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No scripts, no filters — just raw, unscripted emotion. Join us as we count down the most candid moments in talk show history, where hosts and guests ditched their public personas and showed us who they really are! Were you surprised by how open some of these TV personalities got on camera? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00I just remember I liked you and he was like, not now. I'm married now. But he was like, oh,
00:09well, you can be, I mean, I don't.
00:12Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today we're counting down our picks for the most genuine times in history when talk
00:18show hosts or guests stripped away the public personas and showed honest, heartfelt emotions on camera.
00:25This is all the unexpressed love, right? The grief that will remain with us, you know, until we pass.
00:33Number 20. Seth Meyers's wife gives birth. Late night with Seth Meyers. Sometimes the most unscripted moments aren't devised from
00:41tragedy or controversy. They're born quite literally and unexpectedly in a hallway.
00:47My wife is saying, the baby is coming. The baby is, the baby is out. At which point, Neeloo looked
00:55and then looked at me and said, the baby is out.
00:58In 2018, Seth Meyers opened his late night show with a story that had his studio audience completely floored.
01:04His wife, Alexi Ash, had given birth to their second child not in a hospital delivery room, but in the
01:10lobby of their building.
01:11Uh, what? You don't believe the entire fire department came into our lobby to help us deliver our baby? There
01:16they are. Look at that. New York's finest.
01:19Seth's breathless, play-by-play retelling, wide-eyed, slightly traumatized, visibly still processing the whole ordeal, was television gold.
01:28It was also touching as Meyers gave thanks to the emergency responders and neighbors who helped during and after.
01:34Uh, no one offered me oxygen, I should point out.
01:40No writer's room could have scripted that kind of raw, laugh-out-loud chaos.
01:45Number 19. Joy did not miss Megan. The View.
01:49Sometimes it takes a political discussion for talk show hosts to open up about their true feelings.
01:54Unfortunately for Megan McCain on The View, she received blunt words from Joy Behar.
01:59Because you had really traitors- Are you kidding me? You have AOC saying she's going to primary juxture.
02:03Excuse me, am I done? I'm not done.
02:05In 2021, the panel was discussing bigger differences between factions within the same political party.
02:11Behar believed there were more extremes among the Republicans, while McCain sided with bigger issues within the Democrats.
02:16As the argument got more heated, McCain jokingly suggested that Behar missed her when she was away on maternity leave.
02:24You missed me so much. You missed fighting with me.
02:26I did not. I did not miss you.
02:30Only, Behar's response was the opposite and didn't seem as jokey, which McCain took to heart.
02:36Several months later, she left The View.
02:38And I just thought, like, I just don't think this is how women should be treated when they come back
02:44from maternity leave.
02:46Number 18. Johnny's Final Monologue.
02:49The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
02:51I am one of the lucky people in the world.
02:54I found something I always wanted to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it.
02:59Few exits in entertainment history have carried the emotional weight of Johnny Carson's final night hosting The Tonight Show in
03:051992.
03:06After 30 years behind that desk, Carson delivered a closing monologue that was stripped of his trademark wit,
03:13replaced instead with something rarer and more powerful, sincerity.
03:17I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all
03:22these years and entertain you.
03:23He spoke directly to the audience, acknowledging the profound role they had played in his life.
03:28His voice faltered. His composure held, barely.
03:31There were no celebrity send-offs, no elaborate production numbers, just Johnny, a microphone, and 30 years of shared history.
03:40I bid you a very heartfelt goodnight.
03:42When the cameras finally cut away, an era ended, and television has never quite filled that particular silence since.
03:50Number 17.
03:51Jimmy Kimmel discusses the 2017 Las Vegas attack.
03:55Jimmy Kimmel Live.
03:55Late night television has an unspoken contract with its audience.
04:00Deliver laughs, provide escape.
04:02Jimmy Kimmel tore that contract apart in 2017.
04:06Terrible, inexplicable, shocking and painful tragedy, this time in Las Vegas, which happens to be my hometown and Calito's hometown,
04:14Calito Senior's hometown.
04:16And as you know, at least 59 people are dead.
