Al Roker

Red Nose Day 2017: Julia Roberts, ‘Love Actually' Cast Among Stars Taking Part in Charity Special

The charity program kicks off at 8 p.m. EST, and ending with a one-hour "The Red Nose Day Special" hosted by Chris Hardwick at 10 p.m. EST

Are you wearing your red nose? 

Celebrating Red Nose Day for the third year in a row, NBC will anchor a special night of programming on Thursday, May 25 with Chris Hardwick hosting the "The Red Nose Day Special."

The Red Nose Day program kicks off with "Celebrity Ninja Warrior for Red Nose Day" at 8:00 p.m. and will be followed by a special 9:00 p.m. episode of "Running Wild with Bear Grylls for Red Nose Day," with Academy Award winner Julia Roberts venturing to Kenya, leading up to NBC's third annual "The Red Nose Day Special," hosted by Hardwick at 10:00 p.m.  

Roberts and other stars will partake in Red Nose Day-themed programming throughout the night that both entertains viewers and gives them an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of kids in need.

Hardwick, also host of NBC's "The Wall," said he jumped at the opportunity to host the special because Red Nose Day tackles the needs of children from a unique perspective.

"Coming out of the lens of comedy and using comedy to tell that story and garner attention and be able to say you know jokes aside we really need to help these kids, we really need to help children, I think that separates it from other charities that I’ve seen," Hardwick said.

The one-hour "Red Nose Day Special," hosted by Hardwick will be broadcast live from Rockefeller Plaza in New York City in support of the Red Nose Day charity campaign.

Stars appearing include Ben Affleck, Jack Black, Orlando Bloom, Yvette Nicole Brown, Bryan Cranston, Patrick Dempsey, Akbar Gbajabiamila, Bear Grylls, Mindy Kaling, Mark Hamill, Matt Iseman, DJ Khaled, Matt Lauer, Rachel McAdams, Seth Meyers, Bobby Moynihan, Julia Roberts, Al Roker, Paul Rudd, Dax Shepard, Ben Stiller and Kenan Thompson, along with "This Is Us" cast members Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Chris Sullivan, Susan Kelechi Watson and Ron Cephas Jones.

The special will also feature "Red Nose Day Actually," the much-anticipated reunion sequel to "Love Actually," catching up with cast members from the beloved holiday film, including Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson and Bill Nighy.

"Love Actually" star Martine McCutcheon, who played Hugh Grant's love interest in the romance classic, said she was happy the reunion film was being tied to a charitable cause.

"It's a fantastic clever link by [director Richard Curtis.] At the end of the day it's about people coming together and understanding others struggles and the different curveballs people chuck at you in life. To link 'Love Actually' with comic relief is such a brilliant teaming of two things," McCutcheon said.

Contact Us