way, is so heavy That you almost dropped it when you won We have a clip of you Take a look at this

26:55Oh, God. I mean, it really is. It is. Yeah. About 75 pounds. What is going through your mind when that happened? When you're holding it? I mean, you've won it, so you know how heavy it is. But I've never lifted it like that. So, yes, in my head, I'm like, don't drop it. Don't drop it. Don't drop it. And I almost dropped it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It just slipped. Yeah. Can I try to lift it? Yeah. Do you want me to help you? Yeah, I would love you to help me. Let's go. Let's do it. Let me see if I can do this. Let's not drop it. Oh, wow. Yeah. Put it over here. Oh, my God. You looked at that by yourself?

27:36I mean, I probably needed some help, but... That's crazy, bud. How fast are you going, by the way, when you're driving? Do people get an idea? Well, I mean, every track is different. So we race anywhere from like a half mile track to two and a half mile tracks and so the bigger they are the faster you go So our fastest ones we're probably pushing a little over 200 miles per hour in the draft. Yeah So inches away from each other. It's fun. It's exciting It's not exciting and it's scary I'm so happy you do this and not me. Do you guys ever talk trash to each other? We can't like talk to our competitors when we're out there, but you can definitely you know show the middle finger Yeah, yeah, yeah If they're making you mad There's different hand gestures that work The best that I've gotten is I was holding somebody up Chris Buescher And he drove by me and gave me the most sarcastic Thumbs up That's actually genius Yeah, I was like, that's a good one I'm going to try and use that I have to ask, since you're a super champ I want to ask a better movie Talladega Nights Or Days of Thunder Man, those are two great ones I know But I'm definitely team Days of Thunder And they're actually going to make a Days of Thunder 2 I think coming out in a couple years We're all excited about that Alright, good You're a good man I always love to see you Let's do it again next year Let's do it The one and only Kyle Larson, everybody Come on We'll be right back and forth tonight You're Where the Champions Go

29:08Yeah, I said that I've been my brother My thanks to James Jessica Chastain, Taylor Kinney, Kyle Larson. Fantastic. And the Roots right there from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Good night, everybody. Thank you! Get it high. Better get it high. Get, get, get it high. Get it, do it. Do it! There. Uh-huh.

29:41So...

29:56Get involved! And he said the young city does ain't no wrong with us. That's right. Tonight's the night of the storm. So. Work, work, work, work, work, work, work.

30:10Hold it down.

30:17Let's go.

30:51Thanks for listening to The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Don't forget to subscribe to get the latest episodes weekday mornings wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon weeknights on NBC and streaming on Peacock.