Mired at the bottom of the GOP primary polls, Chris Christie is heading back to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" to boost his national recognition that will hopefully land him a spot on stage at the next GOP debate.
NBC announced on Monday that Christie will stop by "The Tonight Show" on Aug. 31 for his first appearance since announcing his 2016 run for president. Fallon has invited the New Jersey governor on his NBC late-night shows five times in the past (three on "Late Night" and two on "Tonight").
Christie last appeared in April and gave a ringing endorsement for Fallon's new Ben & Jerry's flavor, "The Tonight Dough." During his first time on "Tonight," he and Fallon presented "The Evolution of Dad Dancing" to celebrate Father's Day in 2014. The video has amassed more than 9 million YouTube views to date.
CNN will host the next GOP debate on Sept. 15 with moderator Jake Tapper. The cable news channel will host two debates for candidates ranking Top 10 in the polls and another for those "who didn't make that cut," Tapper announced on his "State of the Union" show in June.
Many of the Republican presidential candidates are making the late-night rounds. Jeb Bush will serve as Stephen Colbert's second official guest as he kicks off his "Late Show" on Sept. 8 on CBS. Back on NBC, Lindsey Graham and Carly Fiorina have also stopped by "Late Night with Seth Meyers" recently.
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" airs on weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.
