cover story
Clowning around for a cause
Stars raise money for charity in ‘Red Nose Day’
By Kyla Brewer
TV Media
B
elieve it or not, one of the
hottest accessories in Hol-
lywood these days is a bright red
nose. Dozens of celebrities have
proudly posed with a clown-like
schnoz as they raise money for
charity, and TV viewers can join in
on the fun, too.
Some of Tinseltown’s biggest
stars come together to entertain
audiences in the hopes of put-
ting an end to child poverty in
“Red Nose Day,” premiering
Thursday, May 23, on NBC. The
annual special features a mix of
music, comedy sketches and short
film segments that shed light on
children in need in America and
around the world.
Red Nose Day is a fundraising
campaign designed to support
programs that keep children safe,
healthy and educated. Academy
Award-nominated director Rich-
ard Curtis (“Four Weddings and a
Funeral,” 1994) co-founded the
initiative along with Lenny Henry
(“The Magicians”) in 1988, and
the program was launched in the
U.S. in 2015 with great success.
“When we brought Red Nose
Day to America, my hope was
that we could inspire people to
realize we can all truly make a
difference for kids living really
tough lives and have fun doing
so,” Curtis explained. “As Red
Nose Day USA enters its fifth
year, it’s clear that it’s found
a special place in millions of
Americans’ hearts already and
they have really made it their
own. I’m thrilled to see what’s
yet to come.”
Run by the charitable orga-
nization Comic Relief, the Red
Nose Day initiative has raised
more than $1 billion for various
charities and programs globally.
The U.S. edition of Red Nose Day
has raised nearly $150 million
since its inception and it’s still
going strong, thanks to the work
of corporate sponsors and gener-
ous celebrities. To put things in
perspective, the campaign has
helped more than 16 million chil-
dren in need by providing educa-
2 | Screentime
tion, medical programs, food and
other support.
This year’s campaign has
the potential to impact mil-
lions more as stars once again
turn out in droves to promote
Red Nose Day. Past celebrities
who’ve appeared in the special
include Hugh Grant (“Notting
Hill,” 1999), Andie MacDowell
(“Sex, Lies, and Videotape,”
1989), Mandy Moore (“This Is
Us”), Milo Ventimiglia (“This
Is Us”), Jack Black (“School
of Rock,” 2003), Ben Stiller
(“There’s Something About
Mary,” 1998), Anne Hathaway
(“The Devil Wars Prada,” 2006),
Julia Roberts (“Pretty Woman,”
1990), Sean Hayes (“Will &
Grace”) and many, many more.
While NBC’s three hours
of “Red Nose Day” television
programming is the highlight
of the campaign for many fans,
Red Nose Day events have been
raising funds and awareness for
weeks. Millions of Americans
have had the opportunity to
engage in fundraising efforts
in schools, at work and in the
public.
The program’s website, red-
noseday.org, offers teachers
resources to help their students
understand the issue of child
poverty, activities to help them
develop empathy, and tools for
showing students how they
can create positive change —
one red nose at a time. It also
features “Saturday Night Live”
star Kate McKinnon in a video
about getting kids to tell and sell
their best jokes to raise money
through a Red Nose Day “Joke-
ha-Thon.”
Don’t worry if you can’t come
up with a joke — there are plenty
of other ways to support Red
Nose Day. Aside from holding a
fundraiser at work or in your com-
munity, you could also purchase
an iconic red nose at Walgreens
or Duane Reade locations across
America. Walgreens, a corporate
sponsor of Red Nose Day, sells the
noses for $2 each with all profits
going to the charity. They’ve
been in stores since the begin-
ning of the six-week fundraising
May 22, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
Chris Hardwick, host of last year’s “Red Nose Day”
campaign in April and will be
available until June 1. This year,
Walgreens has created a special
selection of “Everyday Heroes”
noses. In addition to the original
red nose, each of the limited
edition collectible character
noses has a special “power”
to addresses the serious issues
children living in poverty face:
illness, homelessness, hunger and
illiteracy. The noses — dubbed
Red, Rojo, Ruby, Scarlet and
Rusty — are packaged in bags
that conceal their identities until
they’re purchased.
Other sponsors include Com-
cast NBC Universal, Mars Wrigley
Confectionary and The Bill & Me-
linda Gates Foundation. Thanks
to their contributions, and those
of millions of everyday Americans,
Red Nose Day will be able to
improve the lives of millions. In
past years, the funds raised by the
program have benefited children
in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, as
well as impoverished communi-
ties in Latin America, Africa and
Asia. So far, the donations have
provided educational resources
to almost a million children, 13
million essential medical services,
support for more than 75,000
homeless children and more than
36 million meals for American
children.
The 2019 edition of Red Nose
Day is poised to help even more
as the stars align for all of the
right reasons. Tune in as celebri-
ties tackle child poverty in NBC’s
“Red Nose Day” special, airing
Thursday, May 23.