04:20Shortly after the tragic attack on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas, Nevada, killing 60 people in the deadliest
04:26mass shooting in modern American history.
04:29Visibly shaking, eyes red, Kimmel spoke without jokes, without deflection, directly confronting America's gun control crisis.
04:36But when an American buys a gun and kills other Americans, then there's nothing we can do about that.
04:43And Second Amendment, I guess, our forefathers wanted us to have AK-47s, is the argument, I assume.
04:54He called out senators by name.
04:56He wept openly.
04:57It was raw political fury filtered through genuine human grief.
05:01And it challenged the notion that entertainers should stay in their lane.
05:04That night, Kimmel wasn't a host.
05:07He was a U.S. citizen, devastated and furious, demanding better from those with the power to change society.
05:14Number 16.
05:15Jimmy Kimmel finds out Nicole Kidman liked him.
05:18The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
05:20Here's a moment that is equal parts hilarious and mortifying.
05:23The perfect late-night cocktail.
05:25Yeah, I have not seen you since then.
05:28I have not.
05:29Right?
05:29That is correct.
05:30No.
05:30But this is years ago, and do you want me to tell my version of the story?
05:33Yeah, you tell your version.
05:35During a 2015 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Nicole Kidman casually revealed that she had, years earlier,
05:42genuinely been interested in Fallon romantically.
05:45Wait, what?
05:46Yes!
05:50What are you talking about?
05:52Yes!
05:53Did I date Nicole Kidman?
05:55Sure.
05:55She'd visited his apartment.
05:57She'd waited.
05:58Jimmy, completely oblivious that it was a date, had treated the whole encounter like a casual hangout with a famous
06:04person and showed her his video games.
06:07I swear, and you didn't talk much at all.
06:11And so after about an hour and a half, I thought, he has no interest.
06:16This is so embarrassing.
06:17Fallon's on-air meltdown.
06:19The disbelief, the regret, the sheer comedic horror of realizing what he had unknowingly squandered was priceless.
06:26Kidman's calm, slightly amused delivery made it even better.
06:30I had no clue at all.
06:34Number 15, Conan's Farewell Address, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
06:38There's been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC.
06:46And this isn't a joke.
06:47To set the record straight, and this is true, tonight I'm allowed to say anything I want.
06:52When NBC unceremoniously pulled The Tonight Show from Conan O'Brien after just seven months in 2010, the late night
06:58world braced for bitterness.
07:00What they got instead for Conan's final outing as host was something far more dignified and far more moving.
07:06Conan's final monologue was elegant, generous, and laced with just enough self-deprecating humor to keep the tears at bay.
07:13This company has been my home for most of my adult life.
07:17I am enormously proud of the work we've done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all
07:23possible.
07:24I really do.
07:25But it was his closing message, a passionate plea to the next generation not to be cynical, delivered with absolute
07:31conviction that resonated deepest.
07:34Please do not be cynical.
07:35I hate cynicism.
07:37For the record, it's my least favorite quality.
07:39It doesn't lead anywhere.
07:41In that moment, Conan transcended the late night wars entirely and spoke something genuinely true.
07:47It's television you don't forget.
07:49Number 14, Nick Cannon tearfully reveals his son's death.
07:53There is no rehearsal for the kind of grief Nick Cannon brought to his talk show in December 2021, after
08:00undergoing one of the worst experiences imaginable.
08:03His infant son, Zen, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and had passed away just days before taping.
08:09Rather than cancel the episode and deal with the tragedy privately, Cannon chose to honor his boy by speaking about
08:15him publicly.
08:16The courage that decision required is almost incomprehensible.
08:20On camera, surrounded by an audience that fell completely silent, he broke down completely.
08:25Happened, happened, happened the last, oh.
08:32I'm holding my son for the last time.
08:36The moment was shattering in its honesty, and it resonated with viewers who'd experienced similar tragedies.
08:42I just really wanted, you know, the, I wanted to grieve with my family.
08:49You know what I mean?
08:49There's no...
08:50Number 13, David Letterman's monologue following the events of 9-11.
08:55Late Show with David Letterman.
08:57Welcome to the Late Show.
09:00This is our first show on the air since New York and Washington were attacked.
