Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling made their first joint public appearance in over 10 years, and it was all thanks to a birthday surprise on “The Tonight Show.”
Gosling stopped by Jimmy Fallon’s late night show Thursday evening to promote his new movie, “Project Hail Mary,” but took a moment away from talking about the film to honor his wife’s birthday.
Specifically, the “Barbie” actor asked the audience if they’d be willing to sing “Happy Birthday” to Mendes, who turned 52 on Thursday. After the studio audience erupted into cheers, a camera cut to Mendes backstage and followed her as she made her way to the “Tonight Show” main stage.
“Here’s the thing, you might find me in the Hudson River tomorrow,” Gosling quipped, likely due to the fact that the couple is notoriously private.
However, Mendes happily made her way into the studio, where she took a moment to shout out teachers who were in the audience. (For those wondering, Gosling plays a science teacher-turned-reluctant astronaut in “Project Hail Mary.”)
“I do love teachers so much,” she said while taking center stage. “We owe so much to you guys … I had so many amazing teachers mentor me and I just want to say thank you.”
While Mendes’ tribute was very kind, Fallon stepped in and reminded her that this moment was all about her, adding, “This is your day. This is your birthday!” Gosling cemented this point by inviting New Jersey’s North Bergen High School marching band to come out and play “Happy Birthday” to Mendes. Watch the sweet moment below.
The joint “Tonight Show” appearance came 13 years after Gosling and Mendes’ last public outing together, which was the New York City premiere for their movie, “The Place Beyond The Pines.”
The pair actually met in 2011 while filming the crime drama, though, they’ve since chosen to keep their relationship mostly out of the spotlight.
They share two children together, Esmeralda and Amada.
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.
