What started as a simple online word puzzle is now making the leap from screens to television. NBC has officially begun production on a pilot for “Wordle: The Game Show,” an adaptation of The New York Times’ viral trivia hit that racks up billions of plays each year. According to Deadline, the network has tapped TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie as the host — and none other than The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon is taking on a behind-the-scenes role as executive producer.
The project is being filmed in the UK under Fallon’s production banner, Electric Hot Dog, alongside Universal Television Alternative Studio and The New York Times. The partnership marks a creative experiment for the paper, which acquired Wordle from Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle in 2022. Since then, the game’s popularity has only grown — with over 5.3 billion plays in 2024, a significant jump from 4.8 billion the year before.
For those unfamiliar, Wordle challenges players to guess a five-letter word within six tries. After each guess, colored tiles reveal how close they are to the correct answer — a format reminiscent of the classic game Mastermind. Its simplicity, combined with a shared daily puzzle that connects players across the globe, has turned Wordle into a cultural phenomenon.
Fallon, known for his energetic personality and love of pop culture trends, has long been a fan of the game. He even confessed to being “completely addicted” to it and once attempted to solve the puzzle live on The Tonight Show. So when The New York Times decided to adapt the concept for television, Fallon was a natural fit to bring his comedic and competitive flair to the project.
But according to sources close to the production, things haven’t been entirely smooth behind the scenes. Reports from the UK set hint at a tense creative disagreement between Fallon and Guthrie during the first test shoot. One insider described the exchange as “unexpectedly intense,” claiming that production was briefly paused after a heated exchange of opinions about the show’s tone and structure. “It got awkward fast,” the source added, “and for a moment, no one knew if they’d continue shooting that day.”
Still, both stars are professionals — and those on set say the tension eventually eased, with the pair even sharing a laugh after reviewing early footage. “They both want the show to be great,” another insider explained. “They’re just passionate people with big ideas.”
If the pilot performs well, Wordle: The Game Show could soon join Fallon’s growing list of television projects at NBC, including the business competition On Brand, the rebooted Password (recently renewed for a third season), and his music-and-comedy hybrid That’s My Jam.
Whether or not the drama rumors are true, one thing’s certain — a Wordle showdown hosted by Savannah Guthrie and produced by Jimmy Fallon is a combination too intriguing to ignore. And if Fallon’s enthusiasm for the game is any clue, viewers can expect plenty of laughs, suspense, and maybe even a few five-letter words of surprise when the show finally hits the airwaves.
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