.@LilKim drops by to show her support and share her favorite dance moves with @NickCannon. #DancingCannon http://pic.twitter.com/HeN92ZE0jw
— Red Nose Day USA (@RedNoseDayUS) May 21, 2015
You’ve probably noticed #RedNoseDay trending on Twitter today. But exactly is Red Nose Day? It is originally a British tradition, first launched 30 years ago, that helps to fight child poverty. The United Kingdom has raised more than $1 billion from the telecast, which, according to British Council, takes place every two years in the Spring.
“Money raised during the Red Nose Day campaign goes to the Red Nose Day Fund, which then distributes grants to charities that benefit children and young people,” the campaign’s main web site said. “All of the grant money distributed by the Red Nose Day Fund will be given to a variety of nonprofit organizations that transform children’s lives.”
Red Nose Day UK was an idea that came to Richard Curtis, a scriptwriter best known for his work on Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, in response to the severe famine in Ethiopia during the 80’s.
According to Curtis, “it will be funny and entertaining while giving viewers the opportunity to pitch in to help kids in the US and around the globe,” according to The Guardian.
Half of the donated money will be spent at home, in the U.S., while the other half will be spent on some of the poorest communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Now, the event is coming overseas to the United States. Airing on Thursday (tonight) on NBC at 8 pm ET, Red Nose Day will be a star-studded three-hour TV event. Expect to see Julia Roberts, Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Neil Patrick Harris, Jodie Foster, Julianne Moore, Coldplay, Kim Kardashian and more. The network is hoping the fundraising telecast will become a new franchise.
As part of the promotional build-up to tonight’s event, NBC.com is hosting a 24-hour “dance-a-thon”live stream hosted by Nick Cannon at the NBC Experience Store in 30 Rock that launched at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Time to dig out that old Rudolph costume! If you put on that big red nose, and post it on social media, the Gates Foundation will donate $25 for children living in poverty. And the Gates Foundation, a non-profit founded by Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, will donate $25 for every big red nose photo posted on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #RedNose25.
