MTSU flips punch line on ‘Tonight Show’ jab at ‘Murfreersboro’ (+VIDEO)

Middle Tennessee State University is standing up for its hometown with some good-natured humor directed at “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon regarding the correct pronunciation of the Midstate city’s name.

In this video screen grab, stand-up comedian John Mulaney, left, a guest on the popular late night NBC show "The Tonight Show", butchered the city of Murfreesboro's name during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon in which Mulaney relates a horrible experience at a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, gig during his early days on the road.

In this video screen grab, stand-up comedian John Mulaney, left, a guest on the popular late night NBC show “The Tonight Show”, butchers the city of Murfreesboro’s name during an interview with host Jimmy Fallon in which Mulaney relates a horrible experience at a Murfreesboro, Tennessee, gig during his early days on the road.

The issue hit national airwaves Wednesday night on “The Tonight Show” when stand-up comedian John Mulaney, a guest on the popular late night NBC show, butchered the city of Murfreesboro’s name during an interview with Fallon in which Mulaney relates a horrible experience at a Murfreesboro gig during his early days on the road.

In sharing his story, Mulaney awkwardly mispronounces Murfreesboro as “Murfreersboro” — while being adamant that he was pronouncing it correctly — and he and Fallon had some laughs about the city’s name, including a running gag regarding the number of R’s it contains.

You can see the exchange here: http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/segments/12866.

In a video filmed Wednesday afternoon that playfully jabbed back, MTSU mass communication student Chris J. Davis, news director of the student-run MT10 News, “interviewed” students about how to properly say their town’s name, and then asking them to name the host of “The Tonight Show.”

The interviewees proceed to pronounce Mur-frees-boro flawlessly, while Fallon’s name gets some, er, extra R’s added. Watch the video here:

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, who also participates in the video, sent Fallon a care package via overnight mail filled with MTSU and Murfreesboro gear for Fallon to keep or give to his audience.

The university reached out to Nashville NBC affiliate, WSMV-TV Channel 4, to share the video with the New York NBC affiliate in hopes of properly educating those around the Big Apple on how to correctly pronounce the proud home of the Middle Tennessee State University.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee sent “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon a care package via overnight mail Thursday filled with MTSU and Murfreesboro gear for Fallon to keep or give to his audience. (MTSU photo)