The first time Jimmy Fallon met Kobe Bryant, they were at a house party in Los Angeles, Bryant a 17-year-old Laker and Fallon a 21-year-old up-and-coming comedian, Fallon said at the start of Monday's Tonight Show, 24 hours after news broke that Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven other people died in a helicopter accident.
The two of them went on a memorable beer run, Fallon said, "and when we'd run into each other over the years, we'd laugh about that night that we first met, we'd laugh about all the good things that had happened since, and we'd laugh about how fun it was to raise kids and all the stupid mistakes we made figuring out how to be good dads," he added, choking up. "Kobe had four daughters and I have two daughters, and today he and one of his girls are gone. ... Kobe, when we meet again, we're going on a beer run."
Monday's Jimmy Kimmel Live didn't have an audience, "because going forward with a comedy show didn't feel right," Kimmel said. Bryant's death "was a punch in the gut for many of us," he explained. "I had many conversations with Kobe off of television, and they always involved his daughters — always. Once he retired from basketball, his life revolved around their lives." Kimmel also started crying: "There's no silver lining here. It's all bad. It's all sad. He was a bright light, and that's how I want to remember him." So the rest of the show was clips from Bryant's 15 appearances on Kimmel Live.
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Sportscenter's Elle Duncan also teared up when recalling her one meeting with Bryant, in which he gushed about being a father to four girls, more if possible. "The only small source of comfort for me is knowing that he died doing what he loved the most: being a dad," she said. "Being a girl dad."
Conan O'Brien focused on "another aspect of Kobe's talent: He was naturally very funny and charming." That's "the guy that I've been thinking about these past 24 hours," he said, "and it's that memory that I would like to share with you tonight."
The Late Late Show's James Corden was almost at a loss for words: "All I can think of is this: If you can, take a moment — tonight, tomorrow — to call up someone you love and just let them know." Peter Weber
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