Jimmy Fallon Cancels Pasta Sauce Line Over Partner’s Epstein Friendship

Jimmy Fallon has reportedly nixed a line of pasta sauces he was set to release with music mogul Tommy Mottola due to the latter’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

The late-night host and Mottola Media Group chairman have long been friends, and have shared photos of themselves dining at Italian restaurants like Rao’s on social media. The pair were reportedly set to release their own line of pasta sauces next year, but that plan has been “paused” after Mottola appeared frequently in the Epstein Files due to his frequent correspondence with the convicted sex offender, Page Six first reported.

The Hollywood Reporter added that the sauce venture is “definitely not moving forward” due to Mottola’s close contact with Epstein, with conversations ranging from travel arrangements and helicopter renting to more concerning topics, like procuring a private investigator and their response to the #MeToo movement. “Shut up and lay low,” Mottola wrote to Epstein.

Mottola also reported visited Epstein’s residences in New York and Paris between 2006 and 2008, after the financier served time for soliciting minors. 

A former Sony Music CEO and Mariah Carey’s ex-husband, Mottola is the latest powerful entertainment figure to incur repercussions due to their presence in the Epstein Files: On Friday, Casey Wasserman announced that he was selling his namesake talent agency, as he had become a “distraction” after his emails with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell were revealed.

In a memo sent to Wasserman agency employees and obtained by Rolling Stone following an exodus of talent, the founder apologized for his “past personal mistakes” that have caused “so much discomfort.” “It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about,” he added.