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The man, the comedian, the legend, Jimmy Fallon is at it again. This time, the host of The Tonight Show turned to his social media fans and asked them to share their real-life plot twists. They’re hilarious, they’re surprising, and they’re as twisty as a Slytherin’s moral compass and British crinkle-crankle walls.

We’ve collected some of the best #RealLifePlotTwist Twitter tales for you to enjoy, dear Readers, so have a scroll through. Don’t forget to upvote the ones that caught your attention the most. Have your own plot twists to share from your own lives? We can’t wait to hear them! Make sure to leave a comment or two below for us to find.

The very best responses made it on YouTube. And there’s nothing like seeing something that you posted on social media making it to the big leagues to make you feel special inside. Bored Panda had a friendly chat with entertainment, pop culture, and celebrity expert Mike Sington about late-night TV shows like Fallon's and what we can all do to get our posts noticed and featured. Read on for his full insights.

Image credits: jimmyfallon

"The late-night shows have been adapting well to the now year-long pandemic, and continue to do so now that restrictions and lockdowns are being eased," Hollywood's Ultimate Insider Mike told Bored Panda that things are changing for the better in the entertainment industry now that there are multiple Covid vaccines being rolled out.

One great bit of news is that New York City will be allowing audiences of up to 100 in April! "I’m sure the shows will take advantage of that. My prediction is the late-night shows will be back to where they were pre-Covid this summer," Mike said.

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We also spoke to Mike about what people can do to get their tweets and social media posts noticed by Fallon, other hosts, and their teams. "All the shows have social media teams that are writing and monitoring content. To grab the late-night hosts’ attention, tag the show! They will see it, they monitor every post they are tagged in."

He continued: "If the post particularly stands out, they will forward it to the writing team for the show. Other than that, it’s just a matter of luck, or a story gaining traction on social media. The writers are monitoring social media in general, combing it for content to use. You never know when something will catch their eye, and a great story is likely to pop and catch their attention." So don't lose faith if your story didn't get noticed. Try again, keep at it, and soon enough Fallon himself will feature it!

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Some of us know Fallon only as a late-night TV show host. However, the New Yorker is much, much more than ‘just’ a comedian and entertainer. He has very creative aspirations. He’s a successful published author, having written such blockbuster hits like Your Baby’s First Word Will Be DADA, Everything Is MAMA, and This Is BABY.

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The reason why Fallon focuses on books for families with children is that he’s a father to two girls, Winnie and Franny. For Fallon, family is everything. However, he sometimes shows his love in weird ways, like forcing them to listen to holiday music all year round. It’s a surprise that his dog, Gary, hasn’t joined Rudolph’s crew yet!

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A former senior executive at NBCUniversal, entertainment expert Mike went in-depth with Bored Panda all about late-night TV shows in an earlier interview as well. We spoke to him about how the Covid-19 pandemic had changed things and how hosts like Fallon have risen to the challenge, adapting and overcoming the endless problems thrown at them.

Mike explained to Bored Panda that TV show hosts like Fallon use social media to get closer to fans. They engage them, connect to them, and lay the foundations for a relationship. “TV hosts are sourcing material directly from social media because it’s a great way to engage with their audiences and stay connected with them.”

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Kay blue
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would have done the same, spending a day playing with and spoiling a dog sounds much better than the normal work a school principal does.

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According to entertainment expert Mike, each of our favorite shows has a host of writers working on the material. So there’s no lack of content whatsoever. However, “nothing can top the personal, and often very funny, contributions of the fans themselves." The personal experiences that people provide can add that extra oomph that turns a good show into a great one. And fact really is stranger than fiction in some cases.

It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic and the endless lockdowns, rules, and regulations have completely rewritten how we function in society. Its effect on the entertainment industry has been powerful as well. Hosts have been forced to adapt as the audiences they knew and loved left the studios and tuned in only remotely.

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However, Hollywood’s Ultimate Insider Mike believes that late-night hosts have done an amazing job at coming to terms with the new circumstances, no matter that some people believe that the energy of the shows themselves has changed. Fallon and the other hosts are, in Mike’s opinion, heroes who were forced to adapt to the new normal just like everyone else.

"I commend the late-night hosts for soldering on during this months-long lockdown. So many people are isolated and alone now, and they are welcome and familiar faces we can safely bring into our homes,” the expert shared.

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Spork420
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had a similar thing happen in junior high. Kind of had a crush on a girl who was in a few of my classes. We barely even knew each other's names though. Ended up running into her at a wedding for some distant relative, and found out she was my second cousin. Awkward...

