Jimmy Fallon recreates iconic ‘Dirty Dancing’ lift in Cannes

Nobody puts Jimmy in the corner!

Jimmy Fallon is having the time of his life at his first Cannes Lions festival, going as far as recreating Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey’s iconic “Dirty Dancing” lift during a wild night out. 

“Seven and a half hour flight, then two hour layover, then another hour flight, 45 minutes here, so I’m ready to party,” the late night host recapped at NBCUniversal’s Freewheel Beach on Wednesday, adding that he also went to restaurant Le Maschou, which “turned into a dance party.”

Fallon, 50, explained that he even had a “dance challenge” with the table next to his party the eatery.

“We were dancing to Michael Jackson and The Pointer Sisters and [the song] ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,’ and I jumped into some guy’s arms. It was insane,” he told the crowd at a panel for his upcoming NBC series, “On Brand.”


The song by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes was in the 1987 cult classic “Dirty Dancing,” starring Swayze and Grey.

Fallon said of his leap, “I had to do it, man. He was asking for it. ‘Nobody puts Baby in the corner.’ I had to dive into his arms. It’s my first Cannes!”

Exclusive video obtained by Page Six shows that the lift was more of Fallon balancing his torso on a chair while his dance partner, whom we can identify as talent strategist Jim Mannino, held his arms.

Publicist Jane Owen, who was also at the restaurant, called the moment a “fever dream.”

“Everyone was singing in their seats and then suddenly that song came on and Jimmy and Jim locked eyes,” she recalled. “It was like [film characters] Baby and Johnny again. Hilarious. One of those moments you only get in Cannes.”

In addition to impromptu dance performances, Fallon has been spending his time in the South of France mingling with fans at places like the Carlton Hotel and making crowds of advertisers laugh.

“I love learning all the jargon,” he said during his panel. “I said ‘ROI’ today. People thought I knew what I was talking about.”

He also joked he thought “LTO,” which means “limited time only,” was a brand of car.

“How many people here are hung over?” the comic asked the crowd during his panel. “You guys know how to party.”

“On Brand” also stars “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Bozoma “Boz” Saint John and will air on NBC in the fall.