When Robin Williams walked onto the stage of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the energy in the room shifted instantly. The audience erupted into cheers, Jimmy grinned ear to ear, and Robin—ever the quicksilver comedian—turned even his entrance into a bit. Pretending to collapse from exhaustion, he joked about his past heart surgery, quipping, “Clear! Okay, we’re back.” It was classic Robin: irreverent, self-deprecating, and endlessly alive in the moment.

Thanksgiving, New York, and “Drunken Uncle Pete”

As the conversation unfolded, Fallon asked about his Thanksgiving plans. Robin explained that his son was hosting dinner downtown, then launched into a riff about the holiday itself. To him, Thanksgiving was less about tradition and more about the odd family reunions it produced:

“It’s that time where you celebrate the fact that you don’t live together the rest of the year,” he joked. And of course, no family gathering was complete without that one tipsy uncle. Robin, in character, mimicked, “I love all of you… your aunt was a lesbian. Did you know that?”

The audience roared.

And in true Williams fashion, he pivoted from family chaos to the streets of New York, describing how even the city’s quirkiest characters seemed oddly cheerful during the holidays. “Even the crazies are happy,” he said. “Happy Thanksgiving! Blow me!”

Life After Heart Surgery

But the laughter was underscored by something more serious. Robin spoke candidly about his open-heart surgery, explaining how his valve had to be replaced. With perfect comedic timing, he compared his condition to sounding like a “Chevrolet with a blown valve.”

He explained the choice he faced: a pig valve or a cow valve. “The pig valve’s kind of cool ’cause you can find truffles,” he quipped. Ultimately, he went with the cow valve, joking, “Now I can crap standing up.” The audience laughed, but behind the humor was gratitude. “To be after the surgery, and the fact that it’s back online and working really well—it’s a great gift,” he said sincerely, earning applause.

A Gamer at Heart

Then came a revelation that would delight fans worldwide: Robin was not only a gamer, he had actually named his daughter after a video game character.

“My daughter is named after a video game. Zelda. Princess Zelda,” he told Fallon, drawing gasps and cheers. Though he rarely called her “Princess Zelda,” he admitted the name suited her. “It’s a sweet name, and it really kind of fits her. She’s kind of magical.”

His son, Zach, had been the one to suggest it after playing the game, and Robin agreed immediately. It wasn’t just a quirky choice—it was a testament to how deeply video games had woven themselves into his family life.

Robin also admitted he spent hours playing Call of Duty, laughing about being humiliated online by 10-year-olds. “You get owned by a kid going, ‘You’re my bitch,’” he said, mimicking a squeaky voice. He even recalled teaming up with a young French player one night, turning their in-game exchange into a Saving Private Ryan skit, complete with accents and dramatic lines.

Alone, But Never Lonely

When Fallon pointed out that Robin’s hobbies—gaming and cycling—were both solitary pursuits, Williams reflected on his childhood. “I grew up an only child, so I guess it kind of fits with that,” he said. For him, riding a bike 20 miles alone in California or getting lost in a game late at night wasn’t loneliness—it was freedom.

And yet, even in those quiet activities, he carried the same restless energy that made him an unforgettable performer.

The Man Behind the Laughter

The interview was everything people loved about Robin Williams: chaos and sincerity, wit and warmth, the ability to make you laugh uncontrollably one second and reflect on life’s fragility the next.

Perhaps the most touching moment came when he spoke of Zelda, not as a video game character, but as his daughter. “It really kind of fits her. She’s kind of magical,” he said softly.

In that instant, the audience saw beyond the manic brilliance and glimpsed the proud father, the grateful survivor, and the man who could find magic in both pixels on a screen and the people he loved most.