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Wendillon
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

More common than I thought. Had a friend in high school who was head over heels for one of our classmates (think typical "OMG this is my soulmate teenage romance). He asked her out, she said yes, sickeningly adorable stuff....then he takes her to meet his mother and finds out his new girlfriend is the daughter of mom's estranged sister....he was dating his cousin.

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BluEyedSeoulite
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

THIS HAPPENED TO MY SISTER!! Mom driving her to pick up her date for the evening, she was like 14. My sis gave directions to his house and as my mom pulls into the driveway says, "Hey, this is your Aunt Theresa's house." One of my favorite memories

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CatWoman312
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a similar story. In 9th grade I had lunch with a few people and one guy and I started talking. I wasn’t allowed to “date”, but he was allowed to come over and eat dinner and we watch tv. My mom told my grandma about my boyfriend and long story short he turned out to be my cousin. I broke up with him the next day. I felt so embarrassed

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Batgirl Kitty
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeesh. My mom did something similar. When she was little, her best friend both liked each other and wanted to get married. Soon they found out they were cousins, but still best friends 40 year later!

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Thomas MacLean
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Marrying a first cousin is perfectly legal in most parts of the world & half of the states. Nothing to be ashamed of.

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Kelly Hartle
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had that problem when I was younger--my great-great grandfather had 17 kids and they all bred like rabbits, so I thought everyone in the world was related to everyone else.

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Carol Emory
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My crush was a guy in high school. Handsome, but already had a girlfriend. I patiently waited for things to go south with them as often does in high school romances. But the two of them were totally into each other. That was until the day he was caught fooling around with the Attendance Secretary's kid...who..is her son. Turned out the relationship between him and his "girlfriend" was faked to prevent the other guys in the football team from being nervous around him. He was in his senior year, football was over and he didn't have to hide anymore.

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jess
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I kind of wanted to down vote this lol but I guess it's good it didn't work out... for obv reasons.

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N S
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3 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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Thomas MacLean
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Marrying a first cousin is perfectly legal in most parts of the world & half of the states. Nothing to be ashamed of.

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Russian Otaku
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3 years ago

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There is nothing wrong with this story but retards will tard

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Zet
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3 years ago

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how do you not know your family?

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kjorn
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3 years ago

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if you're in tennesse or Ohio it's ok i guess...

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Marcellus the Third
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because it can be 3-generations-removed and still be called cousin. I've got a Brooklyn Irish friend who keeps running into (technically) cousins all over the world as his family got scattered 2generations ago... He got really paranoid about hooking up with anybody that's got any hint of a possibility of Irish blood.

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“I would even say what they have been doing over the past several months has been somewhat heroic because it hasn’t been easy for them. They knew early on though, the need was there, and they stepped up to the challenge," Mike told Bored Panda.

Mike said that, in his personal and professional opinion, the material that the late-night hosts have been putting out has been top-notch. And an improvement over what we saw in pre-pandemic times. We have to agree with him on that! The hosts have been great.

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PhybreAwptic
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good thing you have some good karma built up. You've got a wig coming to you no doubt.

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Marianne
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live near Munich and once met my sister with her 2 toddlers at the subway (30 mins from our hometown, she uses the subway like twice a year). She said "Oh great to see you. I hoped I might meet you to help me with the kids on our way home." I also meet family at random places at the Oktoberfest all the time. :D

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“I think their material has been better than ever. Over the past year, there’s been a wealth of material in the news to utilize. The energy is there, but it’s a bit different. They’ve had to adjust to trying times and having no audience, but have done so admirably.”

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It’s not just wishful thinking, though. Mike pointed out to us that the ratings for the shows have been doing great which means that the new approach had been working. “What they’re doing is paying off in the ratings which have been stronger than ever. They’ve been providing much-needed comfort and familiarity that people are craving now."

Which real-life plot twist was your favorite, dear Pandas? Did any of these genuinely catch you unaware (we know a lot of these got us!)? Got any fun stories with shocking surprises that you’d like to share with us and all of the other Pandas? Well, we can’t wait to hear what you have to say, so reach out to us and the Bored Panda community with a friendly comment.

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Wendillon
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still don't get the whole "old enough to serve your country but too young to have a beer" thing. If an 18 year old is mature enough to make major life decisions regarding family (getting married) and career (picking a major or joining the army) then they're mature enough to have a bloody drink.

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Spork420
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lived in Wisconsin. One miserable, cold January, my girlfriend and I escaped winter and took a road trip down to Florida. Living it up in the Florida Keys, and having the time of our lives. She had an another week or so off work, but I had to go back to my job. So we left paradise to go back to the cold wintery hell, only to have my boss tell me when I got back that work was slow, and to take an additional 2 weeks off work..

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