09:06Late Shows went dark in the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001.
09:10When they returned, every host faced the same impossible question.
09:14What do you even say?
09:16David Letterman answered that question six days after the tragic event,
09:20in a monologue that remains one of the most important pieces of American television ever broadcast.
09:25Watching all of this, I wasn't sure that I should be doing a television show,
09:30because for 20 years we've been in the city, making fun of everything, making fun of the city.
09:36He didn't tell jokes.
09:38Instead, he spoke haltingly, honestly, about fear and confusion
09:42and the extraordinary heroism of New York City's first responders.
09:46And the men and women from the firefighters and the police department who are lost
09:52are going to be missed by this city for a very, very long time.
09:57His tribute to news anchor Dan Rather, who wept on air, was deeply moving.
10:02Letterman looked like a man holding himself together through sheer will.
10:05I just want to go through this, and again, forgive me if this is more for me
10:09than it is for people watching.
10:11I'm sorry, but I just, I have to go through this.
10:15In that fragility, he found something universal and enduring.
10:19If you didn't believe it before, you can absolutely believe it now.
10:24New York City is the greatest city in the world.
10:27Number 12, Craig Ferguson's eulogy for his father.
10:30The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
10:33Welcome to Los Angeles, California.
10:35Welcome to The Late Late Show.
10:36I'm your host, TV's Craig Ferguson.
10:38Please sit down and relax.
10:39It's going to be a bit different tonight.
10:41The Late Late Show was never short on warmth.
10:43Yet in 2006, Craig Ferguson brought something to the stage that no comedy writer could manufacture.
10:49He opened the show by announcing that his father had passed away just days earlier.
10:53My father, Robert Ferguson, died on Sunday.
10:57And then, in a style that was entirely uniquely his, he eulogized him with stories that blended
11:03laughter and sorrow so seamlessly.
11:05My father was born on St. Patrick's Day in 1930, which was a source of great pride to his Irish
11:12Catholic
11:12mother and some consternation to his Scottish Protestant father, I have to tell you.
11:18It was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
11:22Ferguson spoke about his complicated relationship with his dad, about regret and reconciliation,
11:28with the raw openness of a man still actively grieving.
11:31My father believed in hard work.
11:33And I believe that that's how my father expressed love.
11:37It was a love letter to a father, delivered in real time.
11:42Extraordinary television.
11:43Number 11.
11:45Andrew Garfield dealing with grief.
11:47The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
11:49Grief rarely announces itself on a schedule.
11:52And Andrew Garfield proved that in a 2021 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
11:57I know that you yourself have suffered great grief just recently with the loss of your mother.
12:03And I'm sorry for your family's loss.
12:05Having lost his mother to pancreatic cancer, Garfield spoke about the experience with a
12:10perspective that stopped the room cold.
12:12He reframed grief not as something to survive, but as an expression of love with nowhere left
12:17to go.
12:18It's only a beautiful thing.
12:20This is all the unexpressed love, right?
12:22The grief that will remain with us, you know, until we pass.
12:28A sentiment so beautifully articulated that Colbert, clearly moved, could barely respond.
12:33I'm indebted to everyone who's brought me to this place so that I can honor the most
12:40beautiful person that I've ever experienced in my life through my art.
12:43What made the moment extraordinary was Garfield's composure.
12:47Not detached, not performative, but genuinely present with his pain in a way that felt almost
12:52meditative.
12:53It was a conversation about loss that somehow felt like a gift.
12:57Thank you for sharing it with us.
13:00Thanks, buddy.
13:01I really appreciate that.
13:04Number 10.
13:05Conan announces Robin Williams' death.
13:07Conan.
13:08We got some news during the show that Robin Williams has passed away.
13:14Sometimes an important announcement comes at the most unexpected time.
13:18This is especially true of this clip from Conan O'Brien's TVS program in 2014.
13:24You tape these shows a few hours early and by the time you see this now on TV, I'm sure
13:29that you'll know.
13:31I'm sorry to anyone in our studio audience that I'm breaking this news.
13:38During a taping of his show, the host received word that Robin Williams had died.
