On Wednesday night, Jimmy Fallon hosted former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on the Tonight Show. And there was something he had to do: give his female writers an opportunity to thank her in person. One by one, they took to Fallon’s desk to share their heartfelt — and funny — messages.
“Thank you, Hillary Clinton, for handling this difficult transition with more grace than I ever could have imagined,” one writer began, seriously enough. “That being said, call me day or night and I will be there with a gallon of ice cream and two spoons to tell you, ‘Girl, you are so much better than him!'”
That got a laugh from Clinton. “You may get the call,” she responded. The final letter-writer, however, was not one of the show’s staff at all — but guest Miley Cyrus.
“Thank you Hillary for being a constant beacon of strength, hope and determination for me and millions of other young women,” she wrote, fighting tears throughout. “You’ve been a role model and an inspiration and a voice of reason in uncertain times. I could go on and on, but I’d like to get right to the point. Can I give you a hug?” She could, and she did. Clinton also asked to deliver her own message.
“Thank you Miley, the Tonight Show writers and all of the women and young girls out there,” she said. “You are smart, strong and deserving of every opportunity. Together we’ve made our voices heard, we’ve done great things and we’ve come a long way. But as Miley would say, we can’t stop, and we won’t stop,” she finished, referencing Cyrus’s hit 2013 song to cheers.
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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com