The campaign to help kids living in poverty is returning to the U.S. for the second time with a star-studded NBC event on May 26.
As Red Nose Day gets ready to return to the U.S. for a second year, the charitable campaign is revealing some of the stars set to participate in its May 26 NBC special.
Tracy Morgan, Emma Watson, Danny Trejo and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Ellie Kemper will all take part in the two-hour event, broadcast live from Los Angeles from 9-11 p.m. ET.
Craig Ferguson will host the special with the following stars also set to join him: Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Kristen Bell, Ludacris, Rose Byrne, Blake Griffin, Emma Thompson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Steve Buscemi, Adam Devine and Ron Funches.
Created by Oscar nominated writer-director Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign dedicated to lifting kids out of poverty. Run by Comic Relief, Red Nose Day became a cultural phenomenon in the U.K. and has raised more than $1 billion globally in the last 25 years.
The campaign came to the U.S. for the first time in 2015, and raised more than $23 million, with the money at work in all 50 states and 15 countries internationally in programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated.
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The star-studded NBC special will feature stand-up performances, sketch comedy, short films and music performances. In 2015, more than 100 celebrities lent their support to Red Nose Day’s first U.S. campaign, with Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Julia Roberts, Jack Black, Pharrell, Blake Shelton and Ed Sheeran among the stars who participated in last year’s NBC special.
The money raised by Red Nose Day in 2016 will help support projects in some of the neediest parts of the U.S. and the world. This year’s partner charities include Boys & Girls Club of America; charity:water; Children’s Health Fund; Covenant House; Feeding America; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; National Council of La Raza; National Urban League; Oxfam America; Save the Children; and The Global Fund.
Speaking about last year’s first iteration of Red Nose Day in the U.S., Curtis previously told The Hollywood Reporter, “I was kind of startled and thrilled at how many famous people, if you give them something fun or funny to do, are really happy to do that. I’m always really startled by the willingness of people who are famous to go the extra mile. We always want to give them something they want to do, rather than something they feel they ought to do.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
