After so many months of planning, prepping and production, we’ve finally arrived – today, May 26th, marks the second annual Red Nose Day in America.
Red Nose Day is a special day to come together, have fun and raise money and awareness for kids in need - both here in America and around the world. We are on a mission to lift kids out of poverty, and through the power of entertainment Red Nose Day aims to change - and even save - the lives of many children who need our help the most.
Although at the time of this posting the official Red Nose Day is only just kicking off, with the support of our incredible partners, like Comcast NBCUniversal, and the American public, the campaign has already been a huge success in so many ways. More Americans than ever before know about Red Nose Day and the impact their support will make. Countless FUN-raisers have been held in schools, offices, workplaces and communities all across the country and they will continue throughout the day, raising vital funds for programs to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated.
And Red Noses. Did I mention all the Red Noses? Americans have bought millions and millions at Walgreens across the country in the lead up to today. Indeed Walgreens’ commitment to Red Nose Day has attracted dozens of other blue chip brands including M&M’s, all of which donate proceeds from sales in to support Red Nose Day’s cause to help kids in need. I hope you will see many Red Noses worn today with pride!
To top it all off, today’s events will culminate in The Red Nose Day Special, broadcast LIVE on NBC at 9pm ET. The roster of talent is quite extraordinary - Elton John, Julia Roberts, Will Ferrell, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Black, Tracy Morgan, Paul Rudd, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Connie Britton, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman and Kobe Bryant are just a few of the more than 65 stars who are coming together to have fun, raise money and change lives.
Hosted by Craig Ferguson, tonight’s spectacular show will feature stand-up performances, sketch comedy, music performances and short films that shine a spotlight the serious side of Red Nose Day’s important work lifting children out of poverty. Through the power of entertainment, Red Nose Day aims to raise millions of dollars by making it fun to give back and make a difference. It’s going to be quite a night!
The support of Red Nose Day’s cause throughout the entire Comcast NBCUniversal organization has been amazing – especially NBC, Telemundo, MSNBC as well as many multiple platforms including Xfinity and Xfinity Latino. And Red Nose Day is proud to be a part of Comcast NBCUniversal’s commitment to making a difference in communities locally and globally- alongside Comcast Cares Day and Global Citizen.
We were so thrilled that last year’s inaugural Red Nose Day in the US raised over $23 million, with those monies now at work changing the lives of children in need in all 50 states across America as well as 15 countries internationally. This year’s Red Nose Day is going to be even bigger and better, and I know this is still just the beginning of what we can achieve together – by having more fun, raising more money and changing more kids’ lives.