Appearance stems from joke about N.J. made by Fallon last month, to which Christie tweeted a response
Gov. Chris Christie appears on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' early this morning.NEW YORK — He’s matched wits with political foes in primetime.
In late night, Gov. Chris Christie looked like he was having much more fun.
Christie sparred with Jimmy Fallon during the taping today of Fallon’s late-night talk show, which airs early Wednesday morning on NBC. In an appearance born out of a New Jersey joke Fallon made last month, Christie played up the state’s tough-guy image by mockingly warning the host that such behavior won’t be tolerated.
"You think it’s funny?" Christie asked Fallon. "You know what we do to people like that in New Jersey, Jimmy?"
Christie also gave Fallon a death stare when Fallon repeated the joke that got it all started, drawing huge laughs from the live studio audience.
"I love New Jersey," Fallon sheepishly told the governor.
Fallon’s first pot shot at the state came after Christie’s decision to shelve the New Jersey-New York rail tunnel project last month. In an Oct. 28 monologue, Fallon explained that people will have to get to New Jersey the way they usually do — "by accident."
Christie tweeted back to Fallon: "Heard about your joke about NJ last night. Why don’t you come across the river on purpose and I’ll give you a tour."
The governor also teased the host and former Saturday Night Live player for his attempt at performing Bruce Springsteen’s "Born To Run" during the Emmys.
"You made me tweet," Christie told Fallon.
On Monday, Christie said he would consider an extension of New York’s No. 7 subway line to Secaucus, proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration. Christie said it was more fiscally responsible than the defunct Access to the Region’s Core project, citing the potential funding from New York City and state and its connection to New York’s Penn Station.
Christie explained the ACR project died because "New York was going to pay nothing for it."
"There’s nothing New Jersey hates more than getting screwed by New York," Christie told Fallon.
Since taking over the 12:30 a.m. slot at NBC in March 2009, Fallon has not made New Jersey a regular target of jokes. In fact, he regularly plays golf with friend and celebrity chef Mario Batali at the Bayonne Golf Club.
Christie, who was the second guest of Fallon’s 352nd show, following Jessica Simpson, was spared from any cutting lines in the opening monologue. But fellow Republicans George W. Bush and Sarah Palin were not.
Fallon asked Christie about his possible presidential aspirations, which the governor immediately dismissed. Asked if he’d ever want to be a vice president, Christie asked: "Can you see me as anybody’s vice president?"
Asked about the possibility of Palin’s presidency, Christie didn’t seem to put much stock in it.
"Who knows, Jimmy," he said. "It’s an amazing world."
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