Jimmy Fallon surprises Parkland shooting survivors with graduation speech: 'Keep changing the world'

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Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon surprised students at the Florida secondary school where a gunman killed 17 in February, turning up unannounced to deliver the commencement speech on Sunday night at the school's graduation ceremony.

The comedian, who hosts The Tonight Show, congratulated the seniors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who received their diplomas.

Four families received diplomas on behalf of loved ones who were killed in the Valentine’s Day bloodshed.

Fallon urged students in the small city of Parkland, which is around 45 miles north of Miami, to move forward and “don’t let anything stop you”.

"You are not just the future - you are the present. Keep changing the world. Keep making us proud,” he said.

"Today you're graduating from high school. You should feel incredibly proud of yourselves. That doesn't mean you should rest on your laurels - or your yannys," he quipped.

This is a reference to the “Yanny or Laurel” auditory illusion which went viral last month and prompted the internet to explode into heated debate. The name being said depends on the perception of the listener – some hear Laurel while others hear Yanny.

"Some of you will grow up to hear yanny, some of you will grow up to hear laurel, but the most important thing for you to know is that neither of these things will matter by the end of the summer," he said.

"Here's what will matter: you, the class of 2018, will have graduated. And you won't be classmates anymore. You'll be adults who Facebook search each other at two in the morning for the next ten years."

Fallon then adopted a more serious tone as he offered advice to the graduating seniors to help them in the future.

"The first thing is this: when something feels hard, remember that it gets better. Choose to move forward. Don't let anything stop you."

He noted that he had met some of the students at the March for Our Lives earlier this year, calling it "an amazing day."

"Thank you for your courage and your bravery," he said.

Graduate Shannon Recor said she was pleased Fallon had come to the event –saying he "made us laugh and cry”.

“He brought a positive energy - I'm glad he came,” she added.

Principal Ty Thompson underscored the honours for the dead students on Twitter.

"Remember those not with us, and celebrate all the successes the Class of 2018 has brought to the community and the world!" Mr Thompson tweeted.

Fourteen students and three staff members died in the attack in Parkland on 14 February. A former student, Nikolas Cruz, 19, is charged with their deaths and with wounding 17 other people.

Lawyers for Mr Cruz have said the teenager would plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life without parole. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.