13:41The host, Andy Richter, and guest Will Arnett all decide to eulogize the comedian on the
13:46spot.
13:47And he was an amazingly kind and generous person.
13:50They each provide a fitting tribute to a beloved comedy icon.
13:54He was even better as a person.
13:56It's especially impressive to see that they're all able to muster up the words to say something
14:00in such a shocking moment.
14:02O'Brien shows that he's both taken aback by the announcement and a professional that
14:06must go on with the show.
14:07We're thinking of Robin's family.
14:10We're thinking about everybody who he touched around the world throughout his life.
14:16And we're thinking about Robin tonight.
14:19Number 9.
14:20Hugh Grant saves his career.
14:22The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
14:23After being caught with a sex worker in 1995, Hugh Grant had limited options.
14:28He decided to turn this interview into one of the most honest admissions in Tonight Show
14:32history.
14:33Jay Leno immediately lets the actor know that he's made a massive mistake.
14:37What the hell were you thinking?
14:38Grant is deeply regretful and hopes the press will leave his family alone.
14:42I think that would be bollocks really to hide behind something like that.
14:48You know, I think you know in life pretty much what's a good thing to do and what's a bad
14:53thing.
14:53And I did a bad thing and there you have it.
14:56It's a commendable moment with the star working through a major crisis in the midst of a successful
15:01decade.
15:01This segment likely saved his career, with this appearance bringing out the best in him.
15:06He shows that underneath the charming exterior is a flawed human asking for sincere understanding.
15:11As I say, I've done an abominable thing and she's been amazing about it.
15:16And contrary to what I read in the paper today, she's, you know, being very supportive and
15:23we're going to try and work it out.
15:24Leno doesn't let him off easy, but he does give the actor props for showing up.
15:29Thank you for coming.
15:30Terrific sport.
15:31And good luck to you.
15:32Good luck to you.
15:32Number 8.
15:33Norm MacDonald's tearful tribute to Letterman.
15:36Late show with David Letterman.
15:37Listen, folks, this will be my last time on the David Letterman show, I understand.
15:42Not long before David Letterman left late night, Norm MacDonald delivered a comic set for
15:47his hero.
15:47The guest offered up a tribute to the legendary presenter with a few heartfelt words.
15:51We all know that David Letterman was the greatest talk show host who ever lived, but I...
15:58MacDonald wasn't the type to usually get sentimental, which makes this even more moving.
16:03Looking back, it's possible that his undisclosed health diagnosis might have influenced this
16:07reaction.
16:07The first time I saw him, I was 13 years old.
16:10I was living in...
16:18It's a moving show of respect and a genuine moment.
16:21between two giants of comedy.
16:23If that doesn't make you emotional, we're not sure what will.
16:26He has no truck for the sentimental, but if something is true, it is not sentimental.
16:32And I say in truth, I love you.
16:36The younger comedian ultimately shows how much he appreciates and loves Letterman.
16:40Norm MacDonald, ladies and gentlemen.
16:42That was very sweet, Norm.
16:45Good night, everybody.
16:46Number seven, surprising Steve on his birthday.
16:50Steve Harvey.
16:51This one is a surprise.
16:53At times like these, Steve Harvey shows that he's as much in touch with his emotional side
16:57as he is with this comic one.
16:59Hi, Steve.
16:59This is Rich List from Orlando, Florida, and I called you to wish you a happy birthday.
17:04And I asked you one question.
17:05Do you still love me, baby?
17:07This birthday episode of his talk show includes a surprise call from two old friends.
17:13In an instant, Harvey is transported back to a much different time in his life.
17:18You can see on his face that he's thinking about all of his struggles and his inevitable success.
17:25I'm waiting for my answer, buddy.
17:27He's extremely humble at this moment, showing the world that he can cry just like anybody else.
17:33I see.
17:34Jesus.
17:37We love you, buddy.
17:38These people.
17:39And we wish you the best happy birthday.
17:42I was, uh, 26 years old, man.
17:47I was struggling.
17:48It's particularly moving to watch how much Harvey still loves and admires these two supportive friends.
17:53I didn't have nothing.
