After 12 years of wedded bliss, Jimmy Fallon and wife Nancy Juvonen say the key to happiness is ... mayonnaise?
Well, not really, but the "Tonight Show" host's wife did single out the condiment to make a point while explaining what makes their marriage strong during the latest edition of “Ask the Fallons.”
“My answer’s almost unromantic, but I don’t mean it to be unromantic. But all of those crazy, googly notes and exciting and the bad boy and all that kind of stuff, it does not pay off in the long term, and I know you won’t trust me because I didn’t trust anyone who told me that, either,” she said.
“But it’s very true, and so you really want to pick someone who you don’t have to like every single thing the same, but you kind of have to have the same values in a way. What makes you both laugh is fun because then you laugh together at the same stuff.”
And about that mayonnaise? Juvonen, who married Fallon in December 2007 and shares two daughters with him, mentioned it to illustrate how people may pretend to like something they don't in order to win someone else’s approval, which is a no-no.
“I think that the things that matter a lot to you, I wouldn’t compromise a lot on someone who’s the opposite of that because it’s just a struggle after a while," she said. "Dating is so cute and everyone’s like, ‘I’ll do anything. Oh, my God, I love mayonnaise,’ you know."
She then panned to her husband who beared a look of disgust.
"I’m sure you would’ve eaten mayonnaise for me. Look at his face. Let’s just pretend he would’ve,” she said as Fallon whispered, “Of course I would’ve.”
“It’s just an example of when you’re dating you’ll do anything for that person, and then as you really are together and come together, you hopefully get more real," she continued. "And within more real, you don’t want mayonnaise anywhere near you, and so those truths come out and they can really pull the rug out from under people, depending on what they are, so be honest."
In the grand scheme of things, Juvonen said being authentic and knowing what you want is key.
“Just really have your list of things that really you can’t tolerate or must tolerate and make sure they just line up enough that they’re not opposing the other person,” she said. “And I think keep your sense of humor. And I think keep some independence. Neither of you should be so reliant on the other,” she added, which made Fallon chuckle.