NBC's 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon' has enjoyed a smooth run so far, but the show is now facing its first major controversy: A male ex-employee is accusing Fallon and his staff of sexual discrimination.

Paul Tarascio, a former stage manager for Fallon, claims he was unjustly demoted after a show executive told him "Jimmy just prefers to take direction from a woman,'' according to E! Online.

Tarascio filed a sexual discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York Division of Human Rights claiming he was demoted and ultimately fired on the basis of gender. He was moved from first stage manager to second stage manager in July 2009. The show had debuted that March.

"It's a tough thing for him to be told that the reason why he was being moved from one position to another was that Jimmy Fallon preferred to take direction from a woman,'' said Dominick Bratti, Tarascio's attorney, to E!.

The complaint also charges that Fallon changed his requirement that only female techs could put microphones on him "after a series of women proved to be unsatisfactory in the position.''

Tarascio had previously worked for Conan O'Brien for 14 years but stayed behind when that show moved from New York City to California.

He claims the woman who replaced him on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' was far less qualified.

Tarascio was fired from the show in March for what he claims are "fabricated performance issues.''