October 28, 2026
Todd Owyoung/NBC
Comedian Julian McCullough performs his stand-up act on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,' joking about rat birth control and his Philadelphia roots.
Comedian Julian McCullough opined about what it's like being from "one of the least popular cities in the country" Tuesday during his stand-up act on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon."
"We've been celebrating 15 years of being voted the meanest, rudest city in America in a national poll," the Philadelphia native cracked. "And whenever I tell people that, they're always like 'Well, what about Boston?' and I'm like 'Good point, but you're thinking of racism. Philly is mean to everybody, we don't care.'"
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McCullough, who spent the last two years opening for comedian Nate Bargatze, spoke about his experiences visiting places like Cleveland, Kansas and Florida. But, he said, he couldn't really complain about other cities, given Philadelphia's reputation.
Although he was born in the city, McCullough spent his younger childhood years in San Francisco, where he said teachers taught him to care about the environment and that gay people deserve equal rights.
McCullough now resides in New York City with his wife and daughters. The city infamously has a rat overpopulation problem, and he noted that one new mitigation strategy has been rat birth control — something also proposed in Philly. McCullough said he's eager to see how that goes.
"Look, I don't know if it's going to work, but I am excited to see an entire generation of female rats get to pursue their dreams without being burdened by an unwanted pregnancy at a young age," McCullough said. "I feel like it's a real step in the rat direction."
Watch the full clip below.
