How Arizona's Recker Eans got a talk show, met Madonna and befriended Jimmy Fallon at 11

Recker Eans is 11.

And that definitely comes across in conversation. 

At least until he tosses in a casual reference to some recent life experience most kids his age will never know. 

"When I was on 'The Tonight Show' with Madonna," he says at one point, "we were talking and Jimmy's like 'Are you guys ready?!'"

That's Jimmy as in Jimmy Fallon. 

And Madonna as in … well, you know, Madonna.

Eans, who lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with his mom and dad, was on the set of "The Tonight Show" in October to promote "The Kids Tonight Show," a new series streaming on Peacock that reinvents the late-night talk show format for a younger audience. 

Recker Eans co-hosts 'Kids Tonight Show' on Peacock

Eans and co-hosts Mykal-Michelle Harris, Olivia Perez and Young Dylan play games, deliver monologues and interview guests with the youthful exuberance of kids their age.

Eans also serves as something of a one-man house band, perched behind his trusty drum kit with the "Kids Tonight Show" logo on it. 

"It's so cool the mixture of the hosting with the drums," he says. 

"I always had the drums with me. So I was safe, which made me a little bit better at hosting."

Eans was 9 when "The Kids Tonight Show" asked him to audition.

"The casting director found me on Instagram," he says of the platform where he now has more than 15,000 followers.

At first, his parents weren't sure it was on the level. 

"My mom's sister has been in the business for a while," Eans says. "So we contacted her, like, 'OK, is this real?''

As Laura Eans, his mom, explains, "You get some weird messages sometimes through Instagram and Facebook.'"

But the name checked out, so they hopped a flight to New York City to audition.

"To be honest, the first audition, I thought I did terrible," Eans recalls. "Like, I was crying. I was like, 'No, I did not do good!'"

Two weeks later, he was asked back for a second interview.

He also drums for the band the Twits, who opened for DEVO in Vegas

Despite being 9 at the time, Eans brought a wealth of personal experience to his audition, having been in videos for Neffex, Volbeat and Signals and an ad campaign for Gap Kids.

Plus, there's all the live performing he's done with the Twits, who recently played Punk Rock Bowling, opening for DEVO in Las Vegas. 

"I get this energy from a live audience where I bring my energy to them and they give me energy back," he says.

"It's just an awesome thing. So on 'The Kids Tonight Show,' when I knew that there was gonna be an audience, I was super excited."

At first, he was a little curious about why they chose him to host the show. 

"I was like, 'Hey, what made you pick me?'" he recalls. "And they were like, 'Well, you're very talented on the drums and with the hosting and everything. You're very authentic. And your hair is amazing.'"

He laughs, then adds, "I feel like drumming was a major part of it. I've done that my whole entire life."

'A kid that kids would really like'

James Sunderland, the show's executive producer, somehow fails to mention hair when talking about what made Eans a perfect fit. 

"We were looking for kids who bring a real sense of personality, uniqueness, fun and authenticity," he says. 

"And that is definitely what we saw in Recker right from day one. He's got such a natural way about him and just stood out as a kid that kids would really like, aspire to and want to be his friend. He's just a great kid."

And the fact that he's also a talented drummer was a bonus.

"His band the Twits are fabulous," Sunderland says. "When we had Meghan Trainor on the show, she'd watched their latest video. And he was very quick off the cuff and said, 'Hey, we should do a collaboration.'"

How he got his start drumming at School of Rock

He's been drumming more than half of his 11 years on earth.

"For my fifth birthday, I asked for a drum set," he says.

He started taking lessons that same year at School of Rock — "the one, like, two minutes from me."

At the time, he was the youngest student there. 

"I just kept doing lessons," he says. "And then I formed a band and got way better. Honestly, the rest is history."

What it was like taping 'The Kids Tonight Show' in New York

"The Kids Tonight Show" has been streaming two new episodes a week on NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock since Oct. 14.

The show filmed 20 episodes in New York City, where Eans and his parents spent five weeks in August and September, squeezing in some family tourist time between tapings and school. (Eans had a tutor on the set).

Laura Eans says the trip brought the three of them closer together as a family.

"To watch him evolve right in front of our eyes was just amazing," she says.

"As long as Reck has a smile on his face, then dad and I are totally happy. I just want him to be an 11-year-old kid that's following his dreams. We're supportive, but this is all him."

Sunderland credits Eans' family as a key ingredient in his success.

"That really helps when you have kids on these shows to have the support of a good family so that they feel loved and valued by the people who are helping them and being there for them," he says. "And Recker's family are fantastic."

'It was, like, the best thing ever'

The four young co-hosts formed an instant chemistry.

"It was almost like they'd known each other for a long time," Sunderland says.

"They became fast friends and I think that shows. You can see that they're not acting. They're being themselves. They're being off-the-cuff, authentic and inquisitive with the guests. And they're bouncing off each other."

Eans loved taping. 

"It was, like, the best thing ever," he says. 

"I would be walking down the hall and Jimmy would walk by and be like, 'Hey Recker.' I'd be like (nervously) 'Hi?'"

'A feeling of being part of the "Tonight Show" family'

Fallon's show was being filmed across the hallway from "The Kids Tonight Show," so  he'd pop in on occasion just to see how they were doing and offer his assistance. He was also their first guest.

"There was definitely a feeling of being part of the 'Tonight Show' family and an extension of the brand," Sunderland says.

"Everyone was so wonderful, warm and welcoming. And it was great to provide an atmosphere of positivity and nurturing for the kids to come on and do their very best."

Eans says Fallon is one of the nicest guys he's ever met. 

"He's really fun to talk to," he says. "He's like a big kid."

Fallon also offered Eans some tips that "helped a lot," the drummer says.

"Be yourself. Be authentic. Listen to your guests. That was a huge one. Because when you listen, you can relate it to things that have happened to you. And it becomes a conversation."

Will there be a second season of 'Kids Tonight Show'?

Sunderland is hoping for a second season.

"We did a fantastic first season and I feel the show has resonated," he says.

"We had some great guests and not only were we doing new material but we were able to take classic games and key bits from 'The Tonight Show' and kind of kid-ify them." 

Eans would also like to do a second season.

"I'm crossing my fingers," he says.

Is there a dream guest he would like to interview?

"Millie Bobby Brown, my crush," he says, without having to think it over. "Definitely. I would have her on and it would be so much fun."

Regardless of what happens next, he's glad he got the opportunity.

"Honestly, that was a life experience that not a lot of people will have," he says.

What's next for Recker Eans and the Twits

And it's already led to other opportunities, from a management company to an opening slot for the Twits at the Van Buren when Marc Rebillet, one of Eans' favorite "Kids Tonight Show" guests, played Phoenix.

"It's definitely opened a bunch of doors because people are starting to notice me," Eans says.

"I like that. One big opportunity can lead to many, which is cool."

He's back in Gilbert now, going to school and playing with the Twits, whose next local appearance is Saturday, Dec. 18, with Authority Zero at Tempe's Marquee Theatre.

Is there anything he'd like to say before he hands the phone off to his mom?

"I just want to thank everyone for making this happen," he says.

"I mean, it takes a village. And I just want to inspire everyone to do what you love and be authentic, because it's gonna take you on a ride that's gonna be so fun."

The Twits with Authority Zero

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18. 

Where: Marquee Theatre, 730 N. Mill Ave., Tempe.

Admission: $22 and up.

Details: 480-829-0607, luckymanonline.com. 

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.

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