Late Night Host and Chicago Mayor Take the Polar Bear Plunge
Late Night host Jimmy Fallon and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel took the Polar Bear Plunge Sunday, March 2. The event took place in Lake Michigan in the 32-degree lake.
According to the Chicago Tribune, "The celebrity-politician plunge started with a bet Emanuel made with the city's children last summer, an urban version of the public-figure dunk tank long popular at county fairs and the like. Emanuel agreed to participate in the Polar Plunge benefiting the Special Olympics if the kids, through the Chicago Public Library system, would read more than 2 million books."
Fallon had asked for Emanuel to be a guest on his show. Emanuel counter-offered the proposal, asking Fallon to participate in Chicago's Polar Bear Plunge.
The Chicago Mayor posted a challenge proposal on his Instagram account. He wrote, "Will #jimmyplungewithus? I got this for him."
Fallon had proposed that he would wear his suit and tie during the plunge. The mayor's jest had Fallon defending himself with, "Gonna stop rumors right now. I am NOT wearing a wet suit."
Mayor @RahmEmanuel: gonna stop rumors right now. I am NOT wearing a wet suit for #PolarPlunge. My suit will get WET - but I'm going tough. - jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) March 1, 2014
Chicago Polar Plungers: I got my ticket. I'm coming. I'm wearing a suit. Wear a necktie (any color) to show solidarity. #PolarPlunge — jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) March 1, 2014
I'm here Chicago! It is COLD. You are not making this easy. #PolarPlunge — jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) March 2, 2014
Officially PLUNGED!!!!! Thank you Chicago!!! Thank you Mayor. #polarplunge #coldneverbotheredmeanyway… https://t.co/TjiCzaMM2B — jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) March 2, 2014
After the plunge, Fallon posted a photo to his Instagram account saying, "Officially PLUNGED!!!!! Thank you Chicago!!! Thank you Mayor. #polarplunge #coldneverbotheredmeanyway #frozen."
For those wondering, the Chicago Polar Bear Plunge event looked nothing like Fallon's Vanity Fair cover.