17:56And these people owned the furniture store in Cleveland.
18:01And, uh, they took me in and gave me my first contract with my little carpet cleaning company.
18:08Number six.
18:09Dakota Johnson calls out Ellen DeGeneres.
18:11The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
18:13Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen.
18:15You were invited.
18:16In this clip from 2019, Ellen DeGeneres welcomes Dakota Johnson to her talk show.
18:21It's good to see you.
18:22Happy belated birthday.
18:23When was your birthday?
18:24It was October 4th.
18:26October 4th.
18:27You turned 30.
18:28I did.
18:29And, um, how was the party?
18:31I wasn't invited.
18:32The host asks why she wasn't invited to Johnson's birthday.
18:35This is disputed by the actress in an awkward confrontation between the two.
18:40Last year, no, last time I was on the show, last year, you gave me a bunch of s*** about
18:45not inviting you.
18:45But I didn't even know you wanted to be invited.
18:48Well, who doesn't want to be invited to a party?
18:50I didn't even know you liked me.
18:52While DeGeneres starts out joking, it's clear that she didn't expect this to escalate.
18:57Are you sure?
18:58Yeah.
18:58The interview doesn't settle down either, as the awkwardness seems to continue.
19:03Ask everybody.
19:07Ask Jonathan, your producer.
19:08Who said you were?
19:09I was invited?
19:11Why didn't I go?
19:12I don't know.
19:14Through it all, the two professionals try to work through their disagreement as best they can.
19:18It's rare that you get someone called out on television in such an overt way.
19:23Oh yeah, I had that thing.
19:27It was probably in Malibu.
19:29That's too far for me to go to.
19:30Yeah.
19:31Yeah.
19:31It was.
19:32Yeah.
19:32No, I think I do remember I was invited.
19:35Number 5.
19:36Craig Ferguson defends Britney Spears.
19:38The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
19:40I want to talk about something that's been bothering me for a little while now.
19:44Craig Ferguson's version of The Late Late Show was something of a hidden gem in its day.
19:48He was outrageous, silly, and often profound.
19:52When I used to watch America's Funniest Home Videos, you know, you'd be laughing at the
19:55kid falling over, and then you'd go, wait a minute, put down the damn camera and help
19:59your kid.
20:00What the hell is wrong with you?
20:01This moment encompasses all three as he gives his take on Britney Spears' personal life.
20:05It's all part of a monologue about not wanting to make jokes about the singer anymore.
20:09Tonight, no Britney Spears jokes, and here's why.
20:12With tremendous empathy, Ferguson talks the audience through his state of mind as he considers
20:17making fun of someone during a struggle.
20:19He does so with heart and humor as he invokes his own journey with sobriety.
20:23This Sunday, I was 15 years sober.
20:25So I looked at her weekend, and I looked at my own weekend, and I thought, you know, I'd
20:31rather have my weekend.
20:32The host delivers it all with complete honesty, proving once again that he's an underrated
20:37part of late night history.
20:38But what she's going through reminds me of what I was doing.
20:41It's an anniversary, you start to think about it.
20:43It reminds me of where I was 15 years ago, when I was living like that.
20:47Now, I'm not saying Britney Spears is an alcoholic.
20:49I don't know if she's an alcoholic or not, but she clearly needs help.
20:53Number four, Jimmy talks about his mom, the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
20:58As some of you know, my mother, Gloria, passed away recently, and I canceled our shows last
21:02week to be with my family.
21:03Jimmy Fallon is usually all smiles and laughs during his Tonight Show broadcasts.
21:07This moment captures his more serious side, holding back tears as he eulogizes his mother.
21:12She would squeeze my hand three times and say, I love you.
21:15And I would squeeze back, I love you too.
21:20And last week, I was in the hospital.
21:24I grabbed her hand, I squeezed, I love you.
21:26He shares fond memories of her that include a heartbreaking way he would squeeze his mom's
21:30hand.
21:31Letting the audience into his personal life, Fallon wears sadness on his face as he describes
21:36his grief.
21:36The heartfelt tribute continues with thoughtful messages to the people around him.
21:40I feel so grateful to be able to do this every single night, and I'm very appreciative
21:43of all the support from all of you that my family received over the past week.
