Late-night talk shows have always served as a golden platform for movie stars to promote their new projects. Even in today’s TikTok and social media age, actors of all ages from around the world still flock to The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, et al. to chat with the hosts and drum up publicity.
The relationship isn’t one-sided, either. Over the years, many late-night hosts—from Johnny Carson to Jimmy Fallon—have also appeared in movies to portray the characters they know best: themselves. Occasionally, movies even weave late-night programs into the story and have the characters appear as guests.
From classics like Man on the Moon to more recent fare like Jurassic World and Marry Me, here are 15 times late-night has “played itself” in the movies:
Looking For Love (1964)
The musical-comedy marks Johnny Carson’s first (and only) movie role. It stars Connie Francis as Libby, an aspiring singer trying to break into show business. Libby scores a slot on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with the legendary late-night host appearing as himself. However, the flick wasn’t exactly a rousing success. Per CNN, Carson even “used to joke that his 1964 bomb Looking for Love was so bad it was transferred to flammable nitrate film stock.”
Man on the Moon (1999)
Directed by Miloš Forman, the biographical comedy-drama is a late-night fanatic’s dream. The film stars Jim Carrey as the late comedian Andy Kaufman, whose career takes off after performing on SNL. Later in the movie, he guests on Late Night With David Letterman, and both David Letterman and Lorne Michaels make appearances. In 2017, Netflix released a documentary about the film, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond.
Space Cowboys (2000)
This Clint Eastwood-directed flick, which shot to the top of the box office in August 2000, stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner as former test pilots who are tasked with going into space to repair an old Soviet satellite. Jay Leno makes a memorable appearance when the crew turns up on The Tonight Show.
Bewitched (2005)
A rom-com starring Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman plus a Conan O’Brien cameo? Sounds like a witchy good time (er, if you ignore the reviews). The film—which was written, directed, and produced by Nora Ephron—centers on Jack (Ferrell), an actor who signs onto a remake of the ABC sitcom Bewitched, only to discover that his co-star (Kidman) is actually a witch. O’Brien makes an appearance when Jack imagines himself as a guest of Conan’s. Bonus: Stephen Colbert is also in the movie; he plays the character of Stu.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Guillermo del Toro’s superhero flick centers on the Dark Horse Comics character Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a powerful demon who works for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, as he battles a mythical prince gunning for world domination. Jimmy Kimmel makes a quick cameo on the hero’s TV, running a segment debating Hellboy’s true character. “Is [Hellboy] really on our side?” the late-night host wonders.
Project X (2012)
The found footage-style teen comedy centers on three high school students, Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper), and J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown), who throw an epic party that quickly spirals out of control. Toward the end of the film, Kimmel can be spotted discussing the news of the party on TV.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Directed by Shane Black, the Marvel flick follows Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) as he reckons with the consequences of the events of The Avengers (2012) during a national terrorism campaign. In a deleted scene included on the DVD and Blu-ray editions, Bill Maher makes a cameo hosting a Real Time With Bill Maher segment about Iron Man; the late Joan Rivers also has a brief cameo (which you can watch here).
The Interview (2014)
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s political satire flick centers on two journalists (played by Rogen and James Franco) who set up an interview with Kim Jong Un (Randall Park) and are subsequently recruited by the CIA to assassinate the North Korean leader. Seth Meyers and Bill Maher cameo as themselves. In light of threats, Sony pulled the controversial film from many major theaters and opted for a limited release.
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
The second installment of the Pitch Perfect trilogy, directed by Elizabeth Banks, follows an all-female college a cappella group as they compete in a global singing championship competition. In one scene, Kimmel covers an embarrassing incident involving one of the group’s members in a Jimmy Kimmel Live! segment. Bonus: Anna Kendrick guested on Kimmel’s show last year, and the host talked about his mom being “obsessed” with Pitch Perfect.
Get Hard (2015)
Directed by Etan Cohen, Get Hard stars Will Ferrell as James, a hedge fund manager who gets framed for embezzlement; he then turns to car wash attendant Darnell (Kevin Hart) to help him prepare for prison. John Mayer appears as himself on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Fallon makes a cameo as the show’s host. Later, Hart and Ferrell made a real-life appearance on The Tonight Show to chat about the movie.
Ted 2 (2015)
Seth MacFarlane’s fantasy comedy flick—which centers on talking teddy bear Ted (MacFarlane) as he fights for his “civil rights”—is stacked with late-night cameos. In an impressive lineup, Fallon, Kimmel, and Maher all appear at various points in the film as themselves. Perhaps they’ll also make a return for Season 2 of Peacock’s TV series?
Jurassic World (2015)
2015 was clearly a good year for late-night cameos. The fourth installment in the Jurassic Park series, directed by Colin Trevorrow, follows Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) as they deal with a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur on the loose at a theme park. Fallon makes a quick but memorable cameo in a Gyrosphere instruction video.
Late Night (2019)
The comedy-drama, which is directed by Nisha Ganatra, is a late night lover’s dream—and not just because of the on-the-nose title. The film stars Emma Thompson as Katherine, the host of Tonight with Katherine Newbury. Facing declining ratings, she hires a new writer, Molly (Mindy Kaling), to “fix” the show (mostly staffed by white men) and save her from being replaced. At one point in the movie, Molly has a job interview with Meyers.
Marry Me (2022)
The rom-com, directed by Kat Coiro, centers on a famous singer named Kat (Jennifer Lopez) who spontaneously decides to marry a divorced math teacher holding a “marry me” sign (Owen Wilson) after finding out that her fiancé has been cheating on her. Toward the end of the film, Kat appears on The Tonight Show to promote a new song, and Fallon makes a cameo as the host. Following the movie’s release, Lopez guested on The Tonight Show in real life and discussed how Fallon once “roasted” her while they were filming the movie.
Ezra (2024)
Although no late-night hosts cameo as themselves here, Tony Goldwyn’s comedy-drama still centers late-night TV. Ezra follows Max (Bobby Cannavale), a struggling comedy writer and father to a young son with autism, Ezra (William Fitzgerald). Max apparently had a gig with Conan O’Brien back in the day, but lost it when he punched the late-night veteran “in the balls.” Later in the film, Max and Ezra make a cross-country trip to Los Angeles to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the host’s request. (Stick around for the credits.)
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