Hollywood, California - Hollywood’s Biggest Stars – Including Julia Roberts, Jimmy Fallon, Blake Shelton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Neil Patrick Harris, Richard Gere, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell, Pharell, Jack Black, Coldplay, Nick Cannon, Michelle Rodriguez, One Direction, Zac Efron and many more – came together to have fun, raise money and change lives in the ‘Fun-Raising’ special.
Over 100 Hollywood stars were "funny for money" last night in NBC’s inaugural event for charity, ‘Red Nose Day,’ helping to raise over $21 million to help lift children and young people out of poverty in the U.S. and in some of the poorest communities in the world. Julia Roberts, Jimmy Fallon, Blake Shelton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Neil Patrick Harris, Richard Gere, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Pharell, Coldplay, Nick Cannon, Michelle Rodriguez, One Direction and Zac Efron were just a few of the many celebrities appearing in the three-hour entertainment event. Hosted by Seth Meyers, David Duchovny and Jane Krakowski, ‘Red Nose Day’ featured great comedy, videos produced by Funny Or Die, incredible music performances and short compelling films shedding light on those in need.
An enormously popular event in the U.K. that has raised more than $1 billion over the last 30 years, ‘Red Nose Day’ made its American debut last night from 8-11 p.m. ET on NBC. The money raised during ‘Red Nose Day’ funds programs that address the immediate needs of children and young people living in poverty in the U.S., Africa, Asia and Latin America. Our charity partners include Boys & Girls Clubs of America; charity: water; Children’s Health Fund; Feeding America; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Fund; LIFT; National Council of La Raza; National Urban League; Oxfam America; Save the Children and United Way.
"Red Nose Day" was the most social charity special of the 2014/15 TV season, and the #1 most social program of the day on May 21, excluding sports, and ranked by unique audience. There were 149,000 tweets about the special, with a unique audience of 4 million and 12 million impressions during the Nielsen Twitter TV ratings (NTTR) broadcast window.
Musical highlights from the evening include Keith Urban and John Mellencamp performing "Pink Houses," Ed Sheeran partnering with Kermit the Frog to sing "The Rainbow Connection," and Sawyer Fredericks, the newest winner of "The Voice," performing "Imagine." Coldplay premiered ‘Game of Thrones: The Musical’ during the show, featuring a number of the HBO show’s cast members.
Jack Black travelled to Africa to visit children in Uganda living on the streets, witnessing firsthand the devastating effects of preventable diseases at a hospital. Blake Shelton visited a mobile health clinic in Los Angeles that is providing free, life-changing care to underprivileged children. In Peru, Michelle Rodriguez met children having to work to survive and seeing how projects there are helping them get the education they need.
Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Jennifer Garner, Jodie Foster, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren, Robert Pattinson, Paul Rudd, Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch appeared in the benefit event, along with Bill and Melinda Gates, Anna Kendrick, Sir Ian McKellen, Olivia Wilde, Simon Cowell, Hugh Bonneville and many more.
Richard Curtis was an executive producer for the NBC telecast (a Universal Television production), along with Hamish Hamilton and Ian Stewart of Done + Dusted Productions. Henrietta Conrad and Lily Sobhani also served as executive producers, as did Mike Farah, Anna Wenger and Joe Farrell from Funny Or Die. Hamilton directed the special.
About Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day was created to raise money to help children and young people living in poverty in the United States and some of the poorest communities around the world. The inaugural Red Nose Day USA effort was held on Thursday May 21, 2015. The day’s events culminated in a three-hour entertainment TV special on NBC, featuring the country’s favorite comedians, musicians and Hollywood stars. Money raised will go to the Red Nose Day Fund, a program of Comic Relief, Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. The Red Nose Day Fund will distribute the money raised by the Red Nose Day campaign to charity partners whose work helps to achieve Comic Relief, Inc.’s vision of a just world free from poverty.
