UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – May 4, 2016 – Craig Ferguson and a star-studded cast of Hollywood favorites is coming together to have fun, raise money and change the lives of kids who need our help the most in ‘The Red Nose Day Special’ on NBC. Broadcast live from Los Angeles on Red Nose Day, Thursday, May 26 (9-11 p.m. ET), the special will feature hilarious comedy, incredible music performances from popular artists and short, compelling films shedding light on children in need here at home and around the world.
Coming together for the FUN-raising special will be Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Tracy Morgan, Key & Peele, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Ellie Kemper, along with Kristen Bell, Emma Watson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Rose Byrne, Blake Griffin, Emma Thompson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, Adam Devine and Ron Funches. Additional talent will be announced at a later date.
Ferguson (“The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”) has a diverse and eclectic career that encompasses film, television and the stage. He recently debuted his new History Channel show, “Join or Die,” and can currently be seen on the nationally syndicated game show “Celebrity Name Game,” for which he was recently awarded the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host for the second year in a row. He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album for “Just Being Honest,” and is currently on The New Deal Tour, a 60-show comedy stand-up tour across North America.
Red Nose Day is on a mission to help lift kids out of poverty. People from all walks of life are encouraged to get involved, have fun and raise money by buying red noses sold exclusively at Walgreens stores nationwide, organizing fundraising events and watching and donating during the television special. Following the sell-out success of last year’s inaugural Red Nose Day, Walgreens is making more Red Noses available and expanded to Red Nose Day Flair merchandise. This ranges from red hats and springy novelty headbands to oversized sequin bowties and Red Noses for cars (to name a few), making it even easier for Americans to “Get Seriously Silly” in support of a great cause. The money raised by Red Nose Day in 2016 will help support projects in some of the neediest communities in the U.S. and some of the poorest communities in the world.
Red Nose Day has raised over $1 billion globally in the last 25 years, and in the UK has become a cultural phenomenon where people across the country come together to have fun, raise money and change lives. Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015, and raised more than $23 million, with the money now at work in all 50 states and 15 countries internationally through programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated.
Created by Oscar nominee and Emmy Award-winning writer-director Richard Curtis, (“Love Actually,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill”), the idea of Red Nose Day was built upon the foundation that mass media and celebrities can help raise money and awareness of poverty to save and change millions of lives.
Richard Curtis is an executive producer for the live NBC telecast (a Universal Television production), along with John Irwin of Irwin Entertainment, and Lily Sobhani.
For more information, visit www.rednosedayusa.com and follow @RedNoseDayUS on Twitter and @RedNoseDayUSA on Facebook and Instagram using #RedNoseDay.
ABOUT RED NOSE DAY
Red Nose Day (rednoseday.org) is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief Inc. (comicrelief.org), a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. Red Nose Day has raised over $1 billion globally in the last 25 years, and in the UK has become a cultural phenomenon where people across the country come together to have fun, raise money and change lives. Red Nose Day launched in the U.S. in 2015, dedicated to raising money to help children who are most in need, both in the U.S. and in some of the poorest communities in the world. Last year it benefited children and young people in all 50 states and in 15 countries internationally.
Red Nose Day returns this year on Thursday May 26, 2016. The day's events will culminate in a two-hour live primetime TV special on NBC, featuring the biggest stars across comedy, music, TV and film. Funds raised go to the Red Nose Day Fund which distributes the money through programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated. Comic Relief Inc. in the US and Comic Relief UK are independent sister organizations that are joined by their shared vision of a just world, free from poverty and the mission to drive positive change through the power of entertainment.