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NBC Insider The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

5 Times Cardi B Made Us Wish She Was on The Tonight Show Every Week

Watching the rapper play co-Host to Fallon has us wondering: What can't she do?

By Samantha Vincenty

As a rapper, Cardi B's skills are widely-respected and critically-acclaimed (she has a 2019 Best Rap Album Grammy to prove it). But long before she came to be known for her music, Cardi's natural-born charisma and comic timing opened the door to her current fame. After her candid rants gained a social media following in the early 2010s, Cardi B became a fan-favorite cast member on Love & Hip-Hop Seasons 6 and 7. Just three years and a number-one single later, she was gracing the stage alongside Jimmy Fallon, co-hosting The Tonight Show for one night only. And she killed it, of course!

How to Watch

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC weeknights at 11:35/10:35c and next day on Peacock

Let's take a look at some of Cardi B's best moments on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Cardi B sitting with Jimmy Fallon during The Tonight Show.

Cardi tells John Mulaney what happened in her prom limo

When Cardi joined The Tonight Show as co-Host for an evening in 2018, she was pregnant with her first child, Kulture Kiari Cephus. Comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer John Mulaney was a guest, and he brought her a baby gift (a tiny cardigan, or as Mulaney called it, a “cardi g”). 

When conversation led to prom-night memories, it soon became clear that Cardi and Mulaney had two very different experiences. Watch, above, to see why. 

RELATED: Jimmy Fallon Crashed The Voice and Did a Surprise Blind Audition — All For Blake Shelton

How Cardi B came up with her name 

Cardi’s effervescent personality was on full display during her first visit to The Tonight Show as a guest in 2021 (she’d appeared as musical guest to perform “No Limit” with G-Eazy earlier that year). 

In their wide-ranging interview, Cardi B, born Belcalis Almánzar, explained the origin of her stage name. Hint: It’s partly inspired by her sister’s name, Hennessey.

Cardi records a voicemail greeting for a fan

In another moment from her one-night stint as a Tonight Show co-Host, Cardi B created a hilarious voicemail greeting for a lucky fan named Angel. With a little coaching from Fallon, the message only went slightly off the rails in the best way.

"Box of Lies" with Cardi B

When Fallon and Cardi B squared off in a round of “Box of Lies,” Cardi quickly proved herself a worthy opponent, cracking jokes and maintaining a perfect poker face. 

RELATED: Jimmy Fallon's Bruce Springsteen Impression Is Hilariously Spot-On

Cardi explains her famous catchphrases

If you've heard Cardi make ample use of the phrases "okurrrt!" and "eeeoooowwww" yet you aren't sure exactly how and when to use them yourself, have no fear: Cardi and Jimmy are here to help.