When watching the seamless banter between late night talk show hosts and their celebrity guests, you might’ve wondered whether the stars know in advance what questions they’ll be asked.
Emmy-winning producer Amy Rosenblum, whose credits include Today, says that is “absolutely not” the case. Stars do, however, have some idea of what topics might come up when they appear on late night television.
“The segment producer usually does a pre-interview,” Rosenblum exclusively shares in the new issue of Us Weekly.
The producers aren’t the only ones who do their due diligence before show time. Publicist Steve Honig of the Honig Company tells Us that he asks “for a general sense of what questions are going to be asked” beforehand, so he can give clients “an opportunity to put thought into their answers.”
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While it’s good for the conversation to feel fresh and authentic, no one likes to be surprised by a probing question, like when Jay Leno memorably asked Hugh Grant, “What the hell were you thinking?” during a 1995 interview that took place shortly after Grant, 64, was arrested for a public rendezvous with a sex worker.
Honig tells Us that it’s “usually worked out in advance” whether or not sensitive subjects will be discussed on air.
“[Producers’] willingness to not ask certain questions is usually based on how much they want the guest to [appear],” he explains.
Celebrity guests aren’t the only ones who can be caught off guard during late night interviews. Jimmy Fallon recently revealed that Nicole Kidman “totally blindsided” him during a January 2015 episode of his titular talk show by revealing that he’d once fumbled a chance to date her.
“We were just there to talk about one of her movies, or something she was going to win an award for. She was great and she looked amazing and we were talking and she goes, ‘Did you know that we dated? … Do you remember I had a crush on you and I came over to your apartment?’” Fallon, 50, recalled, during an April interview with Deadline. “My face just melted. It was the most embarrassing thing.”
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During the awkward interview in question, Fallon recalled thinking that Kidman, 57, wanted to meet with him to discuss a potential project. Kidman, however, told a different story.
“I just remember I liked you. Not now, I’m married now,” she said, referring to husband Keith Urban, whom she’s been married to since 2006. “But [our mutual friend] Rick was like, ‘Jimmy wants to meet you and you can go over to his apartment,’ and I was single. … And then you put a video game on or something and I was like, ‘This is so bad.’ And you didn’t talk at all. So, after about an hour and a half I thought, ‘He has no interest, this is so embarrassing.’ So I left, and went, ‘OK, no chemistry. Maybe he’s gay!’”
At that point, Fallon — who has been married to Nancy Juvonen since 2007 — doubled over with laughter and walked away from his seat. All that to say, late night talk show conversations are definitely not pre-planned.
For more insights into the inner workings of the entertainment industry, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
