Will Ferrell appeared on a string of US late-night talk shows in character as Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy to promote a podcast.
The comedian and actor reprised his role as the eccentric San Diego newsreader on Thursday night, speaking to Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Fallon.
During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ferrell was asked what had changed about his podcast, which is now in its second season.
He said there had been “big changes”, joking that he was “releasing a lot of the podcast in Braille”.
Ferrell named his dream guest as the Pope.
During his stint on Colbert’s The Late Show, he was asked if Burgundy had ever been in the historic Ed Sullivan Theatre, where the programme is filmed and famously the site of The Beatles’ first televised performance in the US.
He said he had been once, in 1964, adding: “We had to listen through this incessantly screeching band called The Beatles. I was like ‘Get off the stage, you bums!’ I don’t know why I had such a visceral reaction.”
O’Brien asked Burgundy how successful his current run of stand-up sets had been.
Ferrell replied: “Out of 20 shows I have done, 17 have not been supportive.”
He joked that the shows had been so bad, the audience started fighting.
“They hated my comedy so much they started beating each other … as Don Rickles said ‘Eeither leave them laughing or leave them fighting’.”
And during his chat with Fallon, Ferrell revealed that his favourite podcast guest had been Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.
He said: “You never want to meet your heroes and boy, Kylie and I, from the moment she came into the studio, we just looked at each other and it was on. She just bit me right in the ass.”
The first episode of season two of Ferrell’s podcast is out now and features an interview with Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris.