21:48It might not be the way we're used to seeing him, but the presenter earns our respect for
21:52showing us how to honor our loved ones.
21:54Mom, I'll never stop trying to make you laugh.
21:56I love you.
21:57More to a chance.
21:59Number three, Regina King and Jimmy Kimmel share a moment.
22:03Jimmy Kimmel Live.
22:04At the beginning of this interview, Jimmy Kimmel asks Regina King how she's doing.
22:09Right now, I'm good.
22:10Good.
22:11It's a simple question with a much deeper context.
22:14I know you've been through a lot the last year.
22:17Yeah.
22:17King had lost her son within the last two years of the appearance, prompting the TV personality
22:22to offer some support.
22:23She gives an honest answer that gives a glimpse into her grieving process.
22:26The actress watches Kimmel start to tear up, offering her hand as a sign of goodwill.
22:31Hey.
22:33It's good to see you, Jimmy.
22:34Good to see you, too.
22:36It's a genuine moment that you rarely see on any kind of late-night program.
22:39Seeing these two share a few seconds together, they say so much about humanity without having
22:44to say much at all.
22:47Did you see William Shatner backstage?
22:51Number two, Letterman apologizes for a fair.
22:54Late show with David Letterman.
22:56I'm glad you folks are here tonight, and I'm glad you're in such a pleasant mood, because
23:01I have a little story that I would like to tell you and the home viewers as well.
23:05Do you feel like a story?
23:07David Letterman had one massive scandal related to having affairs with staffers.
23:11Someone tried to blackmail him about it, but the host decided to reveal the information
23:15instead.
23:16It says that I know that you do some terrible, terrible things, and I can prove that you
23:26do these terrible things.
23:28This 2009 moment comes as one of the most honest and awkward of his entire tenure on
23:32the late show.
23:33Letterman is very direct about his actions, and doesn't try to excuse them.
23:37By the end, the TV personality thanks law enforcement and withholds additional details to protect
23:42his family.
23:43And we say, can we run a couple of things by you guys?
23:48And so we took the stuff down there, and they said, whoa, hello, this is blackmail.
23:53The host does not mince words about the saga and its implications for his career.
23:58By being open about the entire event, the comedian likely helped his reputation.
24:02I need to certainly protect my family, I need to protect myself, hope to protect my job,
24:08and the friends, everybody that has been very supportive through this.
24:13And I don't plan to say much more about this on this particular topic.
24:18Number one, Jimmy Kimmel talks about his son, Jimmy Kimmel Live.
24:23The story to tell about something that happened to our family last week, I'm sorry, you know,
24:27I try not to get emotional, but it was a scary story.
24:31Instead of a typical monologue, Jimmy Kimmel wears his emotions on his sleeve here.
24:35Before I go into it, I want you to know it has a happy ending, okay?
24:38He tells the harrowing story of his son Billy's birth and heart condition.
24:42It's clear that the host is on the edge of losing it at several points.
24:46Struggling to maintain his composure, Kimmel is overcome by a mix of genuine concern,
24:50love, and thankfulness.
24:52It's a terrifying thing.
24:54I'm, you know, my wife is back in the recovery room.
24:58She has no idea what's going on.
25:00And I'm standing in the middle of a lot of very worried-looking people, kind of like right now.
25:06He also spotlights the work of the amazing medical staff that saved his kid.
25:09And the truly awe-inspiring team at Children's Hospital Los Angeles,
25:13led by Dr. Vaughn Starnes, who saved so many lives.
25:16This man has saved thousands of lives and turned so much sorrow into happiness, I'll never be able to thank
25:26him.
25:27It's a commendable speech that's both personal and universal.
25:31By the end, the comedian makes a compelling case for changes to the U.S. health care system.
25:35It's among the most heart-wrenching moments in recent talk show history.
25:39All my co-workers who sent a box of cards, that meant a lot to my wife.
25:45I didn't read them, but they meant a lot.
25:47Were you surprised by any of the talk show hosts and guests speaking so honestly?
25:52Or did you expect them to be as open?
25:54Let us